Academy of European Law

What Academy of European Law does

The Academy of European Law (ERA / Europäische Rechtsakademie Trier) is a public foundation established under German private law in 1991, headquartered at Metzer Allee 4, Trier, Germany. ERA provides specialised training in European law for legal practitioners across Europe, serving judges, lawyers in private practice, prosecutors, EU civil servants, national civil servants, academics, and law enforcement officials. The Academy operates with approximately 80 staff members and trained 8,635 participants in 2025, delivered through a diversified mix of face-to-face events (46%), online-only events (37%), and hybrid formats (17%), with 50% of participants joining remotely. The institution is institutionally backed by 38 patrons including EU member states and candidate countries, and co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme and the German Land of Rhineland-Palatinate.

ERA's product portfolio spans training events and conferences across more than 30 areas of European law, e-learning modules and video podcasts, multilingual publications including the quarterly ERA Forum journal, and specialised programs such as the European Patent Litigation Certificate (EPLC), the Young European Lawyers Contest (YELC), the Young European Lawyers Academy (YELA), and themed projects on gender equality, anti-discrimination, environmental law, and digitalisation/AI. The Academy operates the ERA Conference Centre (ECC) in Trier as a venue rental business for external clients and the ERA Library with European Documentation Centre status. Revenue is generated through training event fees (with a 20% discount tier for EU staff, young lawyers, academics, and group registrations, plus a 10% early-bird discount), e-learning and publication sales, and conference centre rental. Distribution is multi-channel: direct website registration, partnership with national bar associations and judicial training institutes, and a partnership network spanning CJEU, EPPO, EJTN, Eurojust, CEPOL, CCBE, and EYBA.

Name

Academy of European Law

Legal name

Academy of European Law (Europäische Rechtsakademie Trier)

Website

https://era.int

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Academy of European Law (ERA) is a 1991-founded public foundation in Trier, Germany, providing European law training to judges, lawyers, prosecutors, civil servants, and academics across Europe via in-person events, online programmes, and e-learning, co-funded by the European Commission and 38 patron states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Professional Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH)

Keywords

• European legal training
• Professional legal education
• EU law seminars
• Judicial training programs
• Legal eLearning

Headquarters

HQ city

Trier

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Event Fees: Revenue from participation fees for conferences, seminars, summer courses, and professional training events in European law. Fees vary by event and include discounts for specific groups.
2. E-learning and Publications: Revenue from sale of e-learning courses, video podcasts, and e-learning materials purchased through credit card, PayPal, or invoice.
3. Conference Centre Rental: ERA Conference Centre (ECC) provides venue rental services for international conferences, trade fairs, product presentations, celebrations, political meetings, and concerts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ERA delivers training in European law for legal professionals through conferences, seminars, summer courses, e-learning modules, and publications, with formats spanning face-to-face events in Trier and partner locations across Europe, online-only seminars, and hybrid programmes. Training covers more than 30 areas of European law including criminal, administrative, data protection, competition, intellectual property, family, environmental, and human rights law, targeting judges, lawyers, prosecutors, civil servants, and academics.

Product overview

The Academy of European Law (ERA) offers a comprehensive portfolio of legal education products and services centered on European law training. The core offerings include in-person and online training events and conferences, eLearning modules, and publications (including the quarterly ERA Forum journal). ERA delivers specialized programmes such as Summer Courses in Trier, the Young European Lawyers Contest (YELC), the Young European Lawyers Academy (YELA), and the European Patent Litigation Certificate (EPLC). The institution operates several thematic projects addressing digitalisation/AI, gender equality law, anti-discrimination law, and environmental law cooperation. Supporting infrastructure includes the ERA Conference Centre (ECC) for venue rental, a specialized library with European Documentation Centre status, and the ART at ERA cultural programme. The Scholarship Programme provides financial support for practitioners from EU member states and accession candidates. Training is available in multiple formats (face-to-face, online, hybrid) across all EU official languages plus Italian.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ERA Conference Centre (ECC): Conference centre facilities for international conferences, trade fairs, product presentations, celebrations, political meetings and concerts in Trier
• Young European Lawyers Contest (YELC)
• Young European Lawyers Academy (YELA)
• European Patent Litigation Certificate (EPLC)
• ERA Forum
• European Documentation Centre (EDC)

Products and services

• Training Events and Conferences In-person and online training events covering diverse areas of European law including administrative, family, criminal, competition, data protection, human rights, intellectual property, and trade law, targeting legal practitioners, judges, prosecutors, civil servants, and academics.
• eLearning / e-Presentations Online training modules and video podcasts covering European law topics, available for individual purchase through the ERA shop with special rates for multiple user registrations.
• Publications Published materials on European law available in English, German, and French, including the quarterly ERA Forum journal and other resources sold through the ERA shop.
• Summer Courses Intensive two-week summer courses held in Trier covering various areas of European law for legal practitioners, combining lectures, group exercises, and networking, with 15 courses in the 2026 programme.
• Young European Lawyers Contest (YELC) Competition for newly qualified lawyers from different European countries to apply their knowledge of European law in teams, launched in 2018 in cooperation with the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) and grown to include semi-finals and final at the General Court of the EU.
• Young European Lawyers Academy (YELA) Eight-day intensive training course in Trier with practice-oriented methods, lectures, and group exercises presented by EU and national legal experts, co-funded with the European Young Bar Association (EYBA).
• European Patent Litigation Certificate (EPLC) Multi-month accredited certificate course for patent attorneys wishing to appear before the Unified Patent Court (UPC), developed in collaboration with Maastricht University and accredited by the UPC Administrative Committee in April 2023.
• ERA Conference Centre (ECC) venue rental Conference venue in Trier near the historical Kaiserthermen offering versatile spaces for international conferences, trade fairs, product presentations, celebrations, political meetings, and concerts, with 100 underground parking spaces and direct connection to a conference hotel.
• Scholarship Programme Financial support programme enabling legal practitioners from EU Member States and accession candidates who lack sufficient financial means to attend European law training at ERA, supported by the Friends of ERA Association with EUR 32,000 in 2024 funding.
• ERA Annual Programme Annual curated selection of conferences, seminars, and e-learning opportunities covering key developments in European law areas including criminal law, environmental law, family law, human rights, financial regulation, and digital markets, delivered through face-to-face, online, and hybrid formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,635 participants trained in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• European Commission (DG Education and Culture, DG Environment, DG Justice, DG FISMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary EU funding partner providing operating grant under Erasmus+ programme and co-funding training projects in anti-discrimination, gender equality, environmental law, and other areas. EC also provides increased Jean Monnet Actions funding.
• European Judicial Training Network (EJTN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for judicial training coordination across Europe. ERA works with EJTN on EU-funded training projects and activities.
• European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerERA has accompanied EPPO since its inception, organizing conferences, on-site training, and e-learning courses on topics related to EPPO competences. In 2023, implemented 14 online training events for EPPO staff in consortium with EJTN.
• European Law Institute (ELI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellows and individual observers of European Law Institute receive 20% discount on ERA events.
• European Court of Justice (CJEU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerERA organizes study visits to European courts including CJEU in Luxembourg.
• Council of the Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Young European Lawyers Contest (YELC) launched in 2018, which has grown to include semi-finals and final at General Court of EU.
• European Young Bar Association (EYBA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funded partner in Young European Lawyers Academy (YELA) bringing together national bar associations.
• Maastricht UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner in development of European Patent Litigation Certificate (EPLC) course.
• Association of European Administrative Judges (AEAJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner organization for administrative judges.
• Association of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions (ACA-Europe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner for supreme administrative courts.
• Association of European Data Protection Judges (AEDPJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for data protection judges.
• EurojustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for judicial cooperation and criminal justice training, including JIT Network Secretariat.
• European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU agency partner for law enforcement training.
• National judicial training institutes (various countries)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with judicial training institutes across EU member states and candidate countries for programme delivery and EU project collaboration.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@EuropeanLawERA
• Facebookfacebook.com/eraTrier
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-of-european-law-era
• Instagraminstagram.com/era_european_law
• Xx.com/ERATrier

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Academy of European Law