24The requirement of independence of a lawyer implies that there must be no employment relationship between the lawyer and his client (see EREF v Commission, paragraph 53 and the case-law cited). As the General Court correctly held at paragraph 18 of the contested order, the concept of the independence of lawyers is determined not only positively, that is by reference to professional ethical obligations, but also negatively, that is to say, by the absence of an employment relationship (Akzo Nobel Chemicals and Akcros Chemicals v Commission, paragraph 45).
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