Dr Herdís Thorgeirsdóttir was appointed professor of constitutional law and human rights at the Faculty of Law, Bifrost University in 2004. Since 2003 she has been a member of the Network of Legal Experts that ensures the European Commission is kept informed in relation to important legal developments in the field of gender equality at national level, and the impact of these developments. She was elected President of the European Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA) in 2009 and re-elected in 2011. Prior to that she had been Vice President since 2005. She was appointed member of the Venice Commission, the European Commission for Democracy through Law in 2010 after having been substitute member on behalf of Iceland since 2003. She has been chairman of the Sub-Commission on Human Rights of the Venice Commission since December 2011. She is on the Board of Trustees of the European Academy of Law since 2012.
Born in Reykjavík in 1954, Herdís Thorgeirsdóttir studied psychology at the University of Aix-en-Provence, journalism at the College of Journalism in London, has a B.A in political science from the University of Iceland, B.A. in law from Reykjavík University, M.A.L.D degree in international law and politics from the Fletcher School of Law at Tufts University and is doctor of laws (Dr. Jur) from the Faculty of Law from the University of Lund in Sweden. She is a partner at Vik Law/ law firm in Reykjavík.