HHJ Richard Pearce (chair) was called to the Bar in 1985. He practised in the sphere of common law. He was appointed a Recorder in 2005 and a full-time civil Circuit Judge in 2015, sitting initially in Chester and Liverpool and more recently in Manchester. Richard is the Judge in charge of the Circuit Commercial Court in Manchester and also sits in the Technology and Construction Court and the Chancery Division, as well as in the County Court, the King’s Bench Division, the Administrative Court and the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber. He sits in Liverpool and London on Circuit Commercial and general King’s Bench Division work. He is a frequent speaker at events organised by the British Irish Commercial Bar Association. He has been involved in the Court Reform programme, including work on online court processes.
Eleonor Duhs is a partner and the head of data privacy at Bates Wells LLP in the City of London. Before working in private practice she was a UK government lawyer. She was the government’s lead lawyer in negotiations on the GDPR. She is an expert on the UK’s post-Brexit legal landscape, having worked in the Department for Exiting the European Union on the domestic legislation to implement Brexit, as well as the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement and the framework for the future EU-UK relationship. She has co-authored a well-received book on Brexit: Retained EU law: a Practical Guide, published by the Law Society.
Ronan Costello is Public Policy Director for Twitter: Europe, Turkey and Israel. Ronan represents Twitter with governments and civil society, advocating for regulation that’s built on Open Internet principles.
Ronan holds a Bachelor of Laws from Trinity College Dublin, an MSc in Media and Communications Governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He’s also a qualified barrister and was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2017. He is @Ronan_Costello on Twitter.
Heikki Ilvessalo is the Chief Executive Officer, Ilves Solutions Oy. Heikki has over 25 years of experience in the legal field with a particular interest in developments that contribute to evolving the digitalization of the legal field. His experience and expertise relate to the key areas of legal service providers’ digital transformation agenda. Currently he acts as the CEO if Ilves, his family’s legal tech company, with a mission of making legal data more valuable. He is also on a mission to accelerate the evolution of the entire ecosystem of the legal field. He is ELTA’s (European Legal Tech Association) legal tech ambassador in Finland, he runs a legal tech expert network and is the co-organizer of the Nordic Legal Tech Day in Helsinki. Prior to joining Ilves, he was the development director of Castrén & Snellman Attorneys Ltd. (2005-2018). He received his LLM 2001 and started his career as a lawyer.
Mr. Justice David Barniville (chair) is the President of the High Court of Ireland. He was appointed a judge of the High Court in December 2017 after almost 27 years in practice as a barrister and Senior Counsel. He was the judge in charge of the Commercial Division of that Court (2019-2021). He was also designated as the Arbitration Judge to hear all arbitration related matters in the High Court. He was previously the judge in charge of the Strategic Infrastructure List in the High Court (2018-2019). David was appointed to the Court of Appeal in August 2021.
He was appointed President of the High Court in July 2022. In July 2018, David was appointed as a member of Ireland’s National Group on the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of European Law (ERA) and of the Board of Trustees of BAILII (the British and Irish Legal Information Institute).
David was the President of the Association of Judges of Ireland (2019-2021) and is Senior Vice Chair of the Judges Forum of the Judges Forum of the International Bar Association (IBA).
Prior to his appointment to the High Court, David was Chairperson of the Council of the Bar of Ireland (2014-2016) and was Chairperson of Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI) (2015-2019). He was a member of the Bars of Ireland and of England and Wales (Middle Temple) and is a Bencher of the King’s Inns in Dublin and of Middle Temple in London.
Ronan Lupton SC is a senior counsel practising in the areas of commercial, chancery and media law. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Sutherland School of Law at University College Dublin. He specialises in defamation, data protection and privacy claims, and currently teaches data protection and privacy law at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Ronan was called to the Bar in 2008, to the Inner Bar in 2021, and has been a member of the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple) since 2019. Prior to commencing legal practice, Ronan was Head of Regulatory Affairs at Verizon, the global telecommunications company, and he is currently independent Chairperson of the ALTO group.
Dr Miguel Recio is an Associate of the TMC department at CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo, specialising in personal data protection. He is a Doctor of Law and an associate professor of the Law Faculty at Universidad CEU San Pablo, Madrid (Spain). He holds a Master´s Degree in Data Protection, Transparency and Access to Public Information, Universidad CEU San Pablo, Madrid (Spain) and a LL.M. in Intellectual Property, George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC. (United States). Recio is author of several publications (books and chapters) on data protection.
Dr Ricardo Henriques is a Partner at Abreu Advogados whose practice focuses particularly on technology law in Portugal and international markets, on matters such as software licensing, compliance projects regarding emerging technologies and issues related to e-commerce. He has also been working on several General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) implementation projects and advised on transactions and outsourcing projects on an ongoing basis. Ricardo Henriques works for wide-ranging national and multinational companies, including companies in the automotive, pharmaceutical, services, healthcare, financial, consumer goods manufacturers, hardware and software developers, retail and online retail. He works closely with a variety of technology law firms around the world enabling him to assist clients in their global expansion and to protect their intellectual property in different jurisdictions.
Felicity McMahon, Bar of England and Wales, 5RB Chambers. Felicity McMahon is a barrister at the Bar of England & Wales specialising in Media & Communications Law. She practises from 5RB Chambers in London, a specialist media law set. Felicity’s practise includes defamation, privacy, data protection, harassment, injunctive relief, and other areas of media law. She has a particular interest in cases involving online publication, social media and the internet; and in the data protection and other legal implications raised by big tech and online technology. Felicity is the co-editor of Blackstone’s Guide to the Defamation Act 2013, and the Defamation Chapter of Clerk & Lindsell on Torts, she is also a contributing author to Tugendhat & Christie’s The Law of Privacy and the Media. Felicity is also the co-Vice Chair of the Hall Committee of her Inn of Court, Middle Temple Hall; and acts as a mentor for students.
Barbara Howard (chair) focuses her practice exclusively on family law matters. She handles complex asset and property division cases, asset valuation matters, the division of retirement assets, child custody cases, paternity disputes, support for both children and spouses, relocation matters, tax issues related to divorcing parties and prenuptial agreements. Ms. Howard has handled Hague Convention cases as well. She has been certified as a specialist in family relations law by the Ohio State Bar Association since 1999. While she is a strong advocate for her clients in the courtroom, a significant portion of Ms. Howard’s practice employs the alternative dispute resolution collaborative law process.
A native of Ohio, Ms. Howard graduated magna cum laude in 1976 from Xavier University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. She was awarded her Juris Doctor in 1979 from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Admitted to practice before all Ohio state courts, Ms. Howard is also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Highly respected by her fellow attorneys, she is AV Preeminent* peer-review rated through Martindale-Hubbell.
Ms. Howard has just completed her two-year term as Chair of the American Bar Association House of Delegates, the second highest office in the ABA. Other ABA positions include a delegate in the House of Delegates since 1986 and the former Ohio State Delegate to the House. She is a former president of the Ohio State Bar Association and of the Cincinnati Bar Association. She serves on the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education, having previously served on its Commission on the Certification of Attorneys as Specialists. She is the Chair of the Board of the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company, a professional liability insurance provider. Ms. Howard is also immediate past Chair of the Board of Trustees of Xavier University.
João Perry da Câmara, Rogerio Alves & Associates, Portuguese bar. João practices in Litigation & Arbitration, Family Law and Inheritance Law, Company Law and Arbitration. João is the founding partner of RA&A, is responsible for the area of Family and Successions Law, and one of the responsible for the Litigation and Arbitration Area. Member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and participates in national and international arbitrations, as arbitrator. João served in the Lisbon District Council of the Portuguese Bar Association, as Vice President of the Lisbon District Council. Served in the General Council of the Portuguese Bar Association, as Vice President of the Portuguese Bar Association.
Nuno Cardoso Ribeiro is a family and divorce lawyer since 2000 and also a family mediator registered with the Portuguese Bar Association since 2000 and the Brazilian Bar Association, São Paulo, since 2015. Nuno obtained a Law degree in 1997 and is a postgraduate in Family Law by the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Lisboa and also by the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbra. He is also postgraduated in Administrative Litigation by the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and member of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA). Nuno was a founder and is presently the chairman of the board of the AAFC – Family and Children’s Lawyers Association. Nuno is a frequent speaker in several events and courses where he lectures on family law (Portuguese Bar Association, Centro de Estudos Judiciários, ISPA – Insituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Guarda Nacional Repúblicana, Sociedade Portuguesa de Terapia Familiar, AAFC – Family and Children’s Lawyer Association). Nuno regularly writes about divorce and family law on Público, Portuguese main national newspaper, and several others (Observador, Jornal de Mafra, Semanário V). Nuno handles national and international divorce and family cases.
Johanna Norrback-Ilvessalo is one of the leading family lawyers in Finland with more than twenty years of experience. After having worked more than ten years at some of Finland’s leading law firms with taxation matters, company law and private clients, she founded Attorney at Law Familja in 2014 to focus primarily on international family law. Johanna has a true passion for multicultural environments. She has a master’s degree in law from both Finland and Sweden in addition to having studied international child law at the University of Manchester, UK. Privately Johanna is married and a mother of three children. Any free time is dedicated to sports, music, literature and traveling.
Jennifer O’Brien established her own firm at the Capel Building in Dublin 7 in 2015 having previously headed up the family law team at Mason Hayes & Curran (incorporating Arthur O Hagan), where she was partner. She commenced her career at McCann FitzGerald, where she worked on the family law team for 8 years. Jennifer has over 25 years of experience in separation, divorce, jurisdiction & non-marital matters with an emphasis on cases concerning business, trusts, investments, farming and other assets. She also advises on matters pertaining to Civil Partnership & Cohabitation. Jennifer has acted in a number of leading cases before the Courts and is adept at negotiation of complex agreements, avoiding litigation where possible.
An experienced international family lawyer handling cases concerning recognition of foreign divorce, Brussels IIbis, child abduction, re-location applications & enforcement of orders throughout the member states and elsewhere. Jennifer lectures to members of the profession at the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland, the Family Lawyers’ Association & the International Academy of Family Lawyers. She is a former chair of the Family Law & Minors Committee, DSBA, a member of the Family Lawyers’ Association, an Associate member of Resolution (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association of England and Wales). She is currently a member of the Law Society Family & Child Law Committee. Jennifer is a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. She co-authored Family Law: A Global Guide from Practical Law, 5th edition 2021 and International Relocation of Children, 2018, both published by Thomson Reuters.
Mrs Justice Maura McGowan (Chair) is a High Court Judge and serves on the editorial boards of the Criminal Law Review and Archbold. She is a member of the Sentencing Council here and in the Eastern Caribbean and Barbados. She has also advised the CJ of Uganda on the drafting and implementation of policy and guidelines on sentencing. She is the Director of Training for the Senior Judiciary. She is an Advanced International Advocacy Trainer. She has also taught or lectured in many jurisdictions including Hong Kong, Singapore, Mauritius, Cayman Islands, USA, Tanzania, Ireland, Pakistan and South Africa. She is a trustee of the Slynn Foundation and of BAILII.
M. Bruno Lasserre is the former Vice President of Conseil d’Etat, Paris. After graduating from Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 1978, the French national school for civil service, Bruno Lasserre became a member of the Conseil d’État, which is an independent advisory body for the Government and the Parliament on the preparation of bills, ordinances and some of the most important decrees, as well as the highest administrative jurisdiction in the country.
From 1986 to 1989, he created and then ran the legal service at the Directorate-General for Telecommunications. Between 1989 and 1997, he served as Director for Regulatory Affairs, and then Director General for Posts and Telecommunications. He returned to the Conseil d’État in 1998, where he became assessor at the 10th Chamber (1998-1999), chaired the 1st Chamber for three years (1999-2002), before becoming Deputy-President for all litigation activities (2002-2004).
After serving as Member of the board of the Conseil de la concurrence (Competition Council) (1998-2004), he was appointed President in July 2004, and in this capacity pushed through a major reform that transformed it into the Autorité de la concurrence, responsible for merger review and competition advocacy in addition to antitrust enforcement. He chaired the Autorité until September 2016. At that time, Bruno Lasserre came back to the Conseil d’État to head the department for Home Affairs (2016-2018). He was appointed vice-president of the Conseil d’État on 16th May 2018, the highest position at the Conseil d’État since it does not have any president. He took office on 29th May and was installed in its functions by the Prime Minister on 6th June 2018.
Honorary Vice-President of the Conseil d’État since January 4, 2022, Bruno Lasserre was appointed President of the Commission des participations et des transferts by decree of February 7, 2022.
David Conlan Smyth SC is a Senior Counsel practising at the Bar of Ireland and is Chairperson of the European Union Bar Association (EUBA). He has a Diploma in Advanced Legal Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges. Since 1990 he has practised in the areas of civil and commercial law in particular administrative law, European Union Law, judicial review and immigration law before the Irish Courts, the CJEU and the European Court of Human Rights. He is a former Chair of the Migration Law Committee of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (2015 to 2020) and co-chaired the Task Force of the European Lawyers Project in Lesvos, Greece. He is a member of the Irish delegation to the CCBE. David has spoken and lectured widely on EU law in Ireland (Law Society and Honorable Society of Kings Inns) as well as in China (China EU Law School), Colombia, Belgium, Turkey and elsewhere.
Tom Hickman KC is a barrister practising from Blackstone Chambers, London and Professor of Public Law, University College London. He has appeared in a number of leading cases, including representing Gina Miller in both the Miller Cases (the Article 50 case and the parliamentary prorogation case). He frequently writes and blogs on public law topics, including the Covid-19 emergency arrangements.
Abigail Holt is a Barrister at Garden Court Chambers in London. She is the Treasurer of the European Circuit of the Bar.
Having not studied European Law as a student of jurisprudence (only Roman Law), in 2018/19, on top of her practice, she did a post graduate diploma in EU Law at Kings College London in order better to understand EU law and why the UK allegedly needed to “take back control”. In this period she also brushed up her French at the Alliance Francaise in Manchester where she lives, before spending a period assisting in the Cabinet of the final UK Advocate General Elleanor Sharpston KC (who has long been a generous supporter of the Circuit) and where Abigail greatly enjoyed working on a number of draft opinions and carrying out legal research.
Abigail is also a long-standing part-time Tribunal Judge deciding heavy Immigration, asylum, human rights and deportation cases, and, more recently, being assigned to sit in the Employment Tribunal. Her practice at the Bar centres on negligence cases – particularly medical cases, catastrophic personal injuries, often with an international element, and fatal industrial diseases.
Over the last 12 months Abigail has been deeply involved working on a collaborative project involving international lawyers helping support women judges fleeing from Afghanistan and trying to make new lives in the UK from scratch.
Abigail is also an international swimmer(!) Her greatest achievement having been to swim the Dardanelle Straits from Europe to Asia in Turkey and the Parcours Défi de Montecristo in Marseille!
Michael McDowell SC was appointed Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Coalition Government formed in June 2002. He served as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform until June 2007, and as Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) from September 2006 to June 2007. In July 1999 he was appointed Attorney General of Ireland and served in that post until June 2002.
He practises as a Senior Counsel in the Law Library, Dublin.
Matthew Happold is Professor of Public International Law at the University of Luxembourg and a barrister at 3 Hare Court, London. He also sits as a Recorder (a part-time judge) on the North Eastern Circuit, authorised to sit on civil and criminal cases. In 2022, he was appointed to the European Commission’s list of candidates suitable for appointment as an arbitrator in bilateral disputes under EU trade agreements.
Matthew was a member of the Commission consultative des Droits de l’Homme, Luxembourg’s national human rights institution, for over eight years.
Matthew has published widely across the international law spectrum. Recent publications include ‘EU External Action in International Economic Law: Recent Trends and Developments’ (Springer: 2020) (co-editor with Mads Andenas, Christina Contartese and Luca Pantaleo) and ‘Economic Sanctions and International Law’ (Hart: 2016) (co-editor with Paul Eden), as well as articles in the ICSID Review, the International and Comparative Law Quarterly, and the Journal of World Investment and Trade.
Richard Samuel is a barrister at 3 Hare Court in Middle Temple in London. His advises European law firms which are dealing with international business disputes on behalf of their clients under English law. He appears in arbitrations as part of the advocacy team of European law firms and as advocate in the English High Court and appellate courts. Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he has been dealing almost exclusively with the effect of sanctions in the EU and EFTA on long-term international contracts under English law.
Michael Bowsher KC (Chair) has a busy practice in public procurement, competition and commercial law, particularly in disputes concerning major public and public-private projects. He is particularly known for his unique practice in regulated procurement in the United Kingdom, Ireland, elsewhere in Europe and beyond.
Michael has appeared as counsel in many of the major procurement cases over more than a decade. He is also heavily involved in providing advice on procurement law and practice in non-contentious situations. He has recently become increasingly involved in matters involving application and interpretation of investment treaties and trade agreements as well as a range of matters involving Outer Space law.
Michael’s remains very active in competition law matters, having acted in a number of recent matters involving essential facilities, competition in payment systems and now acting as leading counsel in a number of collective proceedings brought in the CAT.
Michael is active in a range of dispute resolution arrangements. He has often been appointed as arbitrator, mediator and expert by CEDR, LCIA, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Technology and Construction Solicitors’ Association. Most of his appointments involve disputes concerning investments or long term contracts involving the public sector or utilities. He has recently been involved in a number procedures involving disputes in the operation of the NHS.
Michael is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London where he teaches EU Public Procurement on the LLM degree course and is Director of the Distance Learning Diploma and Masters in Public Procurement law. Each of these courses includes substantial components concerning procurement by international organisations beyond the EU.
Michael is a member of the Bar Library in Belfast and in Dublin, and practises actively in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as well as in England and Wales.
Michael will become Leader of the European Circuit in Autumn 2022.
Professor Luís Menezes Leitão, President of the Portuguese Bar Association:
Personal and professional identification
— Name: Luís Manuel Teles de Menezes Leitão
— Place of birth and birth date: Coimbra, 10.10.1963
— University Professor of the Faculty of Law of Lisbon of the University of Lisbon and Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa;
— Laywer. Office adress: Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar, 163, 3º dto, in Lisboa;
Education and University Experience
Academic qualifications:
— Degree in Law, magna cum laude, by the Faculty of Law of Lisbon of the University of Lisbon in 1986;
— Master Degree in Law (Legal Sciences), maxima cum laude, by the Faculty of Law of Lisbon of the University of Lisbon in 28.January.1991;
— PhD in Law, summa cum laude, by the Faculty of Law of Lisbon of the University of Lisbon, in 26.January.1998;
— Aggregation in 20.December.2006, in the Faculty of Law of Lisbon of the University of Lisbon, approved unanimously;
Academic record in the Faculty of Law of Lisbon:
— Exercise teaching in the Faculty of Law of Lisbon since 1986, being Professor of Law of that Faculty since March.2007;
— Exercise teaching in the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa since 1991 being also Professor of that University.
— Has been Professor of the following disciplines: Law of Obligations, Contracts, Property Law, Labour Law, Law of Succession;
— President of the Executive Board of the Faculty of Law of Lisbon from 7.March.2002 untill 12.January.2004;
— Has been teaching, over the years, in several Law Master and PhD courses, in Portugal abroad, namely Timor, Goa, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Angola;
Professional Experience:
— Member of the Bar since 23.June.1988, exercising the activity of lawyer and jurist;
— Jurist of the Centro de Estudos Fiscais – Direcção-Geral das Contribuições e Impostos since 22.November.1991 untill 15.February.1996;
— Specialist-Jurist of the Centro de Estudos Fiscais – Direcção-Geral das Contribuições e Impostos since 16. February.1996 untill 01.March.1998;
— Member of the Pedagogical Council of the Centro de Estudos Judiciários since November.1998 untill June.2008;
— Jury member in the Comissão de Mercado de Valores Mobiliários on the allocation of legal prize for the best work done in 2000 and 2001 in Securities Law;
— Vice-Chairman of the Lisbon District Council of the Bar Association since 6.January.2005 untill January.2008;
— Chairman of the National Award jury Professor Adelino da Palma Carlos on awarding the prize for the best work ethics prepared by young lawyer in 2005;
— Jury member of the Securities Market Commission on the allocation of legal prize for the best work done in 2004 and 2005 in Securities Law
— Candidate for president of the Bar Association in the 2007 elections;
— Served as arbitrator in several arbitrations;
— Integrates the list of arbitrators of the CENTRO DE ARBITRAGEM COMERCIAL da Câmara de Comércio e Indústria Portuguesa;
— Integrates the list of arbitrators of the CAAD – Centro de Arbitragem Administrativa;
— Integrates the list of arbitrators of ARBITRARE – Centro de Arbitragem para a Propriedade Industrial, nomes de domínio, firmas e denominações;
— Integrates the list of arbitrators of CES – Conselho Económico e Social;
— Integrates the list of arbitrators of the Centro de Arbitragem da APDI – Associação Portuguesa de Direito Intelectual;
— Associate of the Associação Portuguesa de Arbitragem;
— President of the Associação Lisbonense de Proprietários since April.2009 ;
— Attorney Guinea-Bissau State in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the case 19 “Virginia G”;
— President of the Superior Council of the Bar Association between January 2014 and December 2019
— President of the Portuguese Bar Association since January 2020.
Hugh Mercer KC is a barrister of the Bars of England and Wales and of Northern Ireland as well as a Belgian avocat. He is a Bencher of Middle Temple and a Deputy High Court Judge sitting in civil and administrative cases. He specialises in litigation involving issues of EU law, public international law, private international law, foreign law and public law before courts and arbitral tribunals in the UK, the CJEU and other EU Member States. He is Chair of the International Committee of the Bar of England and Wales. He is a former Leader of the European Circuit, former Chair of the CCBE EU Lawyers Committee (2016-2020) and of the CCBE Permanent Delegation to the Court of Justice of the CJEU (2010-2015). He is co-author of European Civil Practice, an article by article commentary on the Brussels Regulation on Jurisdiction and Judgments. He speaks fluent French with good German, Spanish and Italian.
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