The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) has announced its new president for the year ahead. Irish lawyer James MacGuill steps into the role of senior vice-president.

The new president is Ranko Pelicarić (Croatia). The other executive positions are:

•  First vice-president: Margarete von Galen (Germany
•  Second vice-president: James MacGuill (Ireland)
•  Third vice-president: Panagiotis Perakis (Greece)

The new president Ranko Pelicarić is a former president of the Croatian Bar Association.

He is also a former chair of the CCBE committee ‘Platform for Exchange, Cooperation and Outreach’, which provides support to CCBE observer and associate members. He takes over from José de Freitas (Portugal).

The CCBE represents the bars and law societies of 45 countries, and through them more than one million European lawyers.

Voice of profession

Founded in 1960, the CCBE is recognised as the voice of the European legal profession by the EU institutions, and acts as the liaison between the EU and Europe's national bars and law societies.

The CCBE also has regular institutional contacts with those European Commission officials, members and staff of the European Parliament who deal with issues affecting the legal profession.