Alexander Lazović is a German lawyer with a rich academic background spanning from Universität Konstanz, Stockholms Universitet, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, to the University of Edinburgh. Before joining the EUI Law Department, Alexander worked as a lawyer at White & Case in Public Law and as a legal assistant to Attorney at Law Carsten Ilius in criminal and residence law.
His recently defended thesis, Structuring Perception. How Structures of Practice Influence Decision-Making at the Court of Justice of the European Union, ventures into the working practices at the CJEU. In his thesis, Alexander identified ten structural factors such as the appointment of judge-rapporteurs by the president or the use of meta-teleological interpretation, and studied their effects in two case studies concerning childcare-related leave. He tried to establish which of these factors may cause the judges to converge around a shared perception of the case, which may limit such convergence, and which may allow them to diverge from established perceptions.
The main finding of the thesis is that neither convergence nor divergence in decision-making arises from isolated factors. Instead, a combination of multiple elements plays a pivotal role. What inspired Alexander to choose this topic? "I wanted to turn a classical question of legal theory upside down", he says. Instead of delving into why disagreements arise, he became fascinated by the conditions under which agreement takes place, especially given the diverse backgrounds of the CJEU Judges.
When asked about the contributions of his work, Alexander highlighted bridging the gap between political science, sociology, and legal research concerning the CJEU. His research underscores the inherent legal nature of discussions within the CJEU, emphasising the need for acknowledging judges' distinctly legal perception of the world. Alexander believes his research can significantly influence discussions about CJEU reforms, emphasising a holistic understanding of the roles different factors play. When studying the CJEU and its cases, he recommends scholars not to exaggerate the relevance of singular elements, but to carefully balance individual social and legal factors.
Currently, Alexander has returned to White & Case in Berlin as a lawyer and legal assistant contributing with his academic findings to the legal practice.