ELSA Malta Newsletter - January 2018
Half a Year of ELSA Malta!
In our Newsletter for this term, we’ll be updating you with a run down of events that ELSA Malta has organised over these past few months. We’ll also be giving you information regarding future events that are being organised by the Association.
National Council Meeting The ELSA Malta National Council Meeting 2017 was held as per statutory requirements on the 3rd of May at the KSU Tipico Careers Common Room. The NCM commenced with the approval of the minutes of the previous NCM, followed by the appointment of a Chairperson, Secretaries, Tellers, the Electoral Commission and the approval of the agenda. Outgoing members for the previous term gave a short speech and annual report showcasing their accomplishments throughout the year. The launch of ELSA Malta’s newly designed website interface was presented, along with the ‘One Year of ELSA’ video. This was followed by the approval of Accounts and amendments to the statute proposed by the President and Secretary General. Following the approval of certain motions, the new National Board for ELSA Malta for the year 2017-2018 was elected through votes cast by members of ELSA. Daniel Vella succeeded Bernice Saliba as President, while Gigi Gatt and Laura Aquilina were elected as Secretary General and Treasurer respectively. Matteo Alessandro was elected as Vice President (VP) for Marketing, Nicole Portelli as VP Academic Activities, Nico Fauser as VP Moot Court Competitions, Jasmine Farrugia as VP Seminars and Conferences, and Luisa Briffa as VP for the Student Trainee Exchange Program. The following directors were approved by the new
National Board — Nina Fauser as Director for the International Focus Programme and Human Rights, Chris Grech as Director for Academic Affairs, Jack Delicata as Director for Seminars and Conferences, Sasha Muscat as Director for Public Relations, Jake Camilleri as Director for Social Policy and Legal Publications, and Matthias Grech as Director for Project Management.
Booze Cruise Held on July 26th, this was our first social event of the new term. Having been a sold-out event and following the great feedback we received from a number of persons who attended, we’re happy to have kicked-off the term on the right note with a fun summer boat-party!
Law Freshers’ Drinks This event was held on the 2nd of August, wherein the entire Board welcomed all law freshers who attended by providing crucial information about University life, the course, law lectures, as well as a brief introduction to ELSA and what its all about. Apart from the informative portion of the evening, this was also a great opportunity for freshers to get to know each other and ourselves over some drinks and nibbles.
ELSA Malta Summer Law School The 3rd edition of the ELSA Malta Summer Law School on Maritime Law was held from the 20th till the 27th of August. The program - which consisted of a carefully planned out balance between social activities and a rich academic program, started off a day prior on Saturday the 19th August with a trip to Gozo. The official week kicked off the following day with an opening ceremony, followed by a night at the beach. Lectures began the following day and were held at the University of Malta. As part of the Academic Programme, lectures tackled different topics such as Public International Law Aspects of Maritime Law, Aspects of the Law of the Sea, Irregular Migration by Sea, Salvage, Towage and Collision, Yachting, Taxation of Maritime Transport Activities as well as Claims and Enforcement on Ships. Apart from the Academic Programme, students also had the opportunity to attend various fun activities throughout the week. The diverse Social Programme boasted activities such as a cultural night, a boat party and a bus party, dinner at the old capital city Mdina, a treasure hunt, a day in Comino, as well as a Gala Night to close off the week in style. All in all, the week was a great success and the feedback received from the students and young lawyers who attended from across Europe was beyond our expectations. This year’s edition certainly upheld the standard of success maintained by the previous two editions, and we hope to maintain such standard in the years to come. The ELSA network organises ELSA Law Schools in different cities all over Europe, and all sessions are held in English. Any local students who are interested in taking part may approach ELSA Malta for information about upcoming ELSA Summer Law Schools.
ELSA Malta’s Essay Competition During the month of September, ELSA Malta collaborated with the office of MEP Roberta Metsola, to offer all law students a unique opportunity to visit Brussels. In order to participate students had to submit a research paper on the subject entitled: "Reducing the EU's democratic deficit: what role can the European Parliament play and what further reforms could be considered?” The Competition was won by Jurgen Micallef, who is currently in 2nd year — Congratulations! And well done to all other participants for your efforts.
OMEGA | The Frat Open Bar Our frat-themed party, held on the 22nd September at Olive Gardens Mdina, included a 6 hour open bar, frat-themed decor all around, and a stellar DJ line-up throughout the entire night, for just 20 euros a head. It took a weeks of work and commitment by the entire Board to ensure this event was the success it was. Three bars were set up and fully stocked with premium brands, as well as beer pong, a wheel of misfortune, drinking games, classic red cups and more. We’d like to thank everyone who attended and made this party great, the turn-out exceeded our expectations and we’re glad we exceeded yours!
ELSA Malta at the KSU Freshers’ Week 2017 Up next was Freshers Week, which this scholastic year unfortunately did not carry on throughout the entire week due to unforeseen weather circumstances. Like every year, the intention of the ELSA Malta stand is to continue to gain exposure for ELSA, especially with law freshers. We also had a number of freebies and activities, such as a quiz, competition and games. Law freshers could also become members and obtain the ELSA card; which entails a number of discounts from popular outlets across Malta, while older students could renew their old card. This year we are happy to announce that we had over 200 memberships in total! On that note, we’d like to remind you that any students who are still interested in applying for the membership may do so by contacting any of our Board members. Furthermore, despite our disappointment regarding the vandalism of our stand, we would like to thank all those who offered their help and support following the incident.
ELSA vs SACES Water Fight This is one of our annual traditions, wherein the goal was for us Law students to capture the president of SACES — this year’s being Thomas Mifsud, before the Architecture students capture our President, Daniel Vella. This year’s edition of the Water-fight took place on October 6th at midday. Preparations were underway early for this year's water-fight, with the logistics department of the National Board printing out 'ELSA Crew' t-shirts which were distributed in all the yearly Freshers' Packs, (apart from a cool freebie!), they were intended to be worn during water-fight against SACES. This also entailed a few sleepless nights at the ELSA office, from which we rendered several headbands, created a video, and two shields, all in aid of the water-fight. On the day, plenty of law students gathered up early before the event, and the final preparations were concluded. Though SACES did win the water-fight, the law students put up a good fight!
ELSA Goes To Berlin The long-awaited annual “ELSA Goes To” event took place once again this year. It was held over 4 days; between October 12th and October 15th 2017. Although spaces this year were limited to only 60 people, it was a great bunch of people and very good feedback was received about the experience. Attendance included not solely law students, but also students from other courses too. Amongst the places we visited over these 4 spectacular days, those notable to mention include: - Brandenburg Gate - Parliament - East-Side Gallery - The Berlin Wall - Oktoberfest - Sony Centre - Berlin’s best known shopping centres - The Holocaust Memorial - Berlin’s most popular nightclubs and parties
All in all it was a great experience, with many new memories to cherish and new friendships made, and we’re beyond excited for what is to come next year!
ICM Sarajevo 2017 This year’s 72nd International Council Meeting was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina over a week from the 22nd till the 29th October. As part of the Maltese delegation, we had six representatives who attended the meeting; Daniel Vella, Gigi Gatt, Laura Aquilina, Nina Fauser, Nico Fauser and Gabriel DeBono. During the day, workshops were held in order to discuss certain issues and key areas which ELSA aims to focus on, whilst also creating a forum for the exchange of ideas and events, between the different ELSA groups. These workshops were held according to ELSA’s different key areas, namely BEE (Board Management, External Relations and Expansion), IM (Internal Management), FM (Financial Management), S&C (Seminars and Conferences), AA (Academic Affairs), STEP (Student Trainee Exchange Programme) and MKT (Marketing).
These workshops focused on issues such as priorities in each key area, strategic goals, proposals and certain upcoming events such as ELSA Day and IFP Week (International Focus Programme). Additionally, A mid-plenary was held on Wednesday and following this, the final plenary was held on Saturday. ELSA Malta’s delegation was present and voting during the plenary sessions. During the workshops, Gigi Gatt (Secretary General) and Laura Aquilina (Treasurer) were nominated by ELSA International to vice -chair their respective workshops on IM and FM during the course of the week. Not to mention that Nico Fauser (Vice-President Moot Court Competitions) also took on the role of Secretary during the Mid and Final Plenaries. Additionally, Daniel Vella (ELSA Malta’s President) delivered a presentation during the BEE workshop, which was mainly about ELSA Malta’s upcoming International Presidents’ Meeting which will be held in February. Apart from this, there was also a fun-filled social programme organised throughout the week, including a “Balkan Night” themed party, a 1920s party, as well as a Gala Ball.
The How To Sessions The 'How To Sessions' are back! As part of its agenda, ELSA Malta has always given importance to 1st year law students and seeks to ensure that their experience as newcomers to university is a positive one, and not one where they are left feeling like fish out of water. Hence, in this event we addressed the important topic of Assignment Writing and Research, which is a concept many law students have struggled with at the beginning of their studies. Like last year, the event was led by Dr Felicity Attard, who shared an abundance of knowledge and useful tips
on how to research for assignments and subsequently structure all the relevant information in to a proper assignment. The event, which was held on October 25th, turned out extremely well with a full-house of around 80 attendees! We hope that the experience was a fruitful one for all those who attended.
Let’s Talk This was an event organised by ELSA Malta’s Academic Office, aimed at third years who are required their proposal for their term paper by the month of February. Several lawyers from different fields of law attended, while law students interested in the lawyers’ particular field would have around 10 minute one-to-one sessions discussing possible topics for their term paper. The logistics of the event was based on the concept of speed dating; wherein a timer was set up, and when the 10 minutes were up, the students would rotate according to the pre-set roster. In the meantime, other students waiting their turn were invited to sit down and have snacks and drinks which were provided. Despite the thunderstorm which occurred on the day and a few minor setbacks, in the end the event turned out to be very successful receiving highly positive feedback from participants.
The 6th Edition of ELSA Day
ELSA Day is an Annual celebration which is held by ELSA networks all across Europe, with the aim of celebrating our vision of having a just world in which there is respect for humanity dignity and cultural diversity. Human rights are at the forefront of our aims as an association, and hence this year’s topic “The Access to Justice beyond Borders” was of great importance to us. The conference was held at the Chamber of Commerce on the 29th November, during which interesting speeches were given on the topic by Dr Karl Tanti, Dr Antonio Ghio, Dt Claire Delom, and Magistrate Depasquale - who interestingly enough was part of the team of law students who originally founded ELSA Malta back in the day.
Inception | The Law Live-In
On behalf of ELSA Malta, we would first and foremost like to thank all those who attended and made the Live In as successful and fun as it was, we couldn’t have done it without you! Being the first Live In ever organised by ELSA, the turn-out was even better than we expected, having been a sold out event. Inception| The Law Live In took place over the weekend from Friday the 17th till Sunday the 19th of November at DB San Antonio Hotel, Bugibba. The weekend included accommodation on half board basis, access to all the hotel's facilities; including fitness & spa facilities, indoor and outdoor pools, free WiFi and more, free entrance to the open-bar which took place on Saturday night, as well as free attendance to a seminar and debate panelled by experts in the fields of law. The weekend kicked off on Friday afternoon when everybody checked-in and got settled in their rooms. This was followed by a few icebreakers to get to know each other (plus a few drinks!), after which we had dinner. We organised a Pub-Crawl for the night around Paceville throughout which several free drinks were served to all those who attended, to ensure we started off the weekend with a bang. Saturday was an activity-packed day. Following breakfast and some free-time, an interesting debate was held about the legalisation of marijuana, followed by Freshers to Lawyers, wherein a panel of young local lawyers shared their personal useful tips on how to survive the law course as well as their experiences both as law students and the transition to practising lawyers. Later on, a Criminal Law crash-course was held by Dr Joe Giglio, after which the highly-anticipated treasure hunt took place. The day was concluded with Incarcerated | The Open Bar, which was held at Club Velvet in Bugibba, just a few minutes away from the hotel. Although the size of the club restricted us with accommodating beyond a certain number of persons, the event attracted the attendance of many people who were not part of the Live-In. Furthermore, apart from the fully equipped and branded open-bar, we also featured our signature ELSA shot, the Burning Mozart. The Live-In came to a close on Sunday. It was an incredible experience for us, not only to have hosted such an event, but also to enjoy it with you all and create amazing memories together.
The Intellectual Property Moot Court Our first Moot Court to mark the academic year took place at the law courts in Malta on the 20th of November. The competition gave participants a brilliant chance to research intellectual property laws such as copyright law, trademark laws, and patent and design laws. The moot court was presided over by four lawyers from Camilleri Preziosi — Dr Terence Cassar, Dr Sharon Xuereb, Dr Francesca Galea Cavallazzi and Dr Rya Gatt. The competition was split into three rounds: a preliminary round, semi-final, and a final. Following the first round, the academics chose the best 4 teams (two plaintiff teams and two defendant teams), who then proceeded to the semi-final round. After the semi-final round, the best two teams were chosen. The winning team won a weekend break at the 5-star Hilton Resort Portomaso, while the runners-up won a €100 cash prize, and the third place won €60 vouchers from AtoZ electronics.
The MedicoLegal Conference On the 2nd of December ELSA Malta together with MMSA hosted the MedicoLegal Conference at Fortress Builders in Valletta. The nature of this conference was a hybrid combination of the legal field, coupled with the arena of healthcare and medicine. The conference sought to address in depth and analyse what constitutes negligence and when liability arises in the medical profession. The conference was split into two sessions having a refreshing coffee break in between. The first session consisted of presentations given by two experts in the field; Dr.Bridget Ellul and Dr.Sonia Vancell. To close the first session, we had an interactive Q and A, during which the attendees asked several questions which led to interesting discussions with the speakers and shed light on some important points. Following the break, the attendees were split into 4 different groups. Each group was given a different case study, and a representative from each group gave a short presentation about the case they had to tackle. It was overall a very successful and fruitful event, having around 50 medical and law students in attendance.
The Annual Human Rights Conference The annual Conference for Human Rights was held on the 15th of December 2017, and centred around human rights advocacy and the preparations for the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was organised by the Human Rights Programme at the Faculty of Laws, in collaboration with ELSA, GhSL and the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society. Her Excellency, the President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, gave the opening address, followed by a speech by His Excellency Joop Nijssen, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Malta. During her speech, the President of Malta notably said that “the universality of human rights is what unites us, however the challenges to uphold human rights in today’s world are numerous, and thus upholding these rights must be at the forefront of our agenda, at individual, communal and national levels. Although we have had certain great advancements in this field, especially in the recent years, there is more that still needs to be done. Each and every one of us should be active in this regard”. Following this, Mr.Boris Dittrich, the Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch gave his speech. Mr.Boris Dittrich explained that in all these methods of advocacy, it doesn’t matter who the audience is, what is important is the passion which goes behind advocacy. Following this, there was a short coffee break, followed by the first panel, which was based on advocating for human rights, in relation to the local scenario. This included an intervention by Commissioners for Refugees, Children, NCPE, Mental Health and Persons with Disability. The second panel focused on the ‘Medium as the Message’, which included a discussion focusing on the morning-after pill campaign, Maltese refugee rights activists, and ‘Page 13’. After a light lunch, the third panel took place, which was based on Reclaiming Equality. This included reflections on the need to reclaim social and economic human rights, gender equality and the implementation of the equal pay rules and advocating for body rights on behalf of migrant women. The Mediterranean Human Rights Review was then launched, followed by another short break. Finally, a representative from ELSA and GhSL respectively, gave a short wrap-up of the conference, highlighting the main points which were brought up and drawing certain conclusions. The closing address was delivered by Professor Kevin Aquilina; the Dean of the Faculty of Laws. Overall, the conference proved to be very successful and interactive, allowing the audience to interact with the speakers.
St. Ivo’s Drinks As per our annual tradition, ELSA Malta, along with GhSL and JCA (Junior Chamber of Advocates) collaborated to organise one final event in commemoration of St. Ivo, the patron saint of lawyers, before the Christmas holidays and before the stress of exam-season starts to kick in! The event was held throughout the evening of Friday December 15th, at Bridge Bar in the Capital City Valletta. This was a great way for all 3 student organisations as well as other law students from all years to meet up and mingle over some drinks in a relaxed environment. After the drinks came to a close, many of us went up to Paceville together for further celebrations. Despite the cold on the night, it was an enjoyable and memorable night for all.
Upcoming Events
56th International Presidents’ Meeting This years IPM will be taking place in Malta from the 14th till the 18th of February. 4-Star Accommodation is being provided by Cavalieri Art Hotel, which includes the group’s breakfast, lunch and dinners. The meeting rooms to be used for Workshops shall also be provided for by the hotel and all workshops will be held on hotel premises, including lovely sea-front terraces. Fifty places are available, and every ELSA national group has the right to send over its representatives. As part of our Pre-IPM Programme — We shall be spending a full day on the 13th of February in the beautiful island of Gozo, which is separated from the main island of Malta by just 5km of sea. It is smaller, quieter and more rural than Malta, with gorgeous beaches and refreshing country side. Morning will kick-off with a visit to the fortified Citadella; of which remains have been around since earlier than 1500BC. This will be followed by a delicious lunch by the sea and site visits to other historical landmarks in Gozo, including the Ta’ Pinu National Shrine. Finally, we’ll be going to Paceville in the evening which is known for being Malta’s central nightclub hub, and one of Europe’s best clubbing scenes. For more information about this year’s IPM check out our page: https://www.facebook.com/IPMMALTA
ELSA Malta’s Institutional Visit to Vienna Vienna is known as one of Europe’s best travel destinations, and is considered by many to be the most beautiful city in the heart of Europe! The charming city is both culturally and musically one of the richest cities in the world, having been home to none other than Mozart himself. It’s full of cool cafés, bars, galleries, shops and even street markets. Vienna is also known for its incredible city life, beautiful architecture and landscapes, and is also great for sight-seeing. Over our 5 day stay in Vienna, we will be visiting attractions such as UNO City; which is also known as the Vienna International Centre, and is one of the four official locations of the United Nations in addition to New York, Geneva and Nairobi, the Supreme Court, and the building of Parliament. We’ll be visiting a few of Vienna’s top law firms too, amongst other attractions which we’ll reveal closer to the date. Apart from an intensive academic programme, we’ve also made sure to include a great accompanying social programme for the duration of our stay. This will include a visit to Vienna’s largest theme park - Prater, which is the location of the Giant Ferris Wheel, one of Vienna’s most famous symbols. We’ll also be experiencing Viennese nightlife; the city is known for its incredible party venues and great music. We’re also providing the option of attending one of Vienna’s best Pub Crawls will also be a part of our programme so that we can visit Vienna’s hottest and most popular bars. The event is now sold out!
Crime 101
Stay tuned to the ELSA Malta Facebook page for our upcoming moot courts! ELSA Malta is well-known for its annual Crime101 Moot Court competition. Last year saw the first ever trial by jury, which based on wilful homicide. The event was a huge success, and the competition included pre-round, in which each team had the opportunity to pose questions to the suspects and witnesses. Apart from being an academic challenge, Crime 101 is also loads of fun and very exciting!