Faculty marks European Lawyers day with Edward lecture

Sir David Edward, a former judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, is to deliver a lecture for the Faculty of Advocates to mark European Lawyers Day.

Newly designated by the CCBE, the Council of European Bars and Law Societies, European Lawyers Day – 10 December – celebrates the common values of lawyers and their role in civil society in promoting the rule of law. (Click here for report.)

This year's theme is protecting lawyer-client confidentiality against government surveillance, and will be reflected in Sir David's talk, which will be given the previous evening, Tuesday, 9 December, in the Faculty’s Mackenzie Building, Old Assembly Close, High Street, Edinburgh, with 4pm registration for a 4.30pm start, ending at 6pm.

In 1975, Sir David wrote the “Edward Report”, The Professional Secret: Confidentiality and Legal Professional Privilege in the Nine Member States of the European Community for the Council of European Bars and Law Societies; and he was counsel for the CCBE in a case in 1982 in which the Court of Justice ruled on the extent of legal professional privilege.

James Wolffe, QC, Dean of Faculty, said: “Confidentiality is at the heart of what we do as lawyers. There has over the past year or so been profound disquiet amongst the legal professions across Europe about the risk which the work of the security services may pose to this core value of the profession. It is therefore fitting that we should mark European Lawyers Day with a lecture on this subject and I am grateful to Sir David for being willing to speak to us.

“Its importance for all lawyers is illustrated by the fact that the chair of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland and the vice-chair of the Bar Council of England & Wales have both indicated their intention to be present.”

To register, go to http://events.advocates.org.uk/