On the evening of 10 October, 2024, the historic Dining Hall at Dublin’s King’s Inn hosted an elegant and intimate gala dinner, bringing together key figures at the 2024 European Law Institute (ELI) Annual Conference. The evening featured insightful reflections on the future of European law and ELI’s expanding influence.

Among the attendees were:

• Donal Gerard O'Donnell (Chief Justice of Ireland)
• Marko Bošnjak (President, European Court of Human Rights (ECHR))
• Michael O’Flaherty (Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe)
• Rossa Fanning (Attorney General of Ireland)
• Frances Fitzgerald (Former Member of the European Parliament)
• Barry McCarthy (President, the Law Society of Ireland)
• Diplomatic guests included representatives and ambassadors from 22 countries.

Pascal Pichonnaz (ELI President; Professor, Université de Fribourg) opened with a warm welcome, spotlighting the significance of the event as a space for legal experts to discuss future challenges in law, especially in the realm of digitalisation. He also teased the announcement of ELI’s ‘Hub of the Year" award; winners available here.

Diane Wood (Director, The American Law Institute), who also spoke, emphasised ELI’s growth and its vital role in shaping legal thought across Europe. Wood underscored ELI’s mission to address contemporary legal issues, drawing inspiration from the American Law Institute (ALI) and supporting a unified European legal community. Reflecting on ELI’s beginnings in 2008 in Brussels and the 2011 Paris Agreement, she highlighted ELI’s enduring commitment to international cooperation and data economy principles. Wood expressed her gratitude to the Annual Conference’s organisers – the ELI Secretariat in collaboration with the ELI Irish Hub –noting it felt like ‘a homecoming’ for her and celebrating ELI’s role as a voice in European legal discourse.

Gerald O'Donnell (Chief Justice of Ireland), added to the evening’s reflections, honoring ELI’s collaboration with lawyers and judges across Europe. O'Donnell praised Ireland’s adoption of EU law within its constitutional framework, a testament to ELI’s transatlantic and European influences.

The evening closed with renewed commitments to ELI’s mission and a look toward future collaborations and initiatives, solidifying ELI’s place as a guiding voice in European and transnational law.