Alumnus confirmed to European Court of Justice

Ian Forrester might have become a practitioner primarily in his native Scotland had he not detoured through New Orleans for a master"s degree from Tulane Law School.

Having built a distinguished international career advising some of the world"s largest companies on trade and intellectual property issues, Forrester was confirmed in September to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. His swearing-in is set for early October.

A Brussels-based senior partner at White & Case, Forrester remains a British citizen. He was tapped as the United Kingdom"s representative on the General Court, one of three tribunals that make up the Court of Justice of the European Union. Each of the European Union"s 28 member countries selects a judge for the General Court.

“I"m certain if I had not studied in New Orleans, my professional life would have been completely different,” said Forrester.

After receiving his law degree at the University of Glasgow, Forrester earned a master"s in civil law at Tulane, where Judge John Minor Wisdom, a 1929 law graduate and legendary member of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, became “an immense friend and benefactor.”

Forrester recalled a dinner at the Garden District home of Wisdom and his wife, Bonnie, where the judge capped a night of storytelling by instructing his daughter to take Forrester to the Napoleon House for a Sazerac.

“I"ve had a taste for Sazeracs ever since,” Forrester said.

Forrester later co-founded a Brussels firm that merged with White & Case. His practice has taken him all over the world representing clients including Canon, the BBC, Toyota and GlaxoSmithKline. He also led White & Case"s pro bono practice.

His Louisiana ties continue to run deep: His wife, Sandra Keegan, a Loyola College of Law graduate and former European Commission patent lawyer whom he met in Grenoble, France, still has family in New Orleans.

Linda P. Campbell is Tulane Law School"s director of communications.