On Friday 14 October 2011, Eleanor Sharpston presented her inaugural lecture as Honorary Professor of the RGSL. She is the fourth Honorary Professor appointed at RGSL, including judge Egils Levits from the European Court of Justice, former RGSL rector and professor Jan Ramberg, and legal advisor Christen Boye Jacobsen. The theme of the inaugural lecture was: Squaring the Circle? Fighting Terrorism Whilst Respecting Fundamental Rights.
As Advocate General, Eleanor Sharpston is a member of the European Court of Justice and has the function of submitting opinions to the court, after the parties in a case have been heard, with a proposal for how the case should be decided. The function of the Advocate General is important to the court as an instrument for ensuring coherence in the jurisprudence, which is reflected by the publication of the proposals in the same manner as the final judgments.
Eleanor Sharpston comes from the United Kingdom, and as barrister she was made Queens Counsel in 1999. She has for many years been teaching law, including positions as Fellow of King’s College at Cambridge, and in 2010 she was awarded an LL.D (h.c.) at Glasgow University and made Honorary Fellow of Corpus Christi College at Oxford. It is with great pride that RGSL welcomes Eleanor Sharpston as Honorary Professor and member of the faculty.