Federation of European Bar Associations

International

Federation of European Bar Associations

The Federation of European Bar Associations (FBE) enables local law societies from all the countries in the Council of Europe to meet and exchange ideas. Since 2017, there has been a marked shift in the leadership to include more women, beginning with Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon) as its first-ever female President. Here we profile three of the women involved in leading the FBE who have overcome the glass ceilings of the European legal profession.

Silvia Gimenez-Salinas, Barcelona, Spain

Silvia Gimenez-Salinas is First Vice President of the FBE, she works in her own firm in Barcelona. Her practice is in family law, children, separation and divorce, and the elderly. She deals with all kinds of disputes which arise in families, and recently worked on international cases where crises arise in families of mixed marriages.

Silvia told us: “the legal profession was born in the origins of legal conflicts, and this still exists. States have an excessive interest in legislating for all types of situations, and given this, the legal profession will always be necessary. Given the complex nature of regulation, the legal profession translates citizens’ rights and obligations, assessing and helping them in complying with them.”

She continued: “The legal profession needs to know about legal services in other jurisdictions in order to understand law and justice correctly, as well as understand different legal systems and know who to turn to in other jurisdictions in order to assist their clients. Today, technology allows us to have much better knowledge and also reminds us that we need constant training.”

Silvia is a strong defender of human rights and writes: “The foundation of our profession is the promotion and understanding of the rule of law. The protection of individuals is part of the rule of law. If the dignity of the person is not preserved and defended by the legal profession then our profession makes no sense. Human rights exist to defend the dignity of people. Access to justice is a fundamental pillar of human rights, and there must be systems which expand access, as much as the letter of the law defends human rights. Access to justice is a fundamental pillar of human rights. If these are not enforceable by promoting systems that can protect them, they disappear, no matter how much they exist in the letter of the law.”

Silvia was born and educated in Barcelona. Her father gave her love of books and the law; her mother similarly inspired her by persevering in lifelong study. Silvia’s father was a co-founder member of the FBE and first President in 1992, Eugenio Guy Montalvo. Silvia has four children and during their early years, she concentrated on family life but also managed to develop her professional life.

Silvia speaks Catalan and Spanish, French and English, though she would like to improve the latter two as the Spanish education system does not promote foreign languages. She regrets not having a greater education in languages.

Izabela Konopacka, Wroclaw, Poland

In May 2021 Izabela Konopacka became the fourth woman to be elected to the FBE Presidency. She joined the FBE in 2014 as representative of the Wroclaw Bar Association. She is a qualified attorney-at-law and a teacher and specialises in international family law and medical law. She speaks Polish, Russian and English, does both contentious and non-contentious work and is a partner in two law firms: KS Law and Lex Medyk Law. Izabela (known as Iza) was born and brought up in the city she loves and works in: Wroclaw. She has two sons currently in higher education.

Iza pioneered work on new technology, being appointed President of the FBE New Technology Commission in 2016. The Commission promotes the use of NT tools among lawyers by raising awareness of both benefits as well as risks connected with the development of LegalTech. She has organised conferences (such as the Legal Innovation Conference in 2017 attracting 350 lawyers), webinars, and international competitions. The “Future of the Law Firm” competition for young lawyers was not only innovative but also drew some of the best young advocates from across Europe to present their own interpretation of the future. The Commission produces reports for the membership and initiates debates in the FBE International Forum, for example, Internet platform providers, AI in the legal services sector, digitalization of justice and virtual law firms.

Iza commented that there are many lawyers in Poland who are general practitioners but thinks in the future they will all be specialists in a given field. The work of a lawyer will be more challenging and rewarding at the same time as the NT tools will assist lawyers with many routine tasks such as analysis, research and contract review while at the same time the role of the lawyer will mainly consist in providing very specialist and bespoke services to clients, often from their home office.

As a final word, Iza stated: “My advice to young lawyers is the same as the masters have had for ages: study, study and study, but not only law. Law as such is becoming more and more detailed and thus complex, therefore today even more than ever there is a need to develop knowledge and skills in other areas such as informatics, medicine, engineering and to combine those skills with legal knowledge”.

Monique Stengel, Paris, France

Monique Stengel is Treasurer of the FBE, taking office in 2018. Before she became Treasurer Monique was well known to members of the FBE as a former General Secretary and President of the European Association of Lawyers AEA – EAL European Association of Lawyers – Association Europeenne des Avocats _ European Association of Lawyers (aea-eal.eu).

Monique is an independent lawyer working in Paris and is a member of the Paris Bar Association. Although she shares an office with two other female lawyers, she is a sole practitioner, as is common in this jurisdiction. She specialises in international private law, international transport law (road, air, sea, rail) and also in European family and probate law. Monique speaks French, English and German and has strong professional and family links to Austria. In her leisure time, Monique has been singing for years in a church choir which travels all over France to sing with other choirs, churches and festivals.

Although many aspects of the future of legal services is uncertain, Monique tells us that her vision is of more alternative ways of assisting clients such as mediation and arbitration with more technical support and methods of communication. She adds that she hopes there will not be too much Artificial Intelligence! Her advice for future lawyers is to learn foreign languages, and to practice in international cases since legal practice is global and our clients are world-wide. However, it is also vital never to forget the human rights aspects of the legal profession.

Monique has been Secretary to the FBE’s Human Rights Commission since 2015 and has worked on many human rights campaigns, defending the rule of law, access to justice and human rights in various countries in Europe, such as Turkey, Poland, Belarus, Afghanistan and Colombia. The FBE Human Rights Commission reviews and keeps a spotlight on jurisdictions where, for example, the rule of law is threatened, the independence of judges and lawyers is challenged, or lawyers are at risk of assassination for their work. Many members have joined international delegations and teams observing trials in Turkey and in Colombia. Monique comments that lawyers can help by being informed, exchanging information and working together to show our determination to protect human rights. ■

Barcelona on the coast of north-eastern Spain, is the capital and largest city in Catalonia. It has a population of 1.6 million within the city limits and around 4.8 million people including the surrounding area.

Wrocław in the southwest of Poland Is the country’s fourth largest city. Its population is over 642,000 and is one of the youngest of many European cities, due to the number of universities, including the long-established and prestigious University of Wroclaw. There is an estimated student population of 130 000.

Paris in Northern France covers an area of 41 square miles. The oldest part of the City is in the two islands, the Île Saint-Louis and the Île de la Cité. There is a population of 2.1 million in the city itself and 11 million including the suburban area.

Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon)

Interviews conducted by Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon)

The May edition of Legal Women will feature interviews with the current President of the FBE and the first appointed female President.