A review by Abigail Holt, Leader of The European Circuit
of our Annual Conference in The Hague 2025.
Whilst thinking about lawyering & upheaval (all the while juggling emails & constant communications which are the lawyers lot) we experienced upheaval. A cyber attack at London Heathrow disrupting international travel; dangerous rain & flooding in Manchester; riots in the centre of The Hague – lots of Police on the streets & one of their vehicles set on fire. The fabric of daily life fraying badly & the seams showing signs of coming apart. So dispiriting. So worrying.
As lawyers, judges, legal academics & students we are a crucial emergency service tasked with resisting the unravelling, re-stitching, patching & in places, frankly, interpreting & informing the political process of weaving law from scratch (most urgently now, new climate change-related jurisprudence, fundamental rights for nature, embedding of the UN’s sustainable development goals into our economies, regulation of AI, a radical re-appraisal of the checks and balances of international trade & access to justice for impecunious individuals to enforce their fundamental rights).
The alchemy of the law is built from the raw material of stories; the narratives of individuals, companies & institutions who have suffered and had to bring cases before the Courts to resolve their disputes, with the judicial resolution becoming precedent; a stepping stone for others whose dispute contains similar ingredients.
But because the practise of law is based on integrity & professional relationships of trust, the conference was also founded on socialising & celebrating together.
Thank you to:
- Nederlandse orde van advocaten and Sanne van Oers for welcoming us to The Hague, city of peace & justice & for hosting the Circuit at Pulchri Studio;
- Rene Miko, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to The Hague who welcomed us to his stunning residence situated across the way from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Peace Palace;
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) and British Judge, Joanna Korner CMG KC who welcomed The European Circuit to the ICC for a stakeholder visit.
- Also International Criminal Court Judge and Canadian Jurist, Kimberly Prost who delivered a punchy and passionate keynote address which left no doubts that the ICC is very much alive and kicking, punching well above the weight of its financial resources.
- International law institute, T.M.C. Asser Instituut & Prof Dr Machiko Kanetake (Director) who provided the perfect setting for the main panel discussions.
There were powerful comments about the state of the legal services & profession from Bar Leaders: Sanne van Oers (NL), Kirsty Brimelow KC (UK), Stéphanie Encinas (France), Robert Němec (Czech Republic), Séamus Clarke (Ireland) & Barbara Howard President Elect of the American Bar Association.
