Episode 1 – The Legal Community Speaks: Gratitude, Responsibility, and Imagination with Prof. Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballel
“We see democracies in question. We see abuse of power. We see the war prevailing over dialogue — and yet, our responsibility as jurists is dissatisfaction, never frustration. Because frustration risks inactivity.”
That’s how Prof. Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballel, President of the European Law Institute (ELI), defines the challenge for Europe’s legal community today.
In this opening episode of The Legal Community Speaks, presented by Dublin-based barristers Mark Tottenham and Peter Leonard, we meet the new President of the ELI — a visionary jurist whose energy, intellect, and optimism are reshaping how Europe thinks about law, democracy, and the future.
Recorded at the ELI Annual Conference at the University of Vienna, Teresa shares her three guiding words — Gratitude, Responsibility, and Imagination — and why she believes law must evolve not just through doctrine, but through creativity.
She reveals how the ELI’s work has already influenced major European legislation, including the EU’s Digital Services Act, and how she plans to expand the Institute’s global reach to Latin America, Asia, and beyond.
“We need to imagine possible futures,” she says. “That’s where justice begins.”
This conversation captures the spirit of the ELI: independent, collaborative, and dedicated to ensuring that law remains a living force for democracy and human rights.
🎙️ The Legal Community Speaks is produced by The Fifth Court team in association with the European Law Institute.
Hosted by Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL, this nine-part series brings you inside Europe’s legal community — where the minds shaping the future of law share their insights, stories, and ideals.
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Follow: #EuropeanLawInstitute #RuleOfLaw #LegalCommunity #ELI #TheLegalCommunitySpeaks #PeterLeonard #MarkTottenhametter law can make a better Europe.
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