Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE)

Introduction

The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) represents more than 700,000 European lawyers. It operates through bars and law societies of the 31 full member countries rather than having individual lawyer membership and there are a further 10 observer countries. It was founded in 1960 and has since then been at the forefront of advancing the views of European lawyers and defending the legal principles upon which democracy and the rule of law are based. The CCBE is an international non-profit-making association incorporated in Belgium and is recognised as the voice of the European legal profession by the national bars and law societies on the one hand, and by the EU institutions on the other.

The CCBE acts as the liaison between the EU and Europe’s national bars and law societies and has regular institutional contacts with those European Commission officials, and members and staff of the European Parliament, who deal with issues affecting the legal profession. In addition, the CCBE works closely with legal organisations outside Europe.

The Code of Conduct

An important aspect in the development of the CCBE, and a vital tool in the resolution of cross-border conflicts between the various national codes of conduct, was the adoption of the CCBE Code of Conduct in 1988. The Code governs professional contacts between lawyers within the European Community and the activities of lawyers working in member states other than their own. The Code is binding only when adopted by a particular bar. The Code is a framework of principles covering professional independence, client confidentiality, advertising of services, and behaviour towards clients, courts and other lawyers. The code can be viewed at the CCBE website.

In addition to the Code of Conduct, the CCBE also has a Charter of Core Principles, which are a set of Europe-wide principles to be adopted by national bars in their own domestic setting. These can also be viewed on the CCBE website.