European Lawyers Foundation's Network of EU Bars

ongoing

The European Lawyers Foundation (ELF) is an independent non-profit network of 22 members, of which 21 are national and local Bars and Law Societies and one is an EU-wide organisation (the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe - CCBE). It represents 16 EU Member States. ELF’s mission is to promote access to justice, training of lawyers, activities relating to the exercise of the profession of lawyer, the rule of law and substantive developments in the law itself, the defence of human rights, and international justice. ELF works in various areas within the call for proposals’ priority on Access to Justice, namely (1) the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (we directly cover several of its rights), (2) the training of lawyers in EU law, (3) the promotion of European e-Justice through direct action and by supporting Bars, and (4) promoting efficient civil and criminal procedures. Through the operating grant, ELF will increase its work in these fields, translated, inter alia, into better knowledge of lawyers’ needs in EU law and in better supporting Bars participating in the Find-A-Lawyer scheme in the e-Justice portal. Our network will be able to analyse the challenges faced by lawyers in the EU (e.g. impact of Covid-19 pandemic, climate change) as these have an impact on access to justice. We will also promote work undertaken in previous EU-funded actions such as the REFOTRA certificate for mutual recognition of cross-border lawyer training and continued training in priorities areas such as anti-money laundering.