Below is a statement released by the organizers:
A memorable day for Trani which celebrated with the right tributes its illustrious fellow citizen Giustina Rocca, the first lawyer in history, to whom the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg recently named its tallest tower.
The jurist’s name went down in history thanks to an arbitration award rendered on 8 April 1500 in the context of a dispute that she was tasked with resolving. At the court of the Venetian governor of Trani, Giustina Rocca pronounces the arbitration award in the vernacular – rather than in Latin according to the customs of the time – to make it understandable to the public who came to witness the pronouncement. She then summons the losing party to pay her the usual fees, thus underlining, in an era in which women had no access to either education or the practice of legal professions, her desire to be treated on an equal footing with men who had such prerogatives. By calling Rocca di lei the tallest tower of her, the Court of Justice of the European Union recalls its attachment to accessibility to law and justice by all and reiterates, echoing its own jurisprudence, its commitment in favor of equal opportunities.
Trani honored her by dedicating a national award to her, which ended yesterday with the award ceremony in a crowded “Giovanni Bovio” municipal library and a big party. The final phase of the award took place over two days, Friday 24th and Saturday 25th Maywith many initiatives and study seminars to celebrate the memory and legacy of the Tranese lawyer of the 1500s. An event which involved the participation in the call by young professionals (lawyers and trainees) under the age of 35 of all Fori d’Italia who had sent their papers on the topics of gender equality and violence against women within the established deadlines.
The idea of the prize structured in this way and its organization is from Lions Club ‘Ordinamenta Maris’ of Trani, chaired by Eng. Elio Loiodice, with the collaboration of the City of Trani and the Trani Bar Association, chaired by the lawyer. Francesco Logrieco, with the patronage of the National Forensic Council, Lions International – Italy as well as Multiple District Lions 108 Italy and District 108AB Puglia, Puglia Region, PACT, Province of Barletta Andria Trani, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, White Cross, “Equal Opportunities Trani” Commission and Rai Puglia, in collaboration with the partners Giurispedia, Edizioni Duepuntozero and Skémata author’s robes. Many sponsors have joined the initiative, recognizing its importance: the master craftsman Matteo Tedeschi, La fille des Fleurs by Sabino Tupputi, BCC Santeramo in colle, Pasta Riscossa F.lli Mastromauro, Olio e Tempesta, Gesfor training institution and l communication agency Mediterranean Synesthesia.
About thirty professionals arrived in Trani from various Italian courts from north to south of the peninsula, authors of the works evaluated by a high-profile Scientific Judging Commission, entirely present at the final ceremony, composed of eminent academic and legal figures: profs. adv. Aldo Loiodice (president of the commission), lawyer. Armando Regina, lawyer. Angela Patrizia Tavani of the ‘Aldo Moro’ University of Bari, Dr. Gia Serlenga, Judge at the Regional Administrative Court of Bari, lawyer. Costanza Manzi and lawyer. Antonio Giorgino, expression of the Council of the Order of Trani.
The fourth through sixth prizes went to Anna Chiara Dellerba of the Forum of Foggia, Noemi Mallone of the Turin Court, Arianna Gargiulo of the Court of Verona, who were given a framed canvas print reproducing the ancient Molinaro curtain dedicated to the Ordinamenta Maris by the master craftsman Matteo Tedeschi.
All six winners also received essential supports for the practice of the legal profession such as access to a very useful database with Artificial Intelligence from Giurispedia, a tablet holder by La fille des Fleurs; a Skémata toghe backpack; the preview volume “The protection of the person of the red code”, Edizioni Duepuntozero by Claudia Carioti, also present at the ceremony.
A lifetime achievement awardthe prestigious “Melvin Jones Fellow“, Lions’ highest international recognition, was awarded by the Governor of District 108 AB, the lawyer. Leonardo Potenza, to Dr. Silvana Sciarra, jurist from Trani, President Emeritus of the Constitutional Court and President of the Steering Committee of the Higher School of the Magistracy who, unable to attend the ceremony due to institutional commitments, sent his thoughts of thanks: «I really want to express my gratitude for the recognition that you reserve for me and for the attention towards my professional commitment. This makes me even more proud, because the awards ceremony takes place in my hometown, Trani. I had the great privilege of engaging as a constitutional judge in the nine-year mandate and of presiding over the college of judges in the final phase of the same. I am grateful to you for choosing to remember this commitment of mine in a guarantee body, the Constitutional Court, towards which all of us citizens must look with respect”.
A further special prize out of competitionconsisting of a lawyer’s robe of Skemata with the registered logo of the Giustina Rocca Award depicted, it was delivered directly by Francesca Molinari, founder of Skèmata Toghe d’autore, and by the prefect Antonio Apruzzese to the lawyer. Costanza Manzidean of the Bar Association of Trani and member of the scientific judging commission.
In the parterre of an overflowing municipal library ‘Giovanni Bovio’ many institutional personalities and those belonging to the academic and legal world: Dr. Sergio Mazzia, Vice Prefect of the Province of Barletta Andria Trani, the lawyer. Leonardo Potenza, President of the Board of Governors of the Lions of Italy, Dr. Emanuele Tatò, incoming governor of the 108AB Puglia District, current director of the “Dimiccoli” hospital in Barletta, Eng. Pasquale Di Ciommo, past Lions governor, profs. Andrea Lovato, Director of the Law Department, and Francesco Mastroberti of the University of Bari Aldo Moro who, before the start of the awards ceremony, held as speakers the seminars on the historical figure of the jurist from Trani with the speeches “Giustina Rocca and her time” and “The strange case of Giustina Rocca’s arbitration” and, finally, the editor of Duepuntozero and Giurispedia, Giuseppe Daloiso.
At the end of the awards ceremony, the procession of professionals who came from all over Italy, together with the organizers and sponsors, crossed a spectacular Via Mario Pagano, renamed the Via di Giustina, embellished for the occasion with lush branches of peach blossoms, donated by Pietro Tempesta (Olio Tempesta and Vivaio Uniflor of Terlizzi), to arrive from Fefinonatural cuisine restaurant by Gloriana Tesoro, for a “typical aperitif”, with the involvement of the commercial activities and associations of the characteristic street of the shops and artists of Trani, chosen as a set by Lina Wertmüller and made famous by her film “Saturday, Sunday and Monday” with Sofia Loren, set in Naples, but shot in Trani . Here, after having tasted food and wine delicacies, welcomed by the musical selections of the DJ Mario Grilli, also a lawyer, in an extemporaneous manner the councilor Cecilia Di Lernia, the lawyer Costanza Manzi and the lawyer. Angela Patrizia Tavani, professor at the ‘Aldo Moro’ University of Bari, dedicated beautiful words of encouragement to the young lawyers from all over Italy for the profession and for their role in society and in the world of work which makes them unique.
The route through the city streets ended in Via Ognissanti with Dino Lobascio, owner of Lodi jewelery and goldsmith’s shop, who donated a small gift from the Pupillo line to the lawyers participating in the prize.
Furthermore, a delegation from the Italian Legal Observatory (honorary president Prof. Alessandro Meluzzi), coming from Campania, was present throughout the two days in Trani to pay tribute to Giustina, also through the talks given by her mentor, the criminologist lawyer . Tiziana Barrella, author of the book with prof. Meluzzi “Corpo Cuore Comunicazione” (OM Edizioni), which on Friday 24th held a very interesting meeting open to the public and schools on body language and non-verbal communication as working tools in the forensic and criminological field.
An event which saw the hotels, B&Bs and restaurants of Trani populated by quality tourism during the two days dedicated to Giustina.
A huge applause goes to the impressive organizational effort implemented by the Trani Lions Club ‘Ordinamenta Maris’, with the entire commission made up of the engineer. Elio LoiodiceDr Ghita Farnelliadv. Alessandro Moscatelliadv. Domenico Lamantea and adv. Francesco Demarinis who, together with their partners, have celebrated the figure of Giustina Rocca in the best possible way with commitment and dedication with the first edition of the Award dedicated to her. «These types of initiatives help promote awareness and action against gender inequalities and violence, while at the same time supporting the professional training of young lawyers. We are already thinking about the second edition – declare the organizers – which will probably go beyond the borders of the city of Trani to celebrate the memory and legacy of the lawyer of the 1500s, known throughout the world».
