While the in-house bar may seem to be peculiarly U.S.-oriented to some, there’s actually a lot of movement and organization around the globe. One group, the European Company Lawyers Association, serves as the umbrella organization for 20 company lawyer associations in Europe and represents common interests of European company lawyers.
According to its website, ECLA was created in 1983 and is an international nonprofit association governed by Belgian law. Membership is open to national associations only. While individuals are not members of ECLA directly, each company lawyer, who is a member of a national association, can share the benefits ECLA negotiates. These include discounts to conferences, legal education, training, free publications and more.
