HCeLP event on 3 April: Equity Investments in Law Firms – Future Model or Danger for the Delivery of Justice?
On 19 December 2024 the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held that a Member State may prohibit holdings by purely financial investors in the capital of a law firm (C-295/23 - Halmer Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft). According to the court the prohibition and the resulting restriction on the freedom of establishment and the free movement of capital is justified by overriding reasons relating to the public interest, notably the objective of ensuring that lawyers can exercise their profession independently and in compliance with their professional conduct obligations.
The Humboldt Center for the Legal Profession (HCeLP) takes the decision as an occasion to host a panel discussion on the (German) prohibition of equity investments in law firms (also known as fee-splitting rule). The event will take place on April 3 and aims to critically discuss the decision and to think about future developments from different perspectives.
Panellists will be Susanne Münch (German Federal Ministry of Justice), Nadja Wietoska (German Federal Bar Association), Markus Hartung (Legal Tech Verband Deutschland e.V.), Prof. Dr. Thomas Gasteyer (German Lawyers' Association), Prof. Dr. Dirk Uwer (Hengeler Mueller) and Prof. Dr. Christoph Schalast (Bundesverband der Wirtschaftskanzleien
Deutschlands). The event will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Volker Römermann, HCeLP Director and Honorary Professor at Humboldt University.
The event will start at 4:00 PM and take place in the Senat hall (Senatssaal) of Humboldt University, Unter den Linden 6. Participation is free of charge. However, prior registration is required: www.eventbrite.de/e/1266981498769 [1]