INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF ELSA 2019 / 2020
ANNUAL REPORT
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Copyright © 2020 by the European Law Students’ Association. All rights reserved. Annual Report by the International Board of ELSA 2019/2020 Design by Irem Ozener Published by the European Law Students’ Association Contributors: Diomidis Afentoulis, Nana Gegia, Sotiris Vergidis, Irem Ozener, Sarah Ikast Kristoffersen, Jakub Kacerek, Aleksandra Zuchowska, Meeri Aurora Toivanen, Monika Walczak, Ilayda Suludere, Kristinn Snær Guðmundsson, Laura Cestaro, Petra Schmied
44 COUNTRIES
1 UNITED NETWORK.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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04 About Us 05 ELSA and the Council of Europe 07 State of the Network 09 Social Media Growth
Adaptability - Innovation
Contribution to Legal Education
12 Embracing a new reality
22 ELSA Law Schools
13 The 44th Member of ELSA
23 Publications
15 An unfaced challenge: The First Online NCMs
25 Student Trainee Exchange Programme
Social Responsibility
Continuity
30 International Focus Programmee
38 Strategic Planning
33 ROLE Campaign
39 Alumni and the future of ELSA
35 AI Youth Forum
40 Epilogue
ABOUT US Since its establishment in 1981, ELSA aims for a just world in which there is respect for human dignity and cultural diversity. At present, more than ever, standing up for the rule of law and human rights awareness is crucial in Europe and internationally. ELSA’s purpose is to contribute to legal education, foster mutual understanding and promote social responsibility of law students and young lawyers. We strive to achieve this purpose by:
International Board of ELSA 2019/2020 Diomidis Afentoulis, Nana Gegia, Sotiris Vergidis, Irem Ozener, Sarah Ikast Kristoffersen, Jakub Kacerek, Aleksandra Zuchowska, Meeri Aurora Toivanen
a. Providing opportunities to law students and young lawyers to learn about other cultures and legal systems in the spirit of critical dialogue and scientific cooperation; b. Assisting law students and young lawyers to be internationally minded and professionally skilled; c. Encouraging law students and young lawyers to act for the good of the society.
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ELSA AND THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE In 2020, ELSA signed a new memorandum of understanding with the Council of Europe, which aims at advocating together for the rule of law, human rights and democracy. Moreover, the agreement is inspired by the need for fostering environmental sustainability and transcending the message that our association focuses on such socio-economic matters of crucial importance when entering this new decade. The newly elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić, accepted our offer of becoming the Patron of ELSA. She wrote an introductory letter to the ELSA members.
Dear law students, members of ELSA, After 12 years of partnership, cooperation between the Council of Europe and ELSA is well established, efficient and beneficial for both institutions. As our trusted partner, ELSA advocates and promotes the Council of Europe’s values and activities among its members - 60,000 law students and young lawyers drawn from more than 370 universities spread across 44 countries. ELSA competitions, Day campaigns, research study webinars and other educational projects are organised jointly to raise awareness of the kind of legal and human rights issues that we tackle at the Council of Europe. Between last year and this year, there have been a number of important anniversaries for our continent’s Strasbourg-based human rights system. In 2019 the Council of Europe celebrated 70 years since 10 founding countries signed the Treaty of London on 5th May 1949. 2019 also marked 60 years since the inauguration of the European Court of Human Rights, and 2020 is the seventieth anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, which was signed in Rome on 4th November 1950. In recent years, ELSA members have acquired a deep understanding of this unique treaty through the European Human Rights Moot Court Competitions whose 8th edition closed on 4th June 2020. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Competition has been held virtually, and I thank the organisers, the participating teams and the jury for adapting the competition to the exceptional circumstances and making good use of modern technology. My congratulations go in particular to the winning team from the University of Latvia and to the best orator, a representative of the University of Oxford. However, all participants deserve recognition for entering the project, which requires the investment of considerable time and effort. It is good to see that the project continues to attract the participation of many prestigious law schools with a total of 68 teams applying this year. The 2019 ELSA Day involved more than 150 events organised in 29 countries and focused on the growing abuse of freedom of expression online. The increased incidence of violence, verbal
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attacks and the spread of misinformation all featured as topics on the Day. Anniversaries provide an occasion to consider what we have achieved so far. When considering future challenges, we inevitably think of the unprecedented COVID-19 health crisis which has shaken our societies. The Council of Europe’s task is to assist our member states in making sure that the measures they take to fight the pandemic do not unduly risk the protection of our common European values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We should also remain attentive to vulnerable people and communities who will continue to suffer as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. To take part in projects like this requires commitment, which is not easy given the competing demands of students’ lectures, exams and other academic obligations. However, there is no doubt about their value. They provide members of the Association with legal knowledge on international human rights and the principles underpinning the rule of law. Moreover, beyond contributing to wider legal skills, they encourage participants to be critical, open-minded and independent citizens, who are better prepared to play their part in building inclusive and fair societies in which communities and citizens can live free from hostility and division. I thank ELSA‘s International Board and all its individual members for standing with the Council of Europe to promote human rights as a solution to national and global challenges. It is a pleasure to be your new patron.
Marija Pejčinović Burić Patron of ELSA Secretary General of the Council of Europe
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STATE OF THE NETWORK According to the 28th State of the Network Report we have:
44
member states
57.000 7
+280 52
%
individual
representation
members
in the faculties
local groups
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SOCIAL MEDIA GROWTH ELSA has a network of 70,000 individuals from a range of backgrounds in 44 National Groups. Thereby, ELSA has great potential for really strong presence on social media platforms.
the algorithms to strengthen ELSA’s game on different platforms, including mastering the art of hashtags, creating viral content and catching up with the primetime each day.
From the very beginning of the 2019-2020 term, the focus of the International Board was on growing ELSA’s presence as well as its audience on social media. To start with, the Marketing team started creating different strategies for different channels of social media. Finding the right audience for specific projects was one of the key aims. Moreover, ELSA’s social media teams found effective ways of playing with
To sum up, ELSA had a very successful year in terms of social media and marketing. ELSA doubled its followers on Instagram and LinkedIn in one year, and reached 70.000 followers on Facebook which was a huge deal for the association. The International Board strongly believes that social media is the future of marketing and there is still so much to discover and work on!
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70.000
total page likes
7.000
launched in
70.000
2018
page followers
followers
135% growth
#44Countries
30.000
average post reach
#1UnitedNetwork
ELSA.org
16.000
page followers
/elsa.org
300%
187.953
website visitor
growth
elsainternational
/elsa_org
www.elsa.org
583.151
visits in a year
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ADAPTABILITY - INNOVATION
EMBRACING A NEW REALITY The global outbreak of the coronavirus presented an unprecedented challenge to ELSA. Consequently, in the spring 2020, ELSA presented its ability to adjust and innovate solutions to overcome challenges of any magnitude in a sustainable manner. Notably, adaptive innovations were seen with respect to: 1- The first ever online International Council Meeting of ELSA International Council Meetings of ELSA have a vital role for the well-functioning of the association as this is the supreme decisionmaking body of our organisation. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak the International Board of ELSA had to cancel the physical International Council Meeting in Malta and find a way to adjust to a new virtual reality. The 77th International Council Meeting of ELSA for the first time during 39 years of existence of the association was hosted online. The ELSA Network has shown its ability to adapt to new circumstances to ensure that governance of the association is not affected by external circumstances. The International Council Meeting was hosted by the partner of ELSA, ClickMeeting giving to all our members in 44 different European states the opportunity to participate in one of the most historical International Council Meetings. What have we achieved during our three-day-
long online International Council Meeting? For the first time ever, an e-voting system was used which made our plenaries very efficient. However, this International Council Meeting of ELSA was not only exceptional because of the format in which it took place. It also had a special meaning for the entire Network which worked hard to develop ELSA and make our association stronger. A new Member, ELSA Iceland was warmly welcomed to the Network; a new cycle of International Internal Meetings was approved by the International Council of ELSA; an Advisory Body was introduced to the internal structure of ELSA, the International Council Meeting Decision Book was restructured, the BEE Area was defined as the Supporting Area of ELSA; the Flagship Projects of ELSA were defined and the new International Board of ELSA for the term 2020/2021 was elected. 12
THE 44TH MEMBER OF ELSA On June 13th in 2020, during the COVID-19 epidemic, ELSA Iceland’s membership application was accepted online with a unanimous vote by the Council at the 77th ICM. We, at ELSA Iceland, are incredibly proud and honored to have finally become a full member of ELSA. Becoming a full member has been our goal from the very start and being voted in with a unanimous vote has validated all our hard work and dedication and we are very grateful for the trust that the ELSA Network has shown in us. We, at ELSA Iceland, are firm believers in ELSA’s motto “a just world in which there is respect for human dignity and cultural diversity”. We believe that cultural exchange is extremely important
for young students. We want people to come together and learn from each other to make a just and a better world for everyone. That is why we’re so excited to have become a full member of the ELSA Network, so that we can finally make it possible for European students to come visit, study and work in Iceland. At the same time, we wish to encourage Icelandic students to come to European countries and learn from the other member countries of ELSA. We must combat isolationism and celebrate cultural diversity in this world, so there can be respect for human dignity. I am optimistic that ELSA Iceland will have a big impact on the ELSA network in the coming years and we greatly appreciate ELSA’s support and spirit. Kristinn Snær Guðmundsson ELSA Iceland
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2- The Student Trainee Exchange Programme
3- Digitalisation
STEP offered for the first time in its 35 years of history also digital traineeship opportunities alongside the “traditional” on-site vacancies and professional development opportunities. Alongside introducing quality standards specific to the digital traineeships, ELSA introduced in the autumn 2019 the STEP Research Project (SRP), a novel initiative to address the legal loopholes in the current regulation of the STEP quality standards and furthermore create a wide overview of the status of the labour regulation affecting career starters across Europe. To find out more, please visit step.elsa.org.
A great goal of the association ever since the beginning of the year has been the digitalisation of our way of working and connecting with our membership and partners, not only in terms of event management, but also in terms of knowledge transfer and training. Powered by ELSA’s Webinar Partner, ClickMeeting, ELSA used webinars frequently: a. Internally, for knowledge management. Great examples constitute the webinars to prepare the researchers in ELSA publications, the webinars held to boost the fundraising and event management knowledge of the network in the times of Covid-19, as well as online events to present and explain the process of transforming a National Council Meeting or a National Moot
Court Competition to successful digital events. b. Externally, for membership and partner engagement. One crucial aim for the ELSA Network during the previous year, as well as for the years to come, is the engagement of membership and partners through online events and specifically webinars. The Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the advanced number of ClickMeeting platforms and training sessions on how to utilise them, has transformed the perception of event organising in the ELSA Network. Members are engaging in larger numbers, as events become more and more inclusive. At the same time, ELSA’s partners have had the chance to interact with the members of the association and showcase their ability to adapt to these unprecedented times, as well as look for talent in the ELSA membership.
AN UNFACED CHALLENGE: THE FIRST ONLINE NCMs For a student association like ELSA which is mainly based on the interaction of its members, the National Council Meeting (NCM) is not only our supreme decision-making body, but also the networking ground of the association. It is an opportunity for everyone to spend a weekend with the Network and live the ELSA spirit. Thus, it was quite a shock when the unexpected entrance of the COVID-19 crisis soon had us facing a new challenge: an online NCM!
There were two main issues to be cleared for the digitalization of the NCM. Firstly, we required governmental regulations to allow us to hold an online meeting, as it hadn’t been regulated in our statutes. Secondly, we had to find a trustworthy e-voting platform for the elections. During this process the interaction with other officers was a great help, as everyone shared their experiences, which allowed us to learn from each other’s struggles.
As soon as the legal situation had been cleared, we finished our preparations and our very first online NCM took place via ClickMeeting and the elections were held via NemoVote. It was an unexampled experience for everyone: Sitting in front of a screen, instead of a plenary hall and enjoying the meeting all together. It is an indisputable fact that this crisis has pushed us all to our limits. Nevertheless, it was also a test that our association mastered excellently with a high level of competence in adaptability and cohesion. It even brought along innovation to our meetings such as the online voting which will surely make our elections more efficient and environmentally friendly in future. And this proves us again that this association has and will always hold together and find new ways to contribute to a just world in which there is respect for human dignity and cultural diversity!
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Ilayda Suludere ELSA Austria
4- ELSA Webinars
5- ELSA Delegations
6- ELSA Training Online
In response to the needs of today’s legal education, dictated inter alia by the COVID-19 situation, the brand of ELSA Webinars was launched. ELSA Webinars are events, which are broadcasted by means of an electronic communications network, follow certain marketing guidelines and are featured on webinars.elsa.org website. As the project massively evolved from March 2020 to August 2020 with over 60 various ELSA Webinars organised in 44 Member countries of ELSA, also the webinars website became widely recognised. In fact, it has become the second most visited ELSA associated website, with over 4000 views. 2020 can definitely be called the ELSA Webinars year in ELSA. Opening the doors to the future in the circumstances of presence, ELSA Webinars have certainly been the fastest growing Flagship Project of ELSA.
ELSA Delegations, being one of the Flagships Projects of ELSA, which enables law students and young lawyers to experience international decision making in institutions, such as the United Nations, was another initiative that had to be cancelled due to the unforeseen circumstances brought by COVID-19. As this project plays a significant role in educating and advancing the skills of the members of ELSA, it was natural an alternative, online solution, to physical visits in international organisations would be created. As a result, “ELSA Delegations online” was created, as an opportunity to participate in events organised by WIPO, ITU, UNESCO and many more, from the comfort of one’s home. This way, ELSA members could still learn about the functioning of certain global entities, listen to the speeches of experts in the field from all over the world, and network with them in a digital sphere. To find out more about ELSA Delegations (online), please visit delegations.elsa.org.
ELSA Training is a project that aims at developing the skills and knowledge of ELSA members. The concept of ELSA Training was introduced in 1991 and since then many training sessions have been organised enhancing the soft skills of the participants. ELSA Training has been one of the main priorities for the International Board of ELSA for the term 2019/2020. During this year, a new branding was introduced for this project as well as a new website. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak some of the projects that were supposed to help strengthen ELSA Training were cancelled. Some challenges inspire you with new ideas and help you see existing projects from a different perspective. Thus, the cancellation of the events and realisation of the fact that trainers would not be able to travel for quite some time to deliver physical training sessions inspired the International Board to rethink ELSA Training and offer online training sessions while physical meetings are still non feasible. For that very reason, the online Refreshment Weekend was organised for experienced Trainers from the International Trainers’ Pool in cooperation with“Eduk8”, the Erasmus Student Network’s (ESN)’s training project. This event was a huge success and helped ELSA’strainers see the potential of having training sessions online. The ELSA Network has already hosted over 5 online training sessions which indicates potential of the project.
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ELSA WEBINARS THE PROJECT OF THE FUTURE The spread of the SARSCoV-2 virus in the middle of the ELSA year has surprised us all. It has reduced many of our activities and made a revolution in our daily functioning. It was also a big challenge for all law students, members in the European Law Students’ Association in Poland (ELSA Poland) who planned for their terms many academic projects. ELSA Poland is active in 24 universities in 15 Polish cities. Each year we organise dozens of events, such as conferences or seminars. Most of them are organised in cooperation with academic centers, which were closed during the lockdown. However, where the others have seen obstacles, we have seen new opportunities.
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We moved our activities very fast into the online sphere. Taking advantage of the cooperation between ELSA and ClickMeeting, we started to teach our members how to use the platform. The outcome was unexpected. In the term 2019/2020, mainly between March and June, we organised over 100 webinars. We can say that necessity is the mother of invention, because we haven’t organised ELSA Webinars on such scale in ELSA Poland before. Projects have been very diverse. Both local and national events were digitised; internal training sessions, conferences and many more. They focused on very different areas of law and various topics. Webinars showed us that spreading ELSA
Monika Walczak ELSA Poland
values is possible under any circumstances and thanks to the accessibility of the online sphere we can reach various corners of Poland. Now, after my term, I can say that I am proud that we adapted to the new reality so fast. We presented our flexibility and readiness for the challenges of the modern world. I wholeheartedly congratulate all organisers for their determination to maintain the originally planned projects and creative ideas for the new ones. I hope that webinars will stay in ELSA Poland for long and I’m crossing my fingers for their future development.
7- Online Mooting Uniting Law Students Globally Each year, ELSA organises two great moot courts. The European Human Rights Moot Court Competition unites law students from all over Europe in their passion for human rights, and the John H. Jackson Human Rights Moot Court Competition connects law students from across the globe in their dedication to international trade law. With a global pandemic, travel restrictions and institutions closing down, however, the future of these competitions looked bleak in the beginning of 2020. The executive board, however, decided not to give up as students from the entire world have worked tirelessly to participate in the competitions. Therefore, we created a new online pleading system to replace physical pleadings. This meant that most of the Regional Rounds and the Final Oral Round of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition were conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams. Likewise, the Final Oral Round of the European Human Rights Moot Court Competition was held on BlueJeans as facilitated by the Council of Europe. We are proud to have offered interactive learning opportunities on topics that have shown to be vital during the pandemic, and we see this as a great new way of providing education in ELSA.
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Due to take place on March 28th, 2020, like all other social activities, the event was largely impacted by the pandemic. This led not only to the first-ever virtual edition of COMMOOT, but also to one of the first fully digitised moot court competitions.
Laura Cestaro ELSA United Kingdom Organising the ELSA United Kingdom Commercial Law Moot Court Competition (COMMOOT) Final online was the true embodiment of the phrase “modern problems require modern solutions”.
Organising such an event, whilst having little to no experience holding large events online, presented challenges. We felt the time pressure of swiftly moving everything online and had to adapt to operating video calling softwares and creating a new set of rules to accommodate the digital experience. We also feared that virtual mooting would take too much away from the in-person experience. Yes, team members had a harder time collaborating and supporting each other during judicial interventions and rebuttals, but, they learnt how to plead virtually in an effective way: a skill that will prove increasingly valuable in the prospective legal industry as
many court hearings have, partly, moved online. It was very exciting for everybody to see the process work much more smoothly than anticipated, and this would have not been possible without a strong motivation to keep momentum as well as thorough attention to detail, and clear communication with partners, judges, teams and OC. Digitalisation also presented unexpected advantages. Namely, that no costs incurred, that we easily found available replacement timekeepers despite the very few days left until the Final, and, most surprisingly, that we secured an extremely prestigious judge from another nation who would have not been able to join us otherwise. Thankfully, all parties involved did not experience any technical drawbacks during the Competition and participants and judges found that mooting online “turned out better than expected”.
8- The first online Annual Reception of ELSA How can associations adjust to the new age and organise successfully their Annual Receptions? This has been one of the questions ELSA has had to answer this year. For the first time, the Annual Reception of ELSA was organised in two events and the themes were the education of the future, the legal profession in the digital age and the protection and upholding of the rule of law. Alongside Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, LexisNexis, UIA Union Internationale des Avocats, AIJA - International Association of Young Lawyers, the European Commission, the Erasmus Student Network, the College of Europe, BARBRI, QMUL, School of Law, The
University of Law, the Heidelberg Centre for Latin America, CATĂ“LICA GLOBAL SCHOOL OF LAW, IE Law School and ELSA Alumni, the executive board members of the International Board of ELSA discussed: The future of higher education in the times of Covid-19; Global Organisations and their contribution to the rule of law; The future of the legal profession in this digital era; The ways to apply for and make the best out of your LLM year; Networking, recruitment and the ways to build an international legal career in this new decade.
CONTRIBUTION TO LEGAL EDUCATION
Unifying International Conferences of ELSA Establishing the legal framework and quality standards for the International Conferences of ELSA was a priority for the term 2019/2020, with regards to this Flagship Project of ELSA. Since International Conferences of ELSA are characterised as highly academic and international projects, the main focus was put on ensuring an interesting, advanced and diverse academic programme of the event. With the establishment of the mentioned set of standards already in Autumn 2019, International Conferences of ELSA became an aspiring leading source of high quality legal education, organised and gathered by law students and young lawyers, for legal professionals coming from all over the world. To find out more about International Conferences of ELSA, please visit conferences. elsa.org. ELSA Law Schools Keeping ELSA Law Schools Up to Standards A huge step towards ensuring high quality of the biggest Flagship Project of ELSA, organised annually in more than 60 european destinations, was taken during the term 2019/2020. The first ever ELSA Law School pre-visit was conducted in February, to Milan and Rome, the venues of one of a few winter editions of ELSA Law Schools, organised this year. The pre-visit was not only a quality control mechanism for ELSA International. Most importantly, it was a unique opportunity for the organisers to receive individual training on global project management and guidance
on how to even more improve and flawlessly run this pannational event. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this very Winter ELSA Law School had to eventually be cancelled. Nevertheless, the organisers already await participants for the next edition of the event. Converting challenges into opportunities The summer edition of the week long events, combining academic, social and cultural programmes, faced unique challenges this year. Over 45 motivated project teams from across the continent decided to put the health and safety of their colleagues and prospective participants of their Summer ELSA Law Schools above everything else, thus cancelling summer events, they have been working on from the very first day in the office. Even though the decision, coordinated by ELSA International, was not easy, as a socially responsible association, it was the only right one, in the current circumstances. Notwithstanding, shortly after the cancellation of this Flagship Project, an online alternative (ELSA Webinars Academy) was created and presented to ELSA’s members and external stakeholders.
Publications ELSA is the proud publisher of comparative research reports (known as International Legal Research Groups) as well as a bi-annual law review. These publications are a cornerstone in our Association with the ELSA Law Review dating back to 1989. An International Legal Research Group (ILRG) of ELSA sets out to compare legislation on a specific topic across European jurisdictions with the purpose of making policy recommendations. The research results of an ILRG are compiled in a Final Report which is published professionally both in print and digitally and distributed to decisionmakers. The key findings and conclusions featured in the Final Report are compared and contrasted in a Concluding Report. In 2020, ELSA’s comparative report focussed on the topic of “Internet Censorship” by examining the balance between freedom of expression online and the protection of privacy, IP-rights, legitimacy of information etc. through takedown procedures. The Final Report included data from no less than 24 different jurisdictions and spanned more than 2200 pages. The ELSA Law Review is peer-reviewed by academics from Católica Global School of Law and published by Wolf Legal Publishers. The 2019 volume focussed on human rights and environmental law thus concluding ELSA’s International Focus Programme on 23
environmental law. During the first half of 2020, the world has been reminded of the imperative of international cooperation and mutual learning. It is fitting in this context that the 2020 volume of the ELSA Law Review, in addition to the permanent topic of human rights law, focussed on comparative law. Following its success this year, the ELSA Law Review gained the patronage of Robert Spano, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, and the Law Review will now be featured in the library of the Court.
Catรณlica Global School of Law and the European Law Schools Associations are partners for a few years now. It is a joint collaboration to offer law students opportunities to acquire international legal knowledge, improve legal skills and to work and network with the best professionals. All in order to provide this new generation with the necessary tools to become the lawyers and law professionals of the future, ready to face global challenges. It is very important for all the Law Schools to have a partner like ELSA, an organization filled with interested and motivated students that are willing to work hard to provide more and better options to its members. Catolica Global School of Law
It seems that every year our partnership with ELSA grows from strength to strength with each new board, always with the ambition to expand and develop the relationship with their partners for the benefit of their members across Europe. Twenty Twenty in particular has been a year of complex challenges in the time of Covid-19, but the ELSA board of 2019-2020 has excelled under the circumstances by responding swiftly with new opportunities and innovative approaches to ensure that Covid-19 does not interrupt ELSA and the partnerships moving forward. It has been a great pleasure for our staff and academics to contribute to webinars and other projects with ELSA and we are sure that Queen Mary University of London will be a part of the ELSA community for many years to come. Petrova Lewis Law Marketing Manager Queen Mary University of London
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The Student Trainee Exchange Programme Within the framework of the educational cycle of ELSA, professional development of ELSA’s membership is the last step fostered through ELSA’s Student Trainee Exchange Programme (STEP). In the autumn 2019 intake, ELSA provided over 250 STEP vacancies at 170 organisations and in the spring 2020 intake, even despite the COVID-19 crisis, 114 STEP vacancies at nearly 70 organisations.
Petra Schmied STEP Trainee at ELSA International in July 2020
“My online STEP Traineeship with ELSA was certainly different from any of my other traineeships I had done in person before the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to Meeri and the team, I still had the opportunity to do a great internship even during these challenging times. My online STEP Traineeship with ELSA gave me the opportunity to experience working on an important and international project remotely. Through regular communication and evaluation meetings, Meeri and Francesco made sure that I felt supervised and gave me the feeling of being an important part of the project. I had the possibility to improve not only my professional language skills but also my legal and technology skills. I had the chance to take on challenging tasks and thus to grow beyond myself. Moreover, it gave me the opportunity to experience working in a team digitally. All together I learned a lot during these four weeks. I highly recommend seizing the chance and applying for an online STEP Traineeship with ELSA if you can!”
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Human Rights Pleadings Across Europe ELSA’s commitment to human rights is unquestionable, and we always strive to make our human rights activities more inclusive. In order to further this, ELSA introduced mandatory qualification rounds to the 8th edition of the European Human Rights Moot Court Competition (EHRMCC). This meant that more than 45 teams travelled across Europe to meet in Nottingham (United Kingdom), Göttingen (Germany) and Lithuania (Vilnius) in their shared admiration for human rights. The first Regional Round took place in Nottingham, United Kingdom, at the University of Nottingham. During a meeting in Nottingham in 1995, ELSA decided that human rights shall
be included in all activities of the association, and hence, it seemed only fitting that the first Regional Round of the EHRMCC should take place in this city 25 years later. The second Regional Round took place in the centre of Europe, more precisely in Göttingen, Germany, and welcomed teams from 13 different countries. The final Regional Round was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, with the pleadings taking place in the Supreme Court of Lithuania thus giving the teams a very realistic experience. In each Regional Round, teams were given the chance to plead twice; once as applicant and once as the respondent state. Additionally, all rounds featured a rich cultural and social programme with the aim of encouraging networking amongst the teams. This is a particularly
important aspect of the Competition, as it is an aim of ELSA to stimulate mutual understanding and friendship between law students across Europe. In furthering socialisation between the participants, each Regional Round also extended a prize for the most ELSA spirited team. Such prize was awarded to a team showcasing good sportsmanship, adherence to the philosophy of ELSA and a genuine interest in establishing connections across Europe. It is safe to say that the first attempt of Regional Rounds in the EHRMCC proved successful, and ELSA has thus taken a step further in connecting people in our admiration and respect for human rights protection and education.
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For years ELSA and IE Law School have been working closely through a fruitful partnership. This collaboration stands on a shared vision of innovative legal education, cultural diversity, and a global approach to the legal practice. As an educational partner for ELSA, we come together in showcasing the latest trends in the legal sector and exploring disruptive ideas for tomorrow’s leaders. We join forces in different initiatives such as the international Moot Court, ELSA Academy, and research projects. Year after year, the partnership has grown through new projects and initiatives and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. Soledad Atienza Dean of IE Law School 27
Following the launch of our collaboration, The University of Law has been promoted by ELSA through their website, and through joint activities, such as social media campaigns and participating in the ELSA Annual Reception, both reaching a significant target audience. These past few months have been a springboard to a successful partnership between The University of Law and ELSA, with great focus on promoting educational and career opportunities in the legal sector. University of Law
Arnold & Porter proudly supports ELSA’s efforts to create a more just world. We are committed to cultivating diversity and inclusion in a positive and supportive work environment and to continuing to use the power of the law to protect the rights of all who are marginalized or whose voices go unheard. Arnold & Porter
ELSA Webinars Academy 2020 is also the year of first ever online legal courses organised by ELSA. Under the name “ELSA Webinars Academy” legal education in an online sphere supplemented the association’s projects portfolio, making ELSA even more contested and an outstanding stakeholder among other youth NGOs. The first ELSA Webinars Academy on Law and Technology was organised in June 2020 and attracted over 200 applicants, concluding with 115 participants from different countries and backgrounds. Five-lessons long course was delivered by high-profiled speakers representing: the Council of Europe, LexisNexis, Arnold & Porter , University of Tartu, and IE Law School. The pilot edition of the Academy was shortly followed by over dozen of ELSA Webinars Academies organised by National and Local Groups of ELSA, through which legal education was delivered to those, who normally, could for example not afford traveling to the venue of an alternative, physical event.
ClickMeeting is proud to be partnering with ELSA International. ELSA perfectly adopted our webinar platform to run online meetings with association’s members. We were glad to hear that they decided to share their professional knowledge and educate young lawyers through webinars. We are happy to be working together and observing how ELSA is taking their online events to the next level. Magdalena Klimko PR & Communication Specialist at ClickMeeting
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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The International Focus Programme The International Focus Programme (IFP) of ELSA is a multiannual project bringing the ELSA Network together around a shared theme. In 2019, ELSA finalised the IFP on Environmental Law and prepared for the launch of the new IFP theme on Law and Technology on 1 January 2020. At the autumn ICM in Constanta in 2019, the ELSA Network approved the new IFP cycle structure. This model integrates the IFP and the ELSA Day campaigns together, thereby transforming the latter from a day to a year-long campaign on a human rights topic aligned with the multiannual IFP topic. Previously, each IFP campaign had their separate logos and branding strategies respectively. This year, the IFP was rebranded with one uniform logo and branding strategy, which contributes to a greater clarity and consistency how the IFP is perceived as a whole.
Ensuring a Broader Impact It is in the purpose of ELSA to contribute to the social responsibility of law students and young lawyers. Therefore, ELSA has worked on creating a new model for fostering change in society and is proud to launch the ELSA4Schools format. When analysing the strengths of the ELSA Network as well as the needs of society, it becomes clear that ELSA’s key asset when it comes to implementing change within society is education. ELSA4Schools, hence, seeks to inspire and educate children and young people across the continent on the legal systems governing the world they live in.
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The education is provided through interactive presentations, workshops, games and simulations on various aspects of the law, particularly those deemed worthy of specific emphasis within ELSA, such as human rights, the rule of law and the topic of the International Focus Programme. In recognition of the attention levels and mindsets of our audience, ELSA will strive to converse not in legal jargon, but rather in understandable everyday language. With such aspirations, the ELSA Network can make a real, meaningful difference.
UIA is proud and honored to have closely collaborated over the past year with our colleagues at ELSA. We were delighted to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to work closely with ELSA on creating opportunities for members of both organizations to participate in the activities of the other. This past year UIA’s president spoke at the ELSA virtual Annual Reception regarding opportunities for ELSA members to get involved in bar association events. UIA and ELSA share the same values – protecting the Rule of Law and ensuring that law
students and lawyers lead productive careers and have the chance to interact with and learn from fellow lawyers around the world, consistent with the highest ethical standards of the profession. With an eye towards ongoing education, enhancing diversity of the legal profession in all respects, safeguarding lawyers from persecution for exercising their responsibilities, and enjoying network opportunities, UIA looks forward to many years of continued cooperation with ELSA. International Association of Lawyers (UIA) 32
ROLE Campaign ELSA’s alumni association was founded in 1991 as the ELSA Lawyers Society and restructured to ELSA Alumni in 2019. It was therefore evident for the executive board that ELSA should collaborate with ELSA Alumni. For this reason, the executive board attended the meeting of ELSA Alumni’s Advisory Board at which it became clear that both associations wish to advocate on the rule of law. In returning to our strengths and purposes, ELSA and ELSA Alumni decided to launch a Rule of Law Education (ROLE) Campaign with the purpose of educating the youth of Europe on their fundamental rights and the rule of law. This will involve training ELSA members to become rule of law trainers who will subsequently work with primary and secondary education providers to teach young people. The goal of the campaign is to conduct such education across the European continent.
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Advancing the Rule of Law around the world is our fundamental purpose as a company. The Rule of Law is not just a “nice to have”, it is an absolute necessity. As Legal Technology and Rule of Law Partner of ELSA, LexisNexis is privileged to have collaborated with ELSA in 2020, on efforts to raise awareness on the importance of the Rule of Law and to help make a difference. It is estimated by various sources that 5 billion people are outside of the Rule of Law’s protection and we must all join together to bring that number down. Nigel Roberts VP Global Associations, LexisNexis; VP & Secretary, LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation
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AI Youth Forum On 4 May 2021, ELSA will celebrate its 40th Anniversary, and naturally, the International Board of ELSA has been planning eagerly for this occasion. While this will obviously involve the gathering of ELSA members and alumni at a great party, we wanted to do more. When looking at the purpose of ELSA, it became clear to us that there is no greater way to celebrate ELSA than by empowering youth to create a just world. Therefore, we created the AI Youth Forum which will be carried out over the course of the ELSA term 2020/2021. The Youth Forum aims at bringing together youth from all over Europe to discuss a just world can be created through AI. The project will last the entire coming term and is divided in three phases. Firstly, the participants will be educated on AI during the months leading to the Forum through a series of five webinars. During
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the Youth Forum itself, the participants will be divided into four working groups, namely gender, age, education and international relations. Through training sessions, buzz groups and drafting sessions, the participants will acquire the skills necessary to draft a policy paper and AI toolkit. The final phase consists of the follow-up; the policy paper will be made public and shared with the relevant public sector actors making decisions in the respective areas. Moreover, the AI tool-kit will be shared with the ELSA Network on national and local levels. The celebrations will predominantly take place during a Gala Ball for which the entire network, including active members and alumni, is invited. STEP vacancies on Human Rights In an effort to highlight the professional opportunities in the field of human rights and pro bono, in autumn 2019, ELSA introduced a new
search engine feature for the Student Trainee Exchange Programme (STEP) for Traineeship Providers active in the field of human rights as well as the topic of the IFP. In total, ELSA offered nearly 40 STEP vacancies in the field of human rights (e.g. the Council of Europe, legal advice centres). For more information, please visit step. elsa.org. Socially Responsible Brand ELSA strives for building a socially responsible future generation of lawyers and law students, and builds its brand around the same values with strong dedication. Keeping this in mind, we as the International Board of ELSA made social responsibility one of the focus points in our One Year Operational Plan and started implementing these values in our everyday life as well as the ELSA Brand.
Acknowledging the fact that we affect not only the legal environment but society in general with the resources we have, we tried to utilise our external communication channels to give the right messages to our audience. One example of this was to promote our Human Rights Campaign that is called the International Focus Programme in order to educate the society on many matters related to the topic of Freedom of Expression Online.
writing it, they have a limited capacity to provide immediate reactions to developing situations. In order to bring the law review into the digital era and allow for more live commentary, therefore, ELSA introduced an online blog. A blog gave the excellent opportunity for the ELSA Law Review to publish shorter, focused pieces of legal writing that provide reactions to current legal controversies.
Since its creation in February 2020, the ELSA Furthermore, the unprecedented times we Law Review Blog has published nine articles had to go through due to COVID-19 was focussed primarily on current topics of human one of the prime examples of the above rights law. On the blog, the reader may find mentioned. Following the instructions given ELSA’s commentary to the use of surveillance by the authorities and focusing on the factual and tracking systems in response to the Covid-19 information when communicating with our pandemic and the difficult human rights issues members through different means was very caused by such systems. Furthermore, ELSA important and very valuable at the same time revisited the precedence set by the European when it came to the perception of our brand Court of Human Rights in S.A.S. v. France - a case from an external perspective. analysing the legality of a French ban against facial concealment. The blog post questions the reasoning behind the case and the arguments of Digital dimensions - the ELSA Law Review Blog the respondent state in a time where such facial concealment bans still exist, but where the use The ELSA Law Review was founded in 1989 of Personal Protective Equipment covering both and has undergone great developments in face and nose is mandated by law. the latest year. Law reviews are extensively researched, rigorously edited and peer-reviewed The ELSA Law Review Blog hence functions as publications which provide original contributions a great tool for ELSA to comment on topical and to academic legal conversations. However, as recent developments in society as advocates for law review contributions are typically published change. close to a year after the author has started
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CONTINUITY
STRATEGIC PLANNING Two of the greatest achievements of the 2019-2020 year have been the adoption by the International Council of ELSA of a new cycle of International Internal Meetings and the introduction of the Advisory Body of the International Board of ELSA. Both structural changes aim at developing the governance of the association, fostering continuity in the association’s decision making. As regards the new cycle of International Internal Meetings this consists of: a. Two International Council Meetings; i. The first International with a duration of five days aims at bringing together the leaders Network of ELSA to a decision making meeting, which focuses on setting the main aims and taking the first decisions of the year;
b. The International Strategy Meeting, which will take place for the first time in January 2021. The ISM aims at evaluating the calendar year that has passed, the strategic plans and the goals that have been fostered, as well as setting new strategic objectives before the second International Council Meeting of the year.
As regards the Advisory Body of ELSA, the aim of it is to foster the continuity of the association, by connecting the International Board with alumni and third parties with expertise in needed areas. It consists of an immediate past International Board member, an alumna or alumnus of ELSA and a third party that has an expertise in areas that the executive board of ELSA wishes to c. The International Training Meeting, which will focus. This body, an existing organ in many other take place for the first time in August-September NGOs, will foster the knowledge transfer and 2021. The International Training Meeting aims the stability in innovation and decision making at training and educating ELSA Officers which of the future International Boards. helps developing human resources in ELSA and therefore preparing them to undertake their responsibilities ensuring continuity of the association.
ii. The second International Council Meeting, with a duration of seven days, which brings both Local and National officers together, focuses on creating bonds between different generations of ELSA members and alumni, fosters decision making and elects the new International Board of ELSA. 38
ALUMNI AND THE FUTURE OF ELSA
The signing the agreement between ELSA Alumni and ELSA is a milestone in the cooperation of the two associations. We are proud to establish a strong, healthy and promising relationship with ELSA; a partnership that will give opportunities to law students and young lawyers all over the world, to develop themselves professionally, grow personally and support a just world; leading by example. If you are a former member of ELSA and would like to join ELSA Alumni, please visit our website to find out more and sign up: https://elsaalumni. org/join-elsa-alumni/#join-elsa-alumni. Patrick Oliver President of ELSA Alumni 39
EPILOGUE Every chapter leads the way to the opening of a new one. Not this one. This is the epilogue of the Annual Report. Of a year filled with moments, memories and friendships. It is said all good things must come to an end. All years in the International Boards are unique and have their own challenges. However, we dare say that the events of our year have truly been unprecedented. We set ambitious goals for us and our Network but soon had to face the challenge of dealing with a pandemic, to which not even the heads of state seemed to have clear solutions. We believe that you, our Network, rose to the challenge and grew even stronger
in the face of adversity. Throughout the past 12 months, each of us in the International Board has grown. We have grown as board members, crisis managers, friends and individuals. It has not been an easy journey, however, we would not want to miss a second of it. Each stressful event, sleepless night, early morning and long travel has been worth it in the end. All of these experiences brought us closer as a family and it has brought our association one step closer to creating a just world in which there is respect for human dignity and cultural diversity.
Board of ELSA we are more than proud to see Weronika, Sina, Carlos, Nikos, Maja, Louis, Ilke and Francesco leading the ELSA Network to new paths and facing all challenges with fair judgement and elegance. We will stay close, of course, and will always be there to support them as our predecessors supported us. With our eyes on the 40 years of the anniversary of our beloved association and a true belief in every moment towards this path there is only one thing left to say.
Having passed the torch to our successors and their unique chapter as the new International
Diomidis, Nana, Sotiris, Irem, Sarah, Jakub, Aleksandra, Meeri
#CoronaIB over and out!
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