A tribute to European legal professionals

The European Legal Awards 2019 recognizes the work of lawyers, jurists and legal professionals at European level. The eighteen award-winners of this first edition met at the Ritz Hotel in Paris

A city with a history as extensive as Paris hides a lot of anecdotes and curiosities often unknown to those who visit it for the first time.

Its New Bridge is actually very old since it is the first bridge in the city built in stone, since the previous ones were made of wood.

Paris is also the city of light, but many do not know why Louis XVI decided to illuminate the streets with gas lamps, making Paris the first European city supplied with public light. All thanks to the thefts. Thefts were very frequent at that time and lighting the streets at night was a brilliant solution.

The organization of El Suplemento chose the lights of Paris, the European city par excellence, to illuminate the celebration of the First Edition of the European Legal Awards, that recognize the work of lawyers, law firms and legal professionals Europewide.

Once the city has been chosen, choosing the meeting point becomes a fairly easy decision to make since, if any place in Paris stands out for its history, its beauty and its location, it is the famous Ritz Hotel located in the Vendôme Square. An incomparable framework, taking into account the dates on which we are. The hotel, illuminated by elegant garlands, trees and Christmas lights, is known worldwide not only for its history, but also for the popularity of its guests. Coco Chanel lived at the Ritz for 34 years, in a three-bedroom suite currently known as Coco Chanel Suite. The Heminway bar gets its name from the feat starring Ernest Heminway during World War II. He arrived at the hotel in a jeep, taking a group of soldiers to the Ritz bar and proclaiming him released while ordering champagne for everyone. The popular journalist wrote: "When I dream alive in heaven, the action always takes place at the Ritz in Paris."

Of course, the emblematic place did not disappoint. At 6:30 pm, the award-winners began to arrive to the welcome cocktail, held in a lounge with an entrance to the Grand Jardin, 1 600 square meters of green in the city center.

Despite the transport strike called for December 5, coinciding with the day of the event, the winners arrived without inconvenience to the Ritz Hotel and the night passed like silk, with the atmosphere of being surrounded by people who share profession and interests.

After posing in the photocall for the official photo, the winners took a seat in the Vendôme lounge, where the awards ceremony was conducted by the journalist Sonia Fernández, host of the program “A Punt Directe”, magazine of the Valencian public television.

There was a total of 18 winners in this First Edition of the Eurpean Legal Awards. Eighteen categories represented at European level and recognized by the commendable work of the professionals who exercise them. The winners have been: Daci & Associates Attorneys at Law (Law office of Albania), Serrano Abogados (Bank Law), BLM Law (Family Law), Ricardo Ibáñez Abogados (Medical Health Law), De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés (International Public Law), LegalSegur (Labor Law), Cerha Hempel (European Public Law), Óscar Mercé Abogados (Commercial Law), PRK Partners (Data Protection), Gutiérrez Labrador Abogados (Agrocultural Law), Céline Carsalade (Inheritance Law) , Del Prado & Partners Solicitors (Administrative Law), AG Paphitis & CO LLC (Litigation and Dispute resolution), Arnaut & Iberbrokers (tax law), Fernández Ortea & Pérez Holanda Abogados (International Law), Giambrone Europe LLP (Mergers and Acquisitions), Pardo Geijo Abogados (Criminal Law) and Jean- Manuel López (Professional Career).

In his opening speech, the director of El Suplemento, Antonio Queijeiro, thanked the attendees for the effort to attend the meeting taking into account the adversities of the strike, and recalled that “everything around us has to do with the right and the law, since it is the basis of our personal, economic and business relations, as well as relations with the State and the Administration”.

To close the awards ceremony, the manager of El Suplemento, Pablo Suñer, thanked the collaboration, effort and dedication of the entire team, which "have made possible the celebration of this event". He also recalled that, of this First Edition of the European Legal Awards "the most important are the winners".

The touch of glamor to the ceremony was put by the Valencian stylist Tomás Salcedo, of the firm Thommy Estilistas, who was in charge of the styling of the entire staff of El Suplemento, including the impeccable look of the presenter Sonia Fernández.

The gala was enlivened by the imposing voice of soprano Vanessa Cera and her group Opera Show, which, in addition to opening the gala, surprised at desserts with a flashmob that stunned attendees. The final touch was put by the lyrical singers encouraging the public to bump their glasses in a farewell toast.