The CEEMC is proud to have been supported by so many illustrious people throughout the years.
Below are details of some of the regular members of the CEEMC Judicial Panel.
Founder of the CEEMC
Founder of CEEMC
Denise was Director of Studies at Juris Angliae Scientia for almost 25 years.
She was instrumental in expanding the activities of the British Law Centre throughout the CEE region.
She founded the CEEMC competition in 1995 and continues to be instrumental to its ongoing success.
Denise’s services to encouraging the study of English law in CEE are renowned. In 2013, she was formally honoured for such services with the award of an MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Presidents of the CEEMC Panel
Eleanor Sharpston KC was an Advocate General to the Court of Justice of the European Union from January 2006 until September 2020.
Eleanor became the President of the CEEMC Judicial Panel in 2009 and has been an incredible supporter of the CEEMC and the British Law Centre.
She is one of the most formidable thinkers and writers on EU law and someone whose passion for the European project is second-to-none.
She studied economics, languages and law at King’s College, Cambridge (1973-77), followed by university teaching and research at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (1977-80).
She was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 1980 and was a barrister in private practice from 1980-87 and 1990-2005 King’s Counsel: 1999; Bencher of Middle Temple (2005). In the intervening years she worked as Legal Secretary (referendaire) in the Chambers of Advocate General, subsequently Judge, Sir Gordon Slynn later Lord Slynn of Hadley (1987-90).
She was also a Lecturer in European and comparative law (Director of European Legal Studies) at University College London (1990-92) and then a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law (1992-98), and subsequently Affiliated Lecturer (1998-2005), at the University of Cambridge. Yorke Distinguished Visiting Fellow; Arthur Goodhart Visiting Professor in Legal Science 2023-24
She was Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Legal Studies of the University of Cambridge (1998-2005) and remains a fellow of King’s College, Cambridge (since 1992).
In 2021, Eleanor was elected as a member of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee.
Aside from her academic and professional achievements, Madam President Sharpston is well-known for her ability to entertain everyone during the CEEMC, especially at the Singing Competition!
Lord Gordon Slynn was a staunch supporter of the CEEMC.
He was President of the first CEEMC Judicial Panel in 1995 and continued to fulfil that role until he sadly passed away in 2009.
A best speaker’s prize is named in honour of his services to the CEEMC. The first Lord Slynn of Hadley award was presented by Lady Odile Slynn in 2010.
He served as a judge in the UK until he became an Advocate General at the European Court of Justice in 1981. In that role, he produced some of the most memorable AG Opinions in the history of the court, each of which contained signs of his famous good humour.
He was appointed as a Judge of the European Court of Justice in 1988 and he sat ion the Luxembourg court until 1992, when he returned to the UK to become a Law Lord.
He was appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in 1992 and thereafter became known as Baron Slynn of Hadley. He was a sworn member of the Privy Council.
As a member of the House of Lords, he served as Chairman of the House of Lords Select Sub-Committee on European Law and Institutions (1992–95), and as a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on Public Service (1996–98) and the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Corruption Bill (2003). He retired as a Law Lord in 2002.
He was life President of the Lord Slynn of Hadley European Law Foundation and President of the Civil Mediation Council.
CEEMC participants from years past will never forget Lord Slynn’s ability to combine sharp legal analysis with biting witticisms, nor his keenness in participating in the CEEMC’s social programme. He is sorely missed.
European Courts and Institutions
Judge of the CJEU (President of the Seventh Chamber).
Judge Passer was a Judge at the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic from 2005-2016.
In 2016, he was appointed as a Judge of the EU’s General Court.
In 2020, he became a judge of the CJEU.
He graduated in law from Charles University, Prague, obtaining a Master of Laws from the University of Stockholm (2000); Doctor of Laws (2007).
Judge Passer has been extremely generous in supporting the CEEMC, including by hosting CEEMC Best Speakers in his cabinet.
Judge at the Supreme Administrative Court, Czech Republic; Former Advocate General to the CJEU
Judge Bobek was an Advocate General to the Court of Justice between 2015-2021.
In 2022 he became a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic.
Previously, he was a Member of the Board of Appeals of the Czech National Bank and an ad hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights.
He both writes and lectures extensively on EU law. He has been a Fellow and Research Fellow at the Institute of European and Comparative Law of the University of Oxford and a Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges.
In addition to his numerous professional and academic achievements, Michal graduated the British Law Centre Diploma with a distinction and participated as a mooter in the CEEMC 2003.
Whilst at the CJEU, Michal kindly allowed CEEMC Best Speakers to undertake an internship (stage) within his team.
Judge at the General Court of the EU
She graduated in law from the University of Gdańsk (1999) then completed a diploma of advanced studies at the University of Social Sciences of Toulouse (2000); a Master of Laws in European law at the College of Europe (2002); and a Doctor of Laws (2004).
She was a Lecturer in EU law at Gdańsk University of Technology (2010-16); Senior Lecturer (2006-14), then Associate Professor (2014-16), at the Institute for Legal Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences. She co-edited and authored number academic publications on EU law.
Krystyna is also a graduate of the British Law Centre Diploma and a former CEEMC mooter. She is an ardent supporter of both projects.
Judge at the General Court of the EU
Judge at the General Court of the EU since 2016.
Alexander was formerly a referendaire in the cabinet of the Bulgarian Judge to the Court of Justice of the EU, Judge Arabadjiev.
He has been a member of the CEEMC Judicial Panel since 2008 and an incredible supporter of the competition.
European Commission
Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission.
Graduated in law from Jagiellonian University (Kraków) before completing post-graduate studies at the Universities of Leuven and Cambridge. Holds a Ph.D in law.
He has authored numerous publications on various aspects of European Union law.
First became a CEEMC judge in 2002.
Deputy Director of the Legal Department – EFTA Surveillance Authority.
Deputy Head of the Legal Department of the EFTA Surveillance Authority.
Former referendaire in the Cabinet of Eleanor Sharpston AG at the Court of Justice of the EU.
Cath has been an incredible supporter of the CEEMC . She has been a member of the Judicial Panel since 2004, helped to draft moot questions (and judges’ songs) and recorded video advice for CEEMC on how to prepare to moot.
Barrister (Senior Counsel); Former Director of Legal and Executive Affairs, EFTA Surveillance Authority
Carsten is a Senior Counsel at The Bar of Ireland specialising in EU Law, International Trade and Investment Law
2015 – 2021 Director of Legal and Executive Affairs, EFTA Surveillance Authority
2003 – 2013 Référendaire (Head of Cabinet), Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg – in the chambers of UK Judges to the Court of Justice, Christopher Vajda and Judge Konrad Schiemann.
2002 – 2003 Barrister, Brick Court Chambers, London, United Kingdom
1999 – 2002 Researcher, British Institute of International and Comparative Law
Carsten is a Master of the Bench at Inner Temple.
He is called to the Bar of Ireland and to the Bar of England & Wales.
Carsten is a long-term supporter of the CEEMC and a member of its Judicial Panel since 2004. Whilst at the CJEU, he kindly helped to arrange internships for CEEMC Best Speakers.
Secretary General at European Women Lawyers Association
Eliana
is the Secretary General of the EWLA. She coordinates various projects in the
field of gender equality. She is responsible for relations with EU
Institutions, having been a Policy Advisor at the European Parliament.
She has
extensive experience of advising on EU contentious and non-contentious
legal matters, working with a range of lawyers from various jurisdictions.
She is a Member of the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality
& Anti-Discrimination Law and Co-Editor in Chief of the BCCE. She is a
Visiting Lecturer at the West University of Timisoara.
Eliana has done significant work to encourage mooting throughout
CEE and is a long-term supporter of the CEEMC. She has
been a member of the Judicial Panel since 2012.
Judge of the CJEU (President of the Seventh Chamber).
Judge Passer was a Judge at the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic from 2005-2016.
In 2016, he was appointed as a Judge of the EU’s General Court.
In 2020, he became a judge of the CJEU.
He graduated in law from Charles University, Prague, obtaining a Master of Laws from the University of Stockholm (2000); Doctor of Laws (2007).
Judge Passer has been extremely generous in supporting the CEEMC, including by hosting CEEMC Best Speakers in his cabinet.
University of Cambridge
Emeritus Herschel Smith Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Cambridge University (passed away in 2022)
Professor William Cornish (or simply “Bill” to all who knew him) was an incredible scholar and a wonderful human being.
Bill was the inaugural Director of the Centre for European Legal Studies (CELS) at Cambridge University’s Faculty of Law, and played an essential role in facilitating research on intellectual property, eventually leading to our Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL).
His contribution to IP law is globally renowned and he is credited with having established ‘intellectual property’ as a major topic in the UK, the EU and globally.
He was made a member of the British Academy in 1984.
He was made a Bencher of Gray’s Inn in 1998, was awarded Honorary LLDs by the Universities of Edinburgh and Adelaide in 2004 and 2018 respectively and became a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2013.
Bill was instrumental in creating the British Law Centre in 1992 and he worked very closely with Denise Ashmore MBE to ensure that the BLC and CEEMC flourished. Bill and Denise were both honoured with the award of an MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for their services to British law in Central Europe.
Bill was the heart and soul of every meeting he ever attended. He will be sorely missed at the CEEMC, where his renditions of waltzing Matilda will be fondly remembered by everyone. We’ll miss you Bill. Rest in Peace.
From 2022, a Professor William Cornish Best Speaker Award will be included amongst the CEEMC’s other prizes. The winner will be offered an internship at the Court of Justice.
Director Centre of European Legal Studies, University of Cambridge.
Catherine Barnard M.A. (Cantab.), LL.M. (EUI); PhD. (Cantab)is Professor of European Union law at the University of Cambridge; Co-director of CELS; holder of Jean Monnet Chair of EU Lawand a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Previously (1992-1995) she was lecturer in law at the University of Southampton and Jean Monnet Chair of European Integration. She was also Assistant Dean at Southampton. She specialises in EC Law, Labour and Discrimination Law.
She is Deputy Director of the UK in a Changing Europe project.
She is a leading member of the Centre for European Legal Studies at Cambridge University and a staunch supporter of the CEEMC and the British Law Centre and has given numerous lectures to BLC students.
Head of the Faculty of Law of the University of Cambridge Richard Fentiman is Professor of Private International Law at the University of Cambridge, where he was, until 2018, the chairman (Dean) of the Faculty of Law.
Professor Fentiman is the Academic Director of the British Law Centre and a managing member of Juris Angliae Scientia which organises the BLC and CEEMC projects.
Professor of English Law; Deputy Chair, Faculty Board of Law
Fellow, Dean and Director of Studies in Law, Corpus Christi College
Book reviews editor, Law Quarterly Review
Jonathan Morgan read Jurisprudence at Oxford, later moving to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge to write his PhD thesis “In defence of freedom of contract”.
He was previously a lecturer in English Law at the British Law Centre and maintains links with legal education in Central and Eastern Europe as a trustee of the charity which organises the BLC and the CEEMC (Juris Angliae Scientia Ltd).
He held tutorial fellowships at Christ’s College, Cambridge and St Catherine’s College, Oxford before returning to Corpus as a Fellow in 2012.
Legal Practitioners
Clifford Chance and CEEMC judge since 1998.
Nick joined Clifford Chance, London 1985; solicitor, England and Wales 1987; assistant in corporate practice 1987-94; Warsaw office 1994; managing partner from 1998- 2009.
Nick specialises in corporate/commercial work, in particular acquisitions and disposals, general corporate finance, debt restructuring, flotations, equity issues and joint ventures. He has advised a number of international investors active across Central and Eastern Europe, including clients in the utility, engineering, pharmaceutical and financial sectors.
Nick has been instrumental in securing Clifford Chance’s ongoing support for the CEEMC and the British Law Centre. He is a director of Juris Angliae Scientia, the UK charity which manages the CEEMC and BLC.
Clifford Chance
Adelina is a partner in the litigation department of Clifford Chance (Warsaw). She focuses on dispute resolution in commercial, financial and international law. In particular, she specialises in investment arbitration.
Adelina has vast experience acting for clients in court and arbitration proceedings gained in Clifford Chance’s Warsaw and London offices. She acts for foreign investors in international investment arbitration. She has acted in arbitration proceedings in Paris, London, Geneva, Brussels and Warsaw. She represents banks, financial institutions and auditors before the common courts and the Court of Justice of the EU. She has also advised clients from the energy, telecommunications, infrastructure and real estate sectors, as well as in disputes concerning unfair competition and M&A.
Adelina is a graduate of the British Law Centre and also a former Best Speaker at the CEEMC.
Clifford Chance
Jan Dobrý is a Czech law qualified Counsel specialising in all forms of dispute resolution, judicial review of administrative decisions and competition law.
Jan has steadily built up a strong profile and gained significant expertise in the commercial, energy and construction sectors from a litigious, regulatory and competition perspective, while also playing a key role in consolidating the Prague office’s restructuring and insolvency practice.
Inner Temple (Master of the Bench) and Blackstone chambers.
Kieron Beal KC is a leading silk practising in all areas of commercial and civil law. He has particular expertise in competition law, European law, sports law, telecommunications, judicial review and human rights, VAT and other direct and indirect taxes.
Kieron was a member of the Attorney General’s ‘C’, ‘B’ and ‘A’ Panel from 1999 until March 2012. He has also been appointed as a special advocate. Since taking silk, he has continued to appear in a wide range of cases before all levels of Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales and before the Luxembourg and Strasbourg Courts. He was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2020. He was elected a Master of the Bench of the Inner Temple in 2016. Kieron was Chairman of the Bar European Group from July 2018 to July 2020. He sits as an arbitrator in sports law matters.
Kieron is recognised in both of the leading independent legal directories, Chambers UK 2019 and Legal 500 2020, as a leading silk for his expertise. He is Consultant Editor to Halsbury’s Laws, Vol. 18, Competition (forthcoming).
Kieron has been an incredible supporter of the CEEMC and the British Law Centre. He has prepared mooting advice, delivered lectures and spoken about life at the English Bar, representing one of our long-term sponsors (Inner Temple).
Inner Temple (Master of the Bench); KC at Francis Chamber Building
Mark has more than twenty years experience of common law practice advising and representing clients in a broad range of cases including personal injury, professional negligence, rating, costs, trusts of land, property disputes and village greens.
Against this wide background he has developed an expertise in the law of religious liberty and is recognized as the country’s leading practitioner in ecclesiastical law.
He is an Honorary Professor of Law at Cardiff University and formerly Visiting Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Mark is Honorary Professor at the Centre for Law and Religion, Cardiff University; Extraordinary professor at the University of Pretoria; Visiting Professor at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London and Adjunct Professor at Notre Dame University, Sydney and is Ecumenical fellow in Canon Law at the Venerable English College in Rome.
He was elected a Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple in 2011 and appointed President of the European Consortium for Church and State Research in 2012.
He is a qualified Mediator and was a legal assessor to the Fitness to Practise Panel of the General Medical Council (2008-2015).
He regularly publishes and lectures on matters of Church and State and was a contributing editor for Jowitt’s Dictionary of English Law (2010).
Mark has been a member of the Judicial Panel since 2021. he represents Inner Temple at the CEEMC and has provided significant help in organising the competition.
Grayston & Company Law Firm
Peter Gjortler is a Danish qualified lawyer who has practiced EU law for more than 30+ years in private practice, public administration, judicial service and universities.
He was a referendaire (Legal Advisor) in AG Sharpston’s cabinet at the CJEU.
His practice areas focus on free movement, competition, state aid, environment, public procurement, intellectual property, public international law, and private international law.
He advises not only private clients but also the public sector, including extensive assistance for government agencies in a number of central and eastern European countries, and also teaches at several European universities.
Apart from international law firms, his professional experience includes time spent at the Ministry of Justice, the High Court of Appeal, and the Legal Adviser to the Danish Government, as well as the European Court of Justice, the University of Copenhagen and Riga Graduate School of law.
Peter has been extremely supportive of the CEEMC, including having helped in drafting CEEMC questions.
Clearly Gottlieb Law Firm
Vladimir Novak’s practice focuses on EU, U.S., and international competition law/antitrust, including complex merger control proceedings, cartel investigations, abuse of dominance cases, antitrust counseling, and litigation before EU Courts, as well as a wide range of issues under EU law and sports-related matters.
Vlad was a member of the CEEMC moot question drafting committee in 2022.
Other Academic Institutions
Professor Of European Union law – EUI.
Co-director of the Academy of European Law, European University Institute Florence. Formerly Professor of European Commercial Law, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary, University of London.
University of Glasgow.
Head of School of Law and Professor of European Union law, University of Glasgow,specialist in European commercial law.
University of Westminster.
Professor Dr Adam Łazowski is a Professor of EU law at the Westminster Law School, University of Westminster as well as a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Natolin) and at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. His research focuses on EU pre-accession policy, EU External Relations, Internal Market, EU Criminal Law as well as withdrawal from the European Union. On the latter topic Prof. Łazowski has published extensively in academic journals (European Law Review, Public Law, Journal of European Public Policy) and edited volumes (Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press). His monograph on legal parameters of EU exit is forthcoming in 2024 (Edward Elgar Publishing). He is also a co-editor (with Professor Graham Butler) of ‘Shaping EU Law the British Way: UK Advocates General at the Court of Justice of the European Union’ (2022, Hart Publishing) and a co-editor (with Professor Adam Cygan) of ‘Research Handbook on Legal Aspects of Brexit (2022,
Adam Łazowski serves in editorial boards of New Journal of
European Criminal Law, an on-line journal European Papers and Croatian Yearbook
of European Law and Policy. He regularly speaks at conferences around the
World. Guest lectures delivered at various European universities, including
College of Europe, University of Surrey, University of Leicester, University of
Sussex, University of Warsaw, University of Tartu, Université Libre de
Bruxelles, University of Zagreb, University of Luxembourg, University of Basel,
University of Rotterdam, Sapienza University Rome, Mohyla University Kyiv,
Shevchenko University Kyiv, University of Lviv. He regularly teaches at the
European Law Academy (ERA) in Trier (Germany) and European Institute of Public
Administration (EIPA) in Luxembourg. In November 2012 Prof. Lazowski provided
oral and written evidence to the House of Lords EU Select Committee (enquiry
into the EU Enlargements). In December 2015 he provided oral and written
evidence to the Scottish Parliament (enquiry into withdrawal from the EU).
Adam also graduated the British Law Centre Diploma and later joined the BLC Teaching Team. He was also a CEEMC Team Coach. In 2022, Adam was a member of the CEEMC moot question drafting committee.
Professor Łazowski divides his time between law and photography.
In 2016 his album of black & white photos from Albania (“Albania through a
lens”) was published by Dudaj Publishing and it coincided with an exhibition at
Kalo Gallery in Tirana.
Professor of EU Law at the University Complutense of Madrid and Editor-in-Chief of EU Law Live
Daniel is a professor of Administrative and European Union Law at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, where he currently teaches on European Union Law in both graduate and post-graduate programmes. He is also a faculty member of the Instituto de Empresa.
His research interests are focused on constitutional aspects of European Union Law, particularly the role of courts within the Union’s legal order. He has written extensively on the Union’s judiciary, its sources of law, institutional law and fundamental rights. At the current time he is also actively researching in the area of Economic and Monetary Union.
He has a special interest in the Court of Justice and the procedural framework under Union Law. His research interests have also been complemented by extensive practical experience. He was a legal secretary at the Court of Justice (2007-2015) and he is currently a practicing lawyer handling cases before both the Court of Justice and the General Court.
He is the author of several books, book chapters and articles on EU Law. At the time, he is working on dispute settlement systems between the EU and third countries, with a special focus on the jurisdictional arrangements resulting from Brexit.