In the past, we have hosted quite a few distinguished guests who have touched on topics from a wide variety of fields in their lectures. In 2011, M.Sc. Anja Strojin Štampar, then a member of the Board of Management of KAD, briefed on the importance of work experience and mentors in the transition from studying to a first job.
In 2012, M.Sc. Goran Klemenčič, then President of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption of the Republic of Slovenia, outlined the work of the CPC and paid special attention to the role of the banking system in the Slovenian corruption scheme. He also shared some words about his interesting study and career path with us.
In 2013, the club organized a two-day negotiation workshop led by Branko Čevriz, who was a lawyer candidate at the Wolf Theiss Law Firm at the time. In the same year we connected with the TopEF Club and together visited one of the leading Slovenian companies – Akrapovič.
In 2015, dr. Peter Merc, then responsible for ensuring the compliance function of Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank d.d. and mag. Miha Štepec, then Head of Receivables Management at the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC), gave students a lecture on the concept of a »bad bank« in the Slovenian regulatory framework and informed us about examples of restructuring in BAMC’s practice.
In March 2016, we organized a lecture in the field of cryptocurrencies. Miha Grčar, then COO of Bitstamp Ltd., and Ervin Uršič Kovač, then legal representative of Cashila, outlined the operation of two leading cryptocurrency companies in Slovenia, while presenting some important aspects in understanding and using cryptocurrencies. The lecture was also joined by dr. Miha Šepec, then assistant professor at the European Faculty of Law in Nova Gorica and the Faculty of Security Sciences, who presented the potential criminal aspects of using cryptocurrencies.
In addition, we conducted two events on the topic of preparing a CV, since many students, despite having a wealth of academic knowledge, do not know how to convince potential employers that they are the right candidates for employment. The lecture was given by Miha Sušnik, then an associate of the Center for Vocational Education and Training, probably the only person who sent one job application and got two jobs, Aljoša Krdžić, a lawyer trainee at the office of Rojs, Peljhan, Prelesnik and partners, and Jernej Bergoč, then a financial analyst at Wieland Capital, a private equity fund.
In November 2016, the Geneva Club hosted, once again, an interesting guest at the Roundtable View of Owners, Managers and External Investors on Managing the Company: Marjan Batagelj, the majority owner and director of Postojna Cave dd, Robert Ličen, former CEO of Akrapovič d.o.o. and Gregor Rebolj, an investor in Silicon Garden Funds. Uroš Slak confronted the guests with the aim of presenting the views of different participants in the business environment on the management of the company, in particular whether their interests and activities in managing the company differ. Marjan Batagelj and Robert Ličen emphasized the importance of values in running a business: the owner is looking for a manager who shares his vision and values. Robert Ličen noted that sustainable and not rapid – regardless of price – growth is the key to running a business. He says: “You can reach the top of the building by elevator or on foot. Whoever goes to the top of the building with an elevator will, of course, be there faster, but they will not know the details of the building. ”This, in his opinion, is crucial for the company’s success in the long run – knowing “all the angles “of the company, paying attention to details and even those areas that may not be profitable at first glance. The debate has shown that – despite the overwhelming majority belief – the interests of different stakeholders in the corporate environment, if they act responsibly and pursue the good of the business, largely coincide.
To start the new academic year, the Geneva Club organized an event in October 2017, collectively entitled »Lawyer Days« – a three-day series of lectures and round tables on the future of law, the law traineeship, the state bar exam, and many other related questions posed to prospective lawyers during their studies. We have been joined by lawyers with experience and good insight into these topics and debunking myths and providing reliable information that will further help participants after graduation to achieve their goals.
At the round table, entitled »Traineeships in Practice«, the following professionals answered the questions about Judicial and Attorney Traineeships:
– Špela Remec, LL.M. (UPenn), then an attorney candidate at Šelih & Partners Law Firm,
– Svit Senković, LL.M. (UCL), a former attorney and judicial trainee,
– Luka Švab, then president of the Association of Attorney Trainees of the Slovenian Bar Association and a trainee at the Tischler Law Office.
The following day, some of the leading Slovenian lawyers gathered at the »Round table on the Future of Law Firms« with the principals of law firms and a heated debate on current trends in the law, in the light of globalization, consolidation and rapid technological development, developed. Participants were:
– Mag. Uroš Ilić, Principal of Ilić & Partners Law Firm,
– Aleš Rojs, Principal at Law Firm Rojs, Peljhan, Prelesnik & Partners,
– Nina Šelih, Principal at Šelih & Partners Law Firm.
To conclude, we invited the following professionals to the round table, named »The State Bar Exam Myths and Truths«:
– Jakob Ivančič LL.M. (Harvard), then an attorney candidate at Law Firm Rojs, Pelhan, Prelesnik & Partners,
– Borut Leskovec, a lawyer at the law firm Jadek & Pensa,
– Meta Bevc, the former president of the Association of Attorney Trainees of the Slovenian Bar Association and then an attorney candidate at Kirm Perpar Law Firm.
The experienced colleagues thus provided students with first-hand information on how to prepare for the State Bar Exam, how the exam is conducted, where and how to study, and what is the key to achieving good grades. All the events were narrated by Miha Babič, then the president of the Association of Attorney Candidates of the Slovenian Bar Association and an attorney candidate at the Ilić & Partners Law Firm.
Later in the academic year, in February 2018, we organized a lecture in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The lecture was about the work of a tax and financial advisor and on the challenges which the global consulting firm then faced. What are the employment opportunities of a lawyer in a global organization that provides audit, advisory and tax services, was presented to us by the head of the legal department, Sanja Savić, and an associate in the legal department, Jure Žavrlan.