Last week, 10 December 2024, Serge Gijrath died in his sleep. He was a practicing lawyer, but I particularly know him as a bright legal scholar and very nice person. I met him about 20 years ago, as member of the board of the Dutch IT law association. One of my first board meetings, around 2005, was in the tower of Baker MacKenzie facing Leidseplein. Little later, in 2006, I was at his PhD party in 2006, pretty close, in the Leidsestraat. He wrote his PhD thesis in 4 years, which is in itself good. But he was full time practicing lawyer. Incredible.
In 2008 I hired 6 people to work at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for a symbolic 0,01 appointment. They were working in practice but had academic ambitions and qualities. Serge was one of them, he stayed until 2016. I had many inspiring discussions with him. Several times I was at his house with a view on the IJ lake discussing articles we worked on jointly, or other academic issues. We did this over breakfast. When I had to write a document presenting my view when I applied for a professorship in 2011 at Vrije Universiteit Serge was one of the few (might have been the only one) I asked for comments. He also gave comments on VICI and ERC proposals (I did not get ☹). When he applied in Leiden for a professorship, we also had close contact. I posted on Twitter
He called me from this special location because they gave him the option to have another interview round, or share the chair with another candidate. We agreed that you are never sure to get it in a next round so best go for the shared chair. He did. And got it.
In Florence May 2019 we met. I, cheapy Dutch guy, booked a hotel without breakfast. Serge had booked a hotel with breakfast, for 2 persons. I believe for his partner that could not come. Anyway, two days I joined him as plus 1 for a wonderful breakfast in his hotel. We went by bus to the conference venue. He knew Florence well, lived there for some time. But. We took a bus in the wrong direction. And when we got out of the bus, we took a short cut, to arrive in the end in the right place after taking this amazing walk. Exactly a place where you would expect two dressed up law professors:
In 2022 I was so happy by the idea to have this colleague back in my team, after the horrible stroke he had. In the interview he was convinced that he was fully recovered. Sadly, it did not work out. After discussion with several team members, I had no other option than to let him go. This was the toughest decision in my career. And then he left. I regret I never managed to send the e-mail I wrote and rewrote, or called him to tell him that he meant so much to me, that I felt sorry he could no longer deliver the brilliance he used to have, and that I was there for him.
