On November 20, 2015, ECLA held its General Assembly in Copenhagen, which was hosted by the national association of company lawyers of Denmark.

One of the more important topics discussed in the meeting was  TTIP (the Trans-Atlantic Trade & Investment Partnership), between the USA and the European Union. It was felt that the average knowledge level on TTIP  should be increased among the members, also as  it is still unknown how TTIP might influence the profession of the company lawyer in Europe.

President Sergio Marini gave some insight into the negotiations and emphasized the wish to be involved in the opinion making process, and (indirectly) in the negotiations.
No definitive position has been taken in the meeting, but the President set a  strict deadline in order to understand how ECLA should act in these negotiations which could have an important impact on  the role of company  lawyers in Europe. However, nobody knows at this point of time  what  the final text of TTIP will be,  as on both sides of the Atlantic there are several contradicting political streams.

Another topic of interest was the opportunity of strategic partnerships with other company lawyers organizations in order to do lobbying actions viz. the European Commission with respect to the recognition of the  position of the company lawyer. Also the topic of Legal Privilege is, of course,  still important for ECLA, as it has always been the case since 1982. This topic may also play a role in the negotiations around TTIP.

Further,  it was discussed how to improve ECLA’s visibility, as well as to encourage more networking among individual  members in  and between national associations.

President Marini expressed a special word of gratitude  to Danske Advokater for its hospitality in its attractive headquarter and to Gorrissen Federspiel Law Firm, for offering ECLA such a pleasant Gala Dinner.