About the group

The Group elects its president for a standard two year term. The current president is Ms Anna Gołębiowska supported by the executive committee, Ms Ceylin Beyli (president elect) and Mr Aron Laszlo (past president).

Former presidents were:

  • 9Maria Lindegård Eiderholm
  • 9John Warchus
  • 9Max W. Mosing
  • 9Etienne Wéry
  • 9Kristian Foss
  • 9Kim Hansen
  • 9Sophia Komna
  • 9Dietrich Beier
  • 9Pietro Tamburrini
  • 9Emil Neff
  • 9Enrique J. Batalla
  • 9Dinant Oosterbaan
  • 9Ranald Robertson

WHAT …

Our history

Establishment

The IT IP Law Group Europe was established at a meeting in London on 5 April, 1989 at the offices of Stephenson Harwood. Law firms from the UK, France, Austria, Switzerland and The Netherlands sent their representatives to this inaugural Meeting. The representatives were Ranald Robertson (UK), André Bertrand (France), Arthur Wolff (Austria), Emil Neff (Switzerland) and Dinant Oosterbaan (The Netherlands). Click to download Minutes inaugural Meeting April 5, 1989 .

The meeting decided to form a European wide group of law firms specialising in information technology law, to which later intellectual property law was added, and to co-operate in this area. It was further decided to issue a newsletter (hardcopies) with short articles and news in the legal area of IT law, and to distribute this newsletter worldwide to clients, prospects, the Computer Law Association and ADAPSO and other interested persons and companies to promote the group and the legal services of its member firms. The target date for the public announcement of the formation of the group and the issue of the first newsletter was May 23, 1989, to coincide with the Computer Law Association meeting to be held in Washington DC on that date. During the first meeting the member firms decided to give priority to identifying new member firms for Germany, Spain, Sweden and Belgium.

The second meeting

The second Meeting of the Group was held on 8 June, 1989 in Paris. It focussed on the identification of new member firms in other countries and the meeting also agreed on the logo of the IT Law Group Europe and its registration as a trade mark. From its first issue, the newsletter was a great success and at the meeting it was decided to reprint it, and to issue No 2 in September 1989 and No 3 in December 1989.

The third meeting

The group held its 3rd meeting on 1 October, 1989 in Strasbourg, now with newly acquired member firms of Germany (Jochen Pagenberg) and Italy (Pietro Tamburrini). On29 January, 1990 the President of the group, Ranald Robertson, welcomed new member firms from Belgium (Michel Flamé) and Sweden (Raoul Smitt).

The group has grown consistently ever since including by extending its membership to Eastern European members and across the whole European continental area.