# Bo Vesterdorf

_Danish judge_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/bo-vesterdorf
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Bo Vesterdorf (born 1945) is a former Danish judge who has been President of the European Court of First Instance.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 11 October 1945 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2468945#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Haslev ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2468945#P19))
- **Citizenship:** Kingdom of Denmark ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2468945#P27))
- **Occupation:** judge; lawyer; jurist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2468945#P106))
- **Positions held:** president (4 March 1998 – 17 September 2009) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2468945#P39))

## About

Since late 2008 Vesterdorf has been a Consultant in the Competition practice at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Vesterdorf began his career as a lawyer-linguist at the European Court of Justice before becoming Administrator in the Danish Ministry of Justice, examining magistrate, and Legal Attaché in the Permanent Representation of Denmark to the European Communities.

He was a Temporary Judge at the Østre Landsret (Danish Court of Appeal), Head of the Constitutional and Administrative Law Division in the Ministry of Justice, Director of the Administration Department in the Ministry of Justice, and a university lecturer. He also served as a member of the Steering Committee on Human Rights at the Council of Europe, and subsequently as a member of its Bureau. In 2004 he became a member of the "Ad hoc committee on judicial training" at the Academy of European Law, Trier, Germany. He was a  judge at the European Court of First Instance from 25 September 1989 and its president from 4 March 1998 to 17 September 2007.

Vesterdorf has been Commander 1st Degree of the Danish Royal Order of the Dannebrog since 20 June 2006. On 1 November 2007 he was appointed Senior Legal Consultant at Plesner Law Firm in Copenhagen. He is an external fellow at University College London's Faculty of Law and is attached to St Gallen University, Switzerland and Fordham Law School, New York. In May 2008 he was made Doctor of Laws honoris causa by St Gallen University.

## Questions

**When was Bo Vesterdorf born?**  
Bo Vesterdorf was born on 11 October 1945 in Haslev.

**What positions has Bo Vesterdorf held?**  
Positions held by Bo Vesterdorf include: president (1998–2009).

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Bo Vesterdorf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Vesterdorf) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q2468945](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2468945) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Bo Vesterdorf, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

## Cite this page

"Bo Vesterdorf". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/bo-vesterdorf. Retrieved 8 November 2026.