Law can change mentalities

"Thanks to its neutrality and modernity, this court now serves as a model for the region," he says proudly. In his period of office, 25,000 pages of decisions were made, and they are accessible to everyone. Such transparency was unknown in the old legal system. Lado Chanturia has opened up doors.He invited Georgian artists to exhibit their work in the court, which attracted many citizens to the building. He received popular fellow countrymen such as actors and sportspeople as well as presidents of foreign courts of justice, scholars and international politicians. Two stacks of photos portray a man who understands how to build a dense network with charm, vitality and inner calmness. "Georgia has no other option but to turn to Europe." He is aware of the grave social and economic problems, corruption and the geopolitically precarious location of a country the size of Bavaria. But resigning or activism are unknown to him. He displays a calm attitude in opting for long-term engagement. "Law has the power to generate culture, and it can change mentalities. This is a process that takes several years and requires patience."
He intends to actively participate in this process - in his own way. His resignation as Supreme Court President in the summer of 2004 fits in with this. "I did all I could, I needed a break." What is behind this break is the approval of a Humboldt Research Fellowship that Lado Chanturia had already applied for in 2003, just in time before he reached the age limit of 40 years. "To me, this fellowship is the highest reward, for I am above all a scholar."He was very happy to join Professor Klaus Hopt, whom he had got to know during a Max Planck Scholarship in 1996, at the Hamburg Max Planck Institute for Foreign Private and Private International Law. To him, this institute is the "Harvard of Law".
Once he has written his comparative law study on modern management and liability regulations in stock companies, Lado Chanturia will return to Georgia, where he has been Professor at the University of Tbilisi since 1995. It goes without saying that the advisor to the current State President is not only going to be active on the campus even though his response to any queries regarding this is to smile and state: "I am not sure about that yet."