In the course of the annual assembly held on Monday 17 October 2016 at the Straf Hotel in Milan, Mr. Tankred Thiem was elected Vice-President of DAV ITALIA, the Italian section of the Deutscher Anwaltsverein (DAV) (i.e. the Association of German Attorneys). With over 67.000 members, DAV is the biggest private legal association in the world. Founded in 1871, the association relies on a widespread organization throughout the entire German territory, in addition to 10 sections abroad. The activities of DAV include protection of the interests of its attorneys, the redaction of position papers concerning law proposals, active participation in the German and EU legislative process, as well as taking the stand on current issues that are relevant to the work undertaken by attorneys and, finally, education of its members.

DAV ITALIA, founded in 2007, is one of the foreign organizations with the highest number of members. It collaborates with other German institutions operating in Italy, such as the Italian-German Chamber of Commerce and the German consulate in Milan, and presents itself as a point of reference for German private individuals and companies who require general information. DAV Italia regularly provides its members and interested professionals the possibility of attending educational events on topics that are of relevance to Italian-German relations in all areas of law.