Julia Laffranque

Julia Laffranque (born Vahing; 25 July 1974), is an Estonian jurist, judge, legal scientist (doctor iuris), visiting professor of European law Justice at the Supreme Court of Estonia, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights 2011 - 2020 (Vice-President of the Second Section of the European Court of Human Rights 2015-2018). Since 4 June 2018 also a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, earlier professor of European law at the University of Tartu. Since 2020 member of the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Academy of European Law Trier (Europäische Rechtsakademie, ERA). In 2019 she was a candidate for the post of European Ombudsman. In 2020 she was appointed as Director of Programme of the European Law Academy (ERA) and in 2021 the Council of the European Union on the proposal of European Parliament by 586 votes in favor, appointed her as a member of Article 255 TFEU panel, which is to give opinion on candidates suitability to perform the duties of judge and advocate general of the Court of Justice and the General Court of the European Union.

Education
She graduated with outstanding honors of the Litchfield High School, Connecticut, USA in 1991. She graduated with a gold of the Tallinna Õismäe Humanitaargümnaasium 1992. In 1997 she graduated the Law Faculty of Tartu University (including studies at the Law Faculty of Hamburg University 1994–1995) and in 1998 she received her Master's degree in law (magistra legum, LL.M.) of the Law Faculty of Münster University, Germany, summa cum laude. She attended doctoral studies at the University of Kiel and the European University Institute in Florence and in 2003 received her doctoral degree in jurisprudence (doctor iuris, dr. iur.) University of Tartu.

Career

 * 1996 – 2004 – Ministry of Justice of Estonia: head of the EU law and foreign relations division, 2002 - 2004 Deputy Secretary General on Legislative Drafting;
 * 2004 – 2010 – justice at the Supreme Court of Estonia (member of the administrative law chamber), 2007 – 2010 member of the constitutional review chamber of the Supreme Court;
 * 2006 – 2011 – docent of European Union Law at the Law Faculty of Tartu University, later (2011-2016) professor of European law at the same faculty;
 * 2011 – 2020 – judge at the European Court of Human Rights(EHCR) (2015 - 2018 Vice- President of II Section) and Professor of European Law at the University of Tartu (since 2017 honorary professor). As an EHCR judge, she was cited in an NGO report for having sat on several cases in which the Open Society Justice Initiative was the applicant or involved as a third party. Because of previous link with the Open Society Foundations in 1999 and as a member of the think-tank "Praxis" (at this time funded by the Open Society), this could raise the question of a conflict of interest.
 * since 2020 – justice at the Supreme Court of Estonia
 * 2021 - Deputy Director and Director of Programmes of Academy of European Law (ERA)

Secondments, membership

 * Dr. iur. Laffranque has completed traineeships at the Legal Service of the European Commission, at the Ministries of Justice in Sweden and France, the Supreme Administrative Court of Germany, and the Conseil d'Etat of France; she has also served as an ad hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights;
 * 1999 member of human rights expert group of Open Estonia Foundation, affiliated to the Open Society Foundations
 * 2010 – 2016 – member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration
 * 2006 – 2008 – vice-chair of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) of the Council of Europe;
 * 2008 – 2010 – chair of the Consultative Council of European Judges;
 * 2004 – 2013 – president of the European Law Society of Estonia (FIDE Estonia) since 2013 – honorary president of the same society;
 * 2010 – 2012 – president of the International Federation for European Law (FIDE)
 * Alumni of Student Society Filiae Patriae (member since 1993)
 * Member of editorial board of : AS Juura (2002 -2004); Juridica (2003 - 2004) and Õiguskeel (2003 – 2004)
 * 2004 – 2012 – member of the board of the Estonian Academic Law Society;
 * 2000 – 2004 – member of the board of the policy think-tank "Praxis."
 * 2005 – 2011 – member of the board of Estonian Lawyers Union (member since 1992)
 * 2017 - 2020 - member of the board of Estonian School in Strasbourg
 * 2017 - 2020 - member of the committee of Tagora theatre in Strasbourg
 * since 2018 - member of the scientific committee of European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, Vienna
 * since 2018 - member of the board of Tagaranna Village Society
 * 2020 - member of the Working Group for the development of the HELP course on Judicial Ethics, Council of Europe
 * 2020 - 2023 member of the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Academy of European Law Trier (Europäische Rechtsakademie, ERA)
 * 2021 - member of the Article 255 of the Treaty on Functioning of the EU panel re-elected for the next term starting in March 2022
 * 2021 - member of the board of Friends of ERA

Books

 * Euroopa Liit ja Euroopa Ühendus. Institutsioonid ja õigus (European Union and European Community. Institutions and Law. Sisekaitseakadeemia 1999)
 * Euroopa Kohtu Lahendid I ja II. Kogumiku koostaja ja Euroopa Kohut tutvustava osa author (Case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Estonian I and II. Compiler of the book and author of the introductory part about the ECJ. Juura 2001 and 2003)
 * Prantsuse -eesti-prantsuse õigussõnaraamat (French-Estonian-French legal dictionary) (together with Rodolphe Laffranque. Juura 2002)
 * Eelotsuse küsimine Euroopa Kohtult (Handbook for Estonian judges about asking preliminary references from the ECJ. Eesti Õiguskeskus 2005)
 * Euroopa Liidu õigussüsteem ja Eesti õiguse koht selles (The Legal System of European Union and Estonian Law. Juura 2006).
 * Euroopa Inimõiguste Kohus ja Eesti õigus (European Court of Human Rights and Estonian law. Juura 2017)
 * Dr. iur. Laffranque has published several articles in Estonian, English, German and French languages in Estonian and international legal journals

Honours

 * 2004 – Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite of France.
 * 2005 – Order of the White Star, fourth class, Estonia.
 * 2013 – European of the Year, European Movement of Estonia
 * 2017 - Best trainer of judges award by Estonian judges

Personal life
Amateur actress of the Vilde theatre in Tartu, Estonia since 2006 and of the Tagora theatre at Council of Europe in Strasbourg since 2011. Director of children's plays at the Estonian School in Strasbourg since 2013. Founder and initiator of the Theatre Club of the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg 2015.

She is married to French jurist Rodolphe Laffranque, has three children; and is the daughter of writer Maimu Berg and of writer/psychiatrist Vaino Vahing.