The Malta Chamber of Advocates, il-Kamra tal-Avukati, represents the corps of warranted advocates admitted to the Bar of Malta. It is a voluntary non-political non-Governmental organisation funded by the fees paid by members and by funds raised from the activities it organises. It is recognised at law as the consultative and participatory representative of advocates in matters related to the organisation and administration of justice. The Chamber acts as a professional association, a lobbyist, an educator, and to a degree, as a regulator, as well as being available to provide guidance to advocates and to the public at large on matters of professional ethics and the proper exercise of the function and office of advocates.

The Chamber of Advocates, through its foundation The Malta Law Academy,  organises lectures, seminars, and conferences in order to update the legal profession on matters both of substantive and of procedural law, as well as participating, either as a lobbyist or as a direct participant, in initiatives to amend and consolidate legislation. The Council of the Chamber of Advocates is elected every three years. The Council for 2023-2026 is currently made up of 10 members as follows:

Dr Peter Fenech

PRESIDENT

Dr Peter Fenech was admitted to the Bar in 1994 and co-founded Iuris Malta Advocates in 2011. His focus lies predominantly in civil and commercial law, particularly litigation. Peter also regularly advises various public entities on matters ranging from public procurement to administrative law. He has lectured at the University of Malta and the Richard Clarke Academy and has held chairmanships in various public entities. Today, Peter is the chairman of MelitaUnipol Insurance Brokers Ltd and is also a member of the Broadcasting Authority.

Dr Stefan Camilleri

SECRETARY GENERAL

Dr Stefan Camilleri was born in 1973 and was called to the bar in 1997. Stefan is a partner in the law firm Camilleri Cassar Advocates. He was first elected to the Council of the Chamber of Advocates in 2000 and has been re-elected by his peers ever since. From 2005, Stefan has been a member of the Committee for Advocates and Legal Procurators within the Commission for the Administration of Justice since 2005, whose function is to hear complaints brought against lawyers. Stefan regularly lectures law students on legal ethics and is appointed by the University of Malta’s Faculty of Laws to act as an examiner on legal ethics. Since 2008, Stefan has represented the Chamber of Advocates on the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE).

Dr Paul Micallef Grimaud

VICE PRESIDENT for ADVANCEMENT OF THE PROFESSION

Paul Micallef Grimaud is a Partner at Ganado Advocates and heads the firm’s intellectual property, TMT and data protection practice group. Paul’s focus is dedicated to counselling and assisting clients in the media, technology and entertainment space on the legal aspects of their operations and to representing them in court and arbitration. The team that Paul leads is regularly involved in the drafting and negotiation of IP assignment, licensing and management contracts, advising on content and end-user related matters, registering and enforcing IP rights, and assisting with data protection and regulatory compliance. Paul is a warranted advocate and regularly represents his clients in arbitration and litigation proceedings relating to intellectual property infringements, anti-counterfeit measures, trade mark and design oppositions, telecoms regulatory matters, media, slander and freedom of information disputes, data protection breaches and unfair competition cases.

Dr Anna Mifsud Bonnici

VICE PRESIDENT for INTERNAL AFFAIRS

Dr Cedric Mifsud

FINANCIAL OFFICER

Cedric Mifsud was admitted to the bar in 2003 and since then he has mostly practised as a litigation and transactional lawyer. In 2007, together with his brother Malcolm Mifsud, he set up the multidisciplinary law firm Mifsud & Mifsud Advocates within which he helped set up and lead the Commercial, Corporate and Maritime Department. He represented a number of individuals and companies in a number of Human Rights Cases, most notably the initial wave of rent law cases that led to the recognition of landlord rights, claims against government authorities and assistance to NGOs saving lives at sea. He is a director and shareholder of Aegis Corporate Services Limited and MMPS Limited company offering payroll services within the Maritime Industry.

Dr Davinia Cutajar

INTERNATIONAL OFFICER

Davinia Cutajar is a partner at WH Partners. Her main areas of practice are dispute resolution and corporate/commercial law. She also assists on private client matters and advises on AML compliance. Davinia assists individuals and corporates on complex civil, commercial and regulatory disputes. She regularly advises on cross-border matters, particularly in the EU, and is used to co-ordinating and co-operating with teams in multiple jurisdictions. Throughout her career, Davinia has settled a number of high-profile claims for damages linked to negligence or breach of law. Before joining WH Partners, Davinia was the Managing Partner of a law firm in Malta focusing on corporate law and financial services, employment law, relocation services and yacht and trademark registration.  Her legal career started as a litigator with a well-respected law firm in Valletta. She later moved to corporate, trustee and compliance law, fulfilling the role of Money Laundering Reporting Officer and Compliance Officer for a corporate and trustee services provider in Malta, before taking on the role of director. Davinia was admitted to the Malta Bar in March 2006, and has been a member of the Chamber of Advocates since. She was elected international secretary of the Chamber of Advocates in 2023. Davinia is a member of the Institute for Financial Services Practitioners (IFSP) and forms part of the IFSP's Sub-Committee on Compliance.

Dr Deo Falzon

COMMUNICATIONS and TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Deo Falzon is a Senior Associate at Fenech and Fenech Advocates. He graduated as Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in December 2015 and was admitted to the Bar in March 2016. He also holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Intellectual Property from the University of London and the ISO accredited CIPP/E and CIPM certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Deo practices mainly in Technology, Media and Telecommunications focusing on litigious and gaming matters. He specialises in Intellectual Property where he advises on obtaining IP protection, dealing with infringements and assisting with filing strategies. He regularly advises clients in relation to information technology issues, disputes, contracts in tech. industries. In previous years Deo was widely involved in student activism and was President and Vice-President of ELSA (Malta). He is also an elected board member of the Malta IT Law Association (MITLA)

Dr Victoria Cuschieri

COURT LIAISON OFFICER

Victoria Cuschieri’s primary area of practice is litigation with a focus on civil law and planning law. She established her own legal practice in 2019, having previously held the role of associate with Spiteri Bailey Advocates. She has rendered her services as a legal aid advocate with the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms and Equality since 2014 and also presently holds the role of Assistant Member with the Administrative Review Tribunal. Victoria was admitted to the bar in 2012 after having obtained the degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in 2011. In 2015 she subsequently obtained the degree of Master of Laws with distinction in Commercial and Corporate Law from the University of London (International Programmes).

Dr Christine Calleja

EXTERNAL RELATIONS OFFICER

Christine Calleja is a Partner at Mamo TCV Advocates and heads the firm’s Employment and Industrial Relations department. Christine graduated Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in 2011, after which she obtained a Masters in European and Comparative Law, also from the University of Malta, in 2012. Both her theses focused on employment law; the doctoral thesis was titled ‘Furthering the Case for Constructive Dismissal in Malta’ and her Masters thesis focused on the scope of application of the Acquired Rights Directive. She joined the firm as a trainee in 2009, became an associate when she was called to the Bar in 2011 and was promoted to the post of Senior Associate in 2017. Christine’s main areas of practice are employment law and insurance litigation. Insofar as employment law is concerned, she regularly assists clients in all matters relating to human resources. She also represents clients, both employers and employees, in front of the Industrial Tribunal and courts in relation to these matters and has assisted clients in trade disputes and in the negotiation of collective agreements. She also delivers seminars and lectures for practitioners in the field on a regular basis and is also one of the founding members of the Maltese Employment Lawyers Association. Her other special area of focus is insurance law, in particular insurance claims litigation, where she regularly assists and represents a number insurance companies in proceedings brought by or against them.

Dr Donald Vella

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Donald graduated as a lawyer from the University of Malta in 2006 following which he obtained his LL.M. in Corporate & Commercial Law from the University of London. He started his career with Camilleri Preziosi in 2006 and was admitted to partnership in 2013. Donald heads Camilleri Preziosi Advocates’ corporate and tax department and regularly advises and assists the firm’s clients in corporate law and fiscal aspects of transactions. Over the years, Donald has gained vast experience in international and domestic M&A transactions and joint ventures. He is also active in a number of other areas including trusts, foundations, corporate finance and insolvency. Donald services clients come from various industry sectors and including internationally listed groups. Donald also represents clients in courts and fiscal tribunals on direct and indirect taxation matter and also acts as a company secretary of a number of listed companies.

The Chamber of Advocates has permanent staff responsible for administration and the day-to-day running of the office.

The Chamber is also responsible for dealing with complaints made against Lawyers and refers such complaints to the Committee for Lawyers and Legal Procurators which is set up within the Commission for the Administration of Justice.

AFFILIATIONS

The Chamber of Advocates is affiliated to the International Bar Association (IBA), and the Conseil des Barreaux de la Union Europienne (CCBE), the Council of Bars and Law Societies of the European Union.