ELSA Law Schools

What is an ELSA Law School?

ELSA Law Schools are not only a Flagship Project of ELSA, but among the oldest projects not only within the S&C area but also within ELSA, with a history spanning nearly 30 years. An ELSA Law School is an international event, comprising of academic, cultural, and social programmes, organised by a Local or a National Group of ELSA, which has to follow the requirements regulated in the International Council Meeting Decision Book, Part 9 Chapter 3. 

Requirements of ELSA Law Schools

1. Aiming to be annual

An ELSA Law School shall aim to be organised annually, hence needs to be sustainable.  

2. Open for everyone and conducted in English

Since an ELSA Law School is an international event, it shall be open for everyone including ELSA members, ELSA Alumni, non-ELSA members, and non-law students. Additionally, all activities shall be conducted only in English.

3. Lasting for a minimum of seven days

The 7 days are calculated excluding the day of arrival but including the day of departure. Therefore, if participants are to arrive on Sunday, they should leave the following Sunday. at a minimum. There are no restrictions in regards to having a longer ELSA Law School.

4. Comprising of an academic, cultural and social programme

Firstly, the fundamental part of an ELSA Law School is an academic programme which shall last at least 20 hours.  If the duration of an ELSA Law School exceeds 7 days, the academic programme shall be prolonged by 4 hours per extra day. 

As it is one of the aims of ELSA Law Schools to bring people from different countries together, please note that all speakers are required to attend the Academic Programme in person. In the event that a speaker is unexpectedly unable to be physically present at the ELSA Law School, ELSA International must be informed accordingly. In order to provide a culturally engaging atmosphere, a cultural and social programme shall also be organised.  

Based on these points, the cultural, social and academic programmes shall be planned organically in order to be mutually beneficial to each other and constitute a full experience for each participant.

5. Organised in close cooperation with an academic or institutional partner

In order to supervise and ensure the quality of the academic programme, an ELSA Law School shall be organised in close co-operation with an academic or an institutional partner. The academic or institutional partner shall be a law faculty, public institution, law firm or any other legal entity which is entitled to provide educational, professional legal services, or otherwise associated professionals in a particular field of law. These will help the Organising Committee to properly and efficiently structure the academic programme, secure the best possible speakers for the chosen topic and be updated in regards to the relevant fields of law. 

ELSA Law Schools Cycles

There are two ELSA Law School Cycles during the term: the Winter ELSA Law Schools Cycle (WELS) and the Summer ELSA Law Schools Cycle (SELS). Each of these cycles is governed by an ELSA Law School Calendar that sets out the deadlines and the specific tasks for which the Organising Committees are responsible. 

• The Winter Cycle refers to ELSA Law Schools that take place between the second week of December and the third week of March. 

• The Summer Cycle refers to ELSA  Law Schools that take place between the first week of July and the third week of September.

Each Cycle is divided into 7 periods:

1. Specification: the initial phase of organising the project consisting of defining the basic elements such as intended topic, destination, and preliminary date for the ELSA Law School. You can do this by filling the Specification Form.

2. Preparation: the key time when the implementation of all requirements is ensured. The Organising Committee works closely with ELSA International on appropriate training, ELSA Law School Portal, unified promotion and much more.

3. Application: period for future participants to apply for selected ELSA Law Schools.

4. Selection: the phase when Organising Committees choose successful applications and send requests for payments.

5. Additional application: an additional opportunity to attract participants in a situation where during the first application period it was not possible to meet the prescribed limit of spots.

6. Event

7. Evaluation: the phase after the project consisting of collecting feedback from participants and detailed analysis of the organisational aspects.

Quality Standards

Taking into account the need to ensure the quality and uniformity of projects representing one international brand, quality standards were created. We distinguish groups of standards concerning:

• general administration of the project,

• academic programme, 

• social programme,

• accomodation and meals provided during the event,

• transportation,

• promotion.

To get a more detailed overview on hosting requirements, please see the guide on ELSA Law Schools Quality Standards, additionally please read ICM Decision Book, Part 7, Chapter 3 ELSA Law Schools.