Patrick Vlačič, born in 1970 in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia, is a professor of law specializing in maritime, transport, and commercial law. He completed his law degree at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), earned a Master’s degree at the University of Split (Croatia), and received his PhD from the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) in 2005. After working as a judicial trainee at the Supreme Court of Slovenia and passing the bar exam in 2008, he began teaching at the Faculty for Maritime Studies and Transport at the University of Ljubljana, where he continues to lecture on a range of legal subjects. From 2008 to 2012, Patrick served as Slovenia’s Minister of Transport in the 9th Government of Republic of Slovenia. He also briefly held the position of director at Aerodrom Portorož d.o.o., a small international airport. In addition to teaching, he practices law, with a focus on transport and insurance. Currently, his work emphasizes the digital transformation of maritime transport, particularly the digitalization of the bill of lading. He has authored or co-authored seven books and numerous academic articles. Beyond his legal career, Patrick has played bass guitar in bands since his teens and speaks several languages, including Slovenian, English, Italian, Croatian, and Serbian.