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ELSA
Law Schools Handbook
The European Law Students‘ Association
Law Schools Handbook
Dear Law School fans,
With a great pleasure and happiness we are presenting you the first edition of the Law
School Handbook.
In many ways the term 2014/2015 is the turning point for this leading scientific project. After
many years we had the Winter Law School, huge steps towards unification and branding
were undertaken, our Decision Book was changed to ensure more uniformity, in total 36
Law Schools are planned for this summer and this Handbook is the final touch of this great
project.
The Handbook was prepared by the Working group consisting of Dirk De Boer from ELSA
Germany, Guillermo Andres Alberola from ELSA Spain, Matej Sadlon from ELSA Slovak
Republic, Philip Barschkies from ELSA The Netherlands and was chaired by Işıl Ergeç, Assistant for Law Schools in the year 2013/2014. They invested weeks of their time and all their
precious experience from organizing Law Schools and different S&C events and made this
Handbook very practical and easy to use.
We hope it will be widely used by all hardworking Organising Committees all over the ELSA
Network. You can use it both as a source of inspiration for your future Law Schools or as a
guide for your current Law Schools.
In the end, we want to dedicate this tool to each and every Law School enthusiast who is
investing months of time and plenty of motivation and personal sacrifices to provide other law
students with unique opportunity called ELSA Law Schools. Without them our Network would
never be able to challenge and influence the current legal education in Europe, offering more
than 1500 spots to law students to gain new knowledge and broaden their perspectives. To
all of them and to all our beloved predecessor who paved the way for this project to be the
crown jewel in the S&C goes our biggest gratitude and admiration.
If the S&C is sky full of stars, Law Schools are definitely the brightest star among all of them!
Ana Roce
VP S&C EI 13/14 Marko Dolenec
VP S&C EI 14/15
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Law Schools Handbook
Table of Content
1. Introduction........................................................................................................................ 4
2. Regulations........................................................................................................................ 4
3. Is organising a Law School possible for the local/national group?.................................... 5
Human Resources........................................................................................................ 5
Financing...................................................................................................................... 5
Venue and logistics....................................................................................................... 7
Accommodation and meals........................................................................................... 7
Academic partner.......................................................................................................... 7
4. More than 10 months before event.................................................................................... 8
Organising Committee.................................................................................................. 8
Subject, academic partner and speakers.................................................................... 10
Date............................................................................................................................ 11
Financing.................................................................................................................... 12
5. 6-4 months before event.................................................................................................. 14
Venue.......................................................................................................................... 14
Accommodation.......................................................................................................... 14
Meals.......................................................................................................................... 15
Logistics...................................................................................................................... 15
Marketing.................................................................................................................... 16
Start of application period........................................................................................... 17
6. 4- 2 months before event................................................................................................. 18
Academic programme................................................................................................. 18
Deadline for Applications............................................................................................ 20
7. Last 2 months before event............................................................................................. 20
Selection of Participants............................................................................................. 20
Cultural and social programme................................................................................... 22
Social programme locations........................................................................................ 23
Transfer of participants from/to airport, train station, coach station, etc..................... 23
Transportation............................................................................................................. 24
Welcome package + Working Materials...................................................................... 25
Taking care of speakers coming from different city/country than venue..................... 25
8. Event............................................................................................................................... 26
Arrival of Participants.................................................................................................. 26
Taking care of participants.......................................................................................... 28
Academic programme................................................................................................. 29
Cultural and social programme................................................................................... 30
Free time..................................................................................................................... 30
Departure of the Participants...................................................................................... 30
9. After event....................................................................................................................... 31
Thanksgiving............................................................................................................... 31
Evaluation by participants and OC.............................................................................. 32
Final Report by HOC................................................................................................... 33
Contact Information............................................................................................................. 34
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Law Schools Handbook
1. Introduction
What is an ELSA Law School in particular? It is a bigger event than a seminar, a conference,
a lecture or a panel discussion. Compared to a study visit or an institutional visit, it is a
scientific event. It is expected to be one-week long and has to consist of minimum of 20
hours of academic programme. Furthermore, the content of the week has to be set up in
close cooperation with an academic or an institutional partner.
The academic programme should comprise of lectures which give the overview and
workshops which deepen and emphasize different areas of the sub-topic referred to
during the preceding lecture. Alongside a cultural and social programme which is expected to
complete the event.
Last but not least, a Law School aims to be annual, and international. If the last point applies
to your Law School, make sure to stick to the binding quality standards for international
events.
Keep in mind the binding regulations throughout the whole process of organising your
ELSA Law School. These regulations are stated in the Council Meeting Decision Book;
please ensure that you are checking the latest edition. In addition, you can get help from this
Handbook, it may also be helpful to have a look at the presentations available on the ELSA
Officers Portal. Also, you can always get support from the VP S&C of ELSA International
([email protected]).
All of the aforementioned information can be found under the ELSA Officers’ Portal:
http://officers.elsa.org/.
2. Regulations
You can find all regulations in the Decision Book of ELSA International on page 76 ff., which
you also can download in the ELSA Officers’ Portal:
http://officers.elsa.org/.
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Law Schools Handbook
3. Is organising a Law School possible for the
local/national group?
There are a number of important points that should be considered before a decision is made
on whether a local/national group (“the organising group”) is ready to organise an ELSA Law
School, these are:
Human Resources
An ELSA Law School is one of the most complex
projects organised within the ELSA network. It
requires a lot of time and enthusiasm. Due to
this fact the most important requisite of it is a
full-time-available person who is able to bare the
whole responsibility for the event and to create a
hardworking Organising Committee (“OC”), made
up of at least five persons.
The fully responsible person is called the Head of OC (“HOC”). The HOC is the core of the
whole project. This document is created mainly for the HOC to get to know how to plan the
process, gather and lead his/her team.
The rest of the OC is divided based on the tasks. Some of most common division is person
responsible for: finances (treasurer of the event), academic programme, social programme,
participants, logistic.
Financing
The first thing to consider is financing. There are four basic incomes for an ELSA Law School:
1.
Participation fees,
2.Grants,
3.
Partnership supports and
4.
Financing from the organising group’s budget.
The easiest way of securing finance is to use only participation fees. According to the
Annex II of the 41st Edition of Council Meeting Decision Book after ICM Bodrum, the
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Law Schools Handbook
maximum participation fee per person per night for ELSA Law Schools for the calendar year
2015:
Favored Countries:
Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Monte
negro, Rep. of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine
Non-Favored Countries:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands,
The United Kingdom
Pursuant to Event Fees under the Decisions Relating to Financial Management of the 40th
Edition of Council Meeting Decision Book after ICM Malta, the participation fee shall include:
-
Academic programme.
-
Social programme.
-Accommodation.
-Meals.
-
Administration costs.
The organising group is free to charge different participation fees for non-members and
non-students. The group may also charge additional fees for all of the participants, provided
that these additional fees are not charged against the aforementioned regulations.
The basic economic point is to compare on one hand the costs of accommodation and meals
for participants and on the other hand the income acquired from participation fees, partners,
grants and money from the budget of the organising group that could be spent for this event.
Accommodation and meals should not cover more than 70% of possible funds. If it is more
than 70%, we do not recommend that the ELSA group continues to organise this event because there would be a high probability that the costs will not be able to be covered fully.
Groups can also apply for the ELSA Development Foundation (EDF) and from there they
can get financial support.
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Law Schools Handbook
Venue and logistics
It is essential to keep in mind that a venue next to
the accommodation, restaurant(s), night life and
other relevant places is the best option because
there would be no need for transportation and that can
significantly lower your costs.
We recommend the organising group to hold the
event in the premises of a university which would
preferably be the academic partner of the event. This
may be an easy way to find a suitable venue free of charge.
Accommodation and meals
As mentioned above, one of the key points of the whole project is to find a suitable
accommodation. Consequently the main effort that should be made, before deciding upon
whether to organise the event, is to search for appropriate accommodation where good
service would be provided for low prices. The organising group, during the negotiations for low prices, should not lose sight of the fact that relatively high
number of spots would be booked. The same would go for the restaurant(s).
The accommodation can be in student‘s dorms or hostels as long as you openly announce
the details to applicants in advance.
Academic partner
The aim of an ELSA Law School should be to gather the best national and –if possible–
international practitioners and academics in the particular field of law. This requires an
academic partner that will help you prepare and structure academic programme and can
also provide you with suggestions for speakers. One of the best options would be the
university. For international speakers, the organising groups might contact ELSA
International for help for suggestions. Having an academic coordinator (professor or expert
on the topic) will help significantly in the preparation of the Law School. The most important
part of the SLS is the academic programme. It is fundamental that the program is of a high
quality.
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Law Schools Handbook
In order for an ELSA Law School to be successful the above points must be considered and
discussed before reaching a decision and continuing with the organisation.
4. More than 10 months before event
The preparation of the project should start at least 10months before the event.
Organising Committee
HOC should establish a team made up of at least 5 persons (depends on number of participants as well) If there is no lack of human resources, it is highly recommended to divide
the tasks between the members of the OC and delegate the following functions to separate
members of the OC:
•
One should be responsible for the academic programme (who would
communicate with the speakers and academic partners and deal with the
accommodation, meals and transfer of speakersin addition to finalizing the
academic programme).
•
Another should be responsible for marketing (whose main aim should be to
reach out to as many potential participants and thus receive as much
applications as possible andduring the eventwho would be responsible for
taking photographs and video clips).
•
One responsible for the application processand for the participants.
•
Another responsible for the cultural and social programme.
•
And finally one responsible for logistic ; transportation, accommodation and
meals (including refreshments and water) of the participants.
Each of these responsible members of the OC should fulfil his/her duties on his/her own
supervised by the HOC. In addition, a wider team of OC should be appointed consisting of
approximately three members during event. During the event you will need more than
5 OC members. Their task should be taking care of participants.
In there is a lack of human resources, the HOC might divide the daily tasks between the
5 OC members appointed in the beginning. It should also be kept in mind that what matters
is not quantity, rather quality. Therefore, the HOC should not look for many members, rather
sufficient number of members for the OC.
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Law Schools Handbook
Regular OC meetings should be held during the whole period or organisation. In addition
to experienced officers including ELSA Alumni of the particular organising group giving
trainings regarding the ELSA Law Schools in general, the work done by each member of
the OC in accordance with the division of tasks would be closely examined in frequent
meetings. For a week-long event as complex as an ELSA Law School, team work is the
key to success and thus it is really important for the members of the OC to get to know
each other and even more, to become friends, These OC meetings throughout the process
will facilitate this significantly.
It is of utmost importance for the
members of the OC to know the
entire academic, cultural and
social programme by heart. The
organising group would not
seem
professional
to
the
participants if any of the members
of the OC somehow could not
respond to a question regarding the
programme. Moreover, in order
to be sure of their knowledge,
each member of the OC could be
tested from time to time during the
OC meetings before the event with questions on the programme. Each member of the OC
should also have the general knowledge of ELSA for which they could be tested too.
Risk management is another topic to be covered with the OC meetings. Here are some
exemplary cases for the organising groups to consider the possible solutions for:
•
Gala ball is organized as a boat trip and when the OC arrives at the port along
with the participants, the boat is not there. The OC calls the responsible
individual, who says that the boat trip was going to be held the next day
because there are no boats available for that day and that moment.
•
A bus will take the participants from the airport to the hotel which takes three
hours but more people than registered arrive. The OC does not want to leave
anyone behind but there are obviously not enough places in the bus for
everyone and another bus can arrive only in 3 hours which would mean that the
participants would miss the academic programme to take place in the evening.
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Law Schools Handbook
•
A drunken stranger disturbs some of the participants at the end of one of the
nights and the participant afterwards says that the organising group is
responsible for this inconvenience.
•
The OC called and double-checked with the speaker the day before his/her
lecture/workshop but he didn’t show up in the morning. When the OC calls him,
he says that his wife had an emergency a couple of hours ago, and that they
are at the hospital and that it is impossible for him to make it to the
lecture/workshop.
•
A participant says that he argued with the guide (hired for the cultural
programme) because of his offensive comments regarding this participant’s
country while explaining the historical background of the country visited. The
guide left after arguing with that particular participant without listening to the
OC. The participant is extremely angry.
•
The speaker suddenly starts political propaganda during the lecture/workshop.
The OC knows that ELSA is a non-political organisation and that the speaker as
well represents the particular organising group as being a speaker at its event.
•
A foreign participant loses his/her passport and he/she is leaving the country of
venue the next day.
•
The OC reserved places for the whole group at a bar, club, etc. for that night but
when they arrive there, they are not let inside being said that they have not
reserved places and that the bar, club, etc. is 100% full and that is why they
cannot enter for sure.
•
Almost all of the participants are poisoned because of the dinner the first
evening they arrived.
Subject, academic partner and speakers
While choosing the subject of an ELSA Law School, a few aspects should be taken into
consideration. Firstly the attractiveness of the subject for applicants, secondly the amount
and quality of potential lecturers working in particular legal field and lastly the potential
key lecturer should be thought about. The keylecturer is the cornerstone of an ELSA Law
School. His/her main tasks are to help the OC with preparing the academic programme,
inviting the lecturers and supervising the whole event academic-wise. Academic partner is
usually the university or another institution which provides most of the lecturers. It also
be very helpful to regard the subjects of the other ELSA Law Schools because more than
one ELSA Law School with the same subject might not all attract enough applicants.
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Law Schools Handbook
We recommend that the organising groups follow this procedure: First of all, the
academic partner should be chosen. Secondly, an attractive field of law offering practitioners
and lecturers speaking sufficiently high quality of English should be found. After these points
are done, the HOC should find the key lecturer. Finally, the subject of the ELSA Law School
should be fixed as a result of a common decision of the key lecturer, the HOC and the
organising group.
Next step that should be taken is inviting the speakers. There are three main sources of
speakers:
•
Contacts provided by the key lecturer.
•
Academics working at the university or institution which is the academic partner.
•
Practitioners working at the (law) firms which are partners of the organising
group.
It is recommended to invite also international speakers. This can bring the event a
higher prestige and make the marketing of whole project a bit easier. It should be kept in
mind that at least 50% of all invited speakers would not be able to attend the event due to
different reasons. Therefore we recommend the organising groups to invite at least 10
speakers, then wait for their answers and if most of them refused to participate, the
organising group should invite others. The speakers usually attend ELSA Law Schools free
of charge. Howeverfor speakers coming from a different city/country than the venue,
accommodation and meals should be provided. Moreover, if an international
speaker participates this would lead to higher expenses because his/her
international flight tickets should not be forgotten.
Date
Most common period for an ELSA Law School is summer time. July and August are the
most appropriate months because that is when almost all of the law students in Europe have
vacations and as well, potential lecturers are free from most of their work at universities.
It is very important to choose the dates after consultation with the key lecturer and other
possible lecturers because they constitute the core of the event and thus in case they are
not available during the dates set by the OC, the whole event would have to be cancelled.
Another important point that should be kept in mind is the dates of other ELSA Law Schools
and similar projects. This is because it can be quite difficult for a potential applicant to decide
which event to attend if there are other events with similar subjects for the same time interval.
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Law Schools Handbook
Financing
There are two types of participation fees:
•
Standard participation fee
o
The standard participation fee covers the academic programme, social
programme, accommodation and meals.
o
According to Annex II of the 40th Edition of Council Meeting Decision
Book after ICM Malta, the maximum participation fee per person per night
for ELSA Law Schools is €29 for participants from favoured countries
and €33 for participants from non-favoured countries. The organising
group is free to charge different participation fees for non-members and
non-students.
•
Additional fees
o
The organising group is free to set additional fees, provided that these
additional fees are not charged against the regulations of ELSA. Extra
nights, transfer from/to airport, train station, coach station, etc. and
transportation might be some examples to additional fees.
Almost all of the organising groups of ELSA Law
Schools set the maximum standard participation
fees (€29 and €33). Therefore, an ELSA Law
School for lower participation fees might be more
attractive and advantageous in competing with the
other
ELSA
Law
Schools
in
means
of
receiving more applications.
There are four basic means of financing an ELSA Law School:
•
Participation fees.
•
Grants.
•
Partnership supports.
•
Financing from the organising group’s budget.
During the preparation of the budget for the event, the organising group should consider
all four basic sources. Participations fees usually create the major part of the finances
needed. Due to this fact, it is also very important to consider the number of participants.
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Law Schools Handbook
This is important in case the organising group would like to provide expensive
accommodation and meals, it is better to have lower number of participants, if
there is lack of financial partners. Let us remind you once more that the cost of the
accommodation and meals should not cover more than 70% of possible funds.
Approximately 8-6 months before the event is the best time to start the “partner
hunting”. First kind of partnership is commercial sphere partnership. We can subsume into
this category law firms and big companies. Second kind is public sector
partners, e.g. municipal organisations. Third potential financial partner is the
academic partner. We recommend the organising groups to prepare a short
document about their ELSA Law Schools and send it to all potential partners.
Ordinary expenses are expected to be as follows:
•
Accommodation of participants, which usually constitutes the largest expense.
•
Meals of participants: breakfast, lunch, dinner, water and refreshments.
•
Transportation: additional fees may be charged to cover costs. Although we
recommend the organising groups hold the whole event in a few premises close
to each other in order to lower the costs, it is not possible in every city to realize
the event without shuttles or public transportation.
Cultural and social programme.
•
•
Transfer of participants to/from airport, train station, coach station, etc.: usually
covered by additional fees demanded from the participants.
•
Accommodation, meals and transportation for the speakers.
•
Ceremony and/or gala ball: for participants, OC and speakers.
•
Accommodation, meals, transportation and communicational costs (for talking
on the phone with the participants, speaker, within the OC etc. for the purposes
of realizing the event) for the OC.
Additional costs.
•
o
Website, marketing materials, camera, printing.
o
Welcome packages – usually made up of marketing materials of partners
and working materials.
o
Nametags – for participants and OC.
o
And other costs.
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Law Schools Handbook
5. 6-4 months before event
Venue
In the beginning of the planning, the perfect location to host an ELSA Law School is
crucial for all further organisation. Ideally, a university supports the event and provides the
organising group with seminar rooms. The organising group should keep in mind that
it might be required to have several rooms at the same time, in case there are different
workshops next to each other. In case the university charges too much money for additional
staff or is not cooperative in providing their rooms, it could be helpful to check alternative
venues in the beginning, like facilities in hotels, law firms, schools, other colleges, etc. Bigger
companies are sometimes also keen to help you out on the venue. This might also provide
an opportunity to find a partner for the event.
Accommodation
An ELSA Law School has to take several days and therefore accommodation has
to be provided for all participants. The perfect accommodation would be in the
dormitories of the university during summer time, so the organising group should contact
the university for the dormitories in advance. It should be kept in mind that it is possible
to stay in dormitories free of charge. The second best option would be a suitable hostel
or a cheap hotel in which case the organising group should make sure
that
the
accommodation
and
the
quality
is
sufficient
to host foreign guests. It is important to contact the ho(s)tel in advance and
to reserve the rooms as soon as possible, to receive a good price and to ensure that
they will not be overbooked already, as there are usually a lot more
tourists during the summer months.
Speakers coming from a different city/country than the venue should also be provided
accommodation. The organising group would either reimburse the costs of the rooms booked
by these speakers in a decent hotel proposed by the organising group or simply reserve a
room on their behalf. It is crucial that the organising group shows them that their stay is cared
for and all assistance needed is provided.
In order to be there for the participants all of the time and to build good relationships with
them, it is optimal that the OC members sleep in the same dormitory/ho(s)tel, even if they
have a place to stay in the same city. Furthermore, they will have a certain role in checking
on the participants and to guarantee punctuality in waking up everyone in the morning
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Law Schools Handbook
and pressuring the participants to the extent that everybody arrives on time so that the
workshops are not delayed in any manner. It is of utmost importance in respect to
professionalism and responsibility towards the invited speakers to start on time and to
ensure the presence of all participants in the workshop.
Meals
All three main meals –breakfast, lunch and
dinner– have to be provided for the participants.
Usually, the breakfast is served in the ho(s)tel,
in the dormitory of the university, there might
not be the option of breakfast served in which
case the organising group might consider
agreeing with a catering firm. If in either case,
the breakfast is too expensive or complicated
to order, then it might be better to reserve a
student café and to go there for breakfast every morning. For lunch and dinner, the
university canteen might be an affordable and reliable partner. Alternatively, regular
restaurants could be reserved in advance. In some cases, it is more convenient for
practical reasons, to hand out the menu to the participants beforehand and to
order for the whole group in advance to avoid a long waiting time taking into
consideration that the group of persons is rather large. The organising group should
make sure to consider vegetarians, religious meal exceptions, lactose intolerance,
allergies and any other specified diets by asking about these specialities in the application
form.
Logistics
The organising group should keep in mind while arranging the logistics that some money
might be saved by having all the premises close to each other and thus not needing shuttles
or public transportation. Every time the group is to taken somewhere, even if only by walk,
at least one OC member should accompany the participants. The transportation for the
speakers should also be regarded.
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Law Schools Handbook
Marketing
Without proper marketing, it will be tough to attract many applicants and even enough
participants for an ELSA Law School. Prior to the event, the organising group should work
on a marketing campaign keeping in mind different strategies on contact and attracting
persons. The easiest way of reaching a large amount of persons is of course social media,
more precisely Facebook and Twitter. The Marketing team of the OC should design an
extraordinary poster which can be used for the social media campaign as well as the
classical marketing. The posters could be distributed around the university but especially
during the international internal meetings –the ICM’s, IPM’s, KAM’s and SAM’s. If persons
from the national or local group of the organising group are travelling abroad to visit the
NCM’s or comparable events of other national groups or go for study visits, the organising
group should take the chance and provide them with proper marketing material to
be taken to those events. In order to promote an ELSA event, the
organising group should take all available options into account, like
advertising in the workshops, the plenary and via flyers or posters in the hallway.
For example, during the ICM’s, usually the
elevators are equipped with dozens of
posters especially of ELSA Law Schools. So
we recommend the organising groups to be
creative in standing out of the crowd. In case
the organising group has already a well-known
speaker, it is wise to put his name on the
poster as well. It should not be forgotten to
fill in the ‘Event Specification Form’ which
is available under http://officers.elsa.org/.
After the submission of this particular form, the event will be put on the website of ELSA
International both to the Events’ Calendar and on the special part for ELSA Law Schools.
ELSA members, partners, sponsors and externals, thus, will be seeing the event there.
In general, it is quite common during the ELSA Law Schools to distribute coffee mugs, shirts,
bags, etc. with the ELSA logo on them. Such products might be very useful to improve the
budget.
Last but not least, the media is a useful tool for catching attention. Newspapers, legal
journals or even the TV channel of the university could be some options. It is also important
to let the local persons and the university staff to know about the event, even if they will not
be participating themselves. An ELSA Law School is one of the most prestigious events and
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Law Schools Handbook
shows the university and the student body what we can offer as ELSA. In any negotiations
with potential partners or the university, ELSA Law School could be brought up as a
successful project to provide some reference to the quality of the academic content to
which ELSA is adding up by extracurricular events. Moreover it will be easier to attract new
members after they see what ELSA can accomplish.
Start of application period
The application period should start at least 4 months before the event. In order for an
applicant to be able to sign up for an ELSA Law School, the organising group should create
an application form, both on paper and online. An example is as follows: http://files.elsa.org/
SC/SC_Event_Participant_Application_Form.docx
Furthermore it is crucial that the OC acknowledge the receipt of the application form and
has been confirmed with the participants, e.g. via the automatically generated email. The
organising group should set a maximum number of participants in advance, create a timeline
to indicate when the different steps will take place andfix strict deadlines for each process.
The additional fees might be asked for either on this application form or stated on the
website or the Facebook page of the event before the application deadline. What is included
in the additional fees should be specified clearly.
If the potential applicants of the ELSA Law School
are coming from countries for which the country of
the venue requires a visa they should be warned.
The list of the countries of which the citizens need
visa to enter the country of the venue might be
listed on the website or the Facebook page of the
event. Such persons should be told to start the visa
procedure in advance to be on the safe side. In
addition, the potential applicants should be told on
the website or the Facebook page of the event to have travel insurance valid in the country
of the venue for the duration of stay.
The potential applicants applying for the event as ELSA members should be asked to send a
letter of confirmation signed by authorised members of the board of the local/national ELSA
group the person claims to be a member of.
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Law Schools Handbook
6. 4- 2 months before event
Academic programme
What would an ELSA Law School be without an academic programme? Correct, nothing.
At this point it is very important to provide the participants with a good mixture, in order to
prevent them from falling asleep. As already mentioned, the organising group have to set up
an academic programme of at least 20 hours. This might sound quite much but breaking this
amount of time down to 5 days excluding the weekend, the organising group would end up
at 4 hours per day which is manageable.
The binding regulations point at a mixture of lectures and workshops where the latter
would deepen and emphasize the knowledge from the previous lecture. Including panel
discussions to this mixture might be considered as an option. if the event is taking place
in a city with interesting institutions why not organise an institutional visit? This is a great
opportunity to do something completely different and to provide the participants with an
inside-view of places which they actually cannot visit usually.
The organising groups which do not know yet how to distribute the single academic sessions
to the whole week might have a look below for the exemplary programmes of the ELSA Law
Schools of Geneva and Istanbul.
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Law Schools Handbook
For the lectures, workshops and panel discussions, the organising group need
professional speakers. We cannot stress enough the importance of approaching such
persons very early! Especially well-known speakers have full schedule
and therefore like to plan in advance. The organising group shall kindly ask its potential
speakers how it would like them to contribute to the event, if they are requested to hold a
lecture or a workshop or rather to participate in a panel discussion. No matter which one, that
should be shared with every single potential speaker in advance.
If the organising group does not have a clue whom to contact, it might consider going through
the former ELSA events organised especially locally. That way, persons together with whom
the organising group has already realised events and who are approachable once more
might come to mind. Contacting other ELSAnians who have already held an event in regard
to the field of law covering the subject of the ELSA Law School that would be realized by the
organising group as another good idea to find speakers for your sessions.
Getting to a very important reminder regarding the binding regulations; before approaching
external contacts or institutions, we would like to ask the organising groups to make sure
to read the External Relations under Decisions Relating to Board Management, External
Relations and Expansion of the 40th Edition of Council Meeting Decision Book after ICM
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Law Schools Handbook
Malta. All in all, the organising group of an International ELSA Law School should have
finalized and published the academic programme at least 2 months prior to the event,
pursuant to Quality Standards for International Events under Decisions Relating to
Seminars & Conferences of the 40th Edition of Council Meeting Decision Book
after ICM Malta. The curriculum vitae of the speakers should also be put on the website or
the Facebook page of the event once the speakers are definite.
Deadline for Applications
We would recommend the organising group to close the application period at least 2 months
prior to the event. After the deadline for the applications, the organising group should start
the selection process.
The organising group shall respect Application Policies under Decisions Relating to
Seminars&Conferences of the 40th Edition of Council Meeting Decision Book after ICM
Malta.
7. Last 2 months before event
Selection of Participants
The unusual part when it comes to a Law School is that there is a selection of participants.
This is simply due to the reason that almost every time more persons apply for it than an
organising group can actually provide with a spot. For example, some ELSA Law Schools
receive more than 200 applications for only 40-45 spots.
The selection of the participants should be done in an impartial way based on objective
criteria by comparing the letters of motivation and academic backgrounds. It is a good
idea to have a good mixture of fresher‘s and experienced members of ELSA. Furthermore,
paying attention to the number of different nationalities is another aspect that would
enrich the cultural exchange and enhance the atmosphere of. Something that should be
kept in mind isthe fact that ELSA is represented in 42 countries, and that one can apply
for an ELSA Law School even if he/she is not from a member country which would enable
hosting participants not only from Europe, rather from all around the world.
The selection process of an International ELSA Law School shall end at least 1 month
before the event, according to Quality Standards for International Events under Decisions
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Law Schools Handbook
Relating to Seminars & Conferences of the 40th Edition of Council Meeting Decision Book
after ICM Malta. After the selection process, the organising group shall inform all of the
applicants whether they have been selected or not as participants. The organising group
might tell the rejected applicants that there are other ELSA Law Schools for which they can
still apply, having checked the ELSA Law Schools with time-wise available deadlines. On the
other hand, again in accordance with the lately mentioned regulations, the selected
applicants shall confirm their participation to the event before the deadline set by the
organising group so that there remains enough time to react on cancellations such as
selecting other participants among the applicants, for which (at least some of) the rejected
applicants should be made aware of this possibility.
It is not stated in the binding regulations when
and how to demand the payment from the
participants. Therefore, it is up to the organising
group to decide about it. It is recommended
to the organising group that 100% of the
payment is requested before the deadline fixed
for the confirmation of participation via bank
transfer which would lead to cancellation of
participation
unless
paid
before
the
deadline. The organising group might, as well, prefer requesting the payment
in cash upon arrival at the venue at the beginning of the event or it might
ask only for the standard fee, e.g. for 7 nights for an ELSA member from a
non-favoured country €7*33, along with the confirmation of participation and the rest to be
paid in cash upon arrival. These are some examples; other ways might be considered.
Regarding the bank transfer, the participants should be asked in advance to pay also the
commission fees requested from both the bank sent from and the bank sent to; otherwise,
the organising group would lose money.
After the receipt of the confirmation of participation from all of the participants, a second
form is advised to be asked to be filled in. This second form would ask for information
regarding the dates and duration of the stay including extra nights requested from the
organising group, room preferences if any, arrival and departure dates and times and
demand of services by additional fees. Such information is better asked for in a second form
rather than in the initial application form because the applicants would not have known these
before being selected as participants.
After their selection and confirmation, the participants should be told the dress code for the
whole week. Especially for the gala ball, they should be informed regarding the formal or
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Law Schools Handbook
smart-casual dressing. For instance, if the participants would be taken to swim in the pool,
they should be told to bring their swimming suits. Other necessities for dresses in accordance
with the programme should also be thought upon and announced in advance.
Cultural and social programme
As for any other ELSA event, the cultural
and social programme is of course vital and
cannot be left out in order to guarantee that
the mood is constantly good and that ELSA
Spirit is never lost. Furthermore, it is the
perfect chance to let the participants to get
to know each other, to take a study break
and to explore the city. The content can
be arranged in a completely flexible and
creative way. Popular activities include
guided city tours, introducing the guests
to typical customs, special visits to outstanding sights or just fun activities to ease up the
atmosphere, like karaoke, boat tours, etc. The organising group needs to be creative and
at the same time original. The organising group might, for instance, try to think of activities
typical for the region, avoiding too many tourist activities which tend to be expensive. It is
recommended to schedule the bigger parties at the end of the week to avoid the participants
being hung over during the lectures/workshops since the responsibility towards the speakers
shall not be forgotten. The participants represent ELSA during the event and have to leave
a good impression after all!
It would
be wise to use the concept of ‘trouble shooters’ for the parties
where one or two members of the OC would remain completely sober and take part in
the parties watching over the participants.
In case any incident happens or if
any participant gets too drunk, these
members of the OC would be
responsible
to
accompany
such
participants to the dormitory/ho(s)tel
and to ensure no problems arise.
In addition, every day, there should
be members of the OC guiding the participants to the parties, taking care
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Law Schools Handbook
of the transportation and ensuring that all of the participants enter the parties
without any trouble. Often, the party host would know about the group coming, so it might
be necessary to notify the participants to be visible as ELSA members, e.g.
carrying their name badges to the parties.
Social programme locations
When it comes to the parties, the organising group should be creative. A theme party could
be an option. Clubs, bars or other party locations should be contacted in advance in order to
receive a good offer. Drink options, special party arrangements and the perfect music should
be considered. It would be better if the members of the organising group or even members
from other local or national groups are also invited to the parties. An event of such size would
be the perfect opportunity to attract new persons and to get them more engaged in their
ELSA group. Renting an extra party location would probably be quite expensive and thus
the outcome should be weighed, depending on the amount of participants. Often it might
be the easiest way just to visit a local club to avoid any additional costs or to opt for a pub
crawl activity. All in all, it should be regarded that the focus of ELSA Law Schools is still the
academic content, thus the parties should not get too crazy.
Transfer of participants from/to airport, train station, coach
station, etc.
The first thing to consider is the establishment of a pick-up service from the airport, train
station, coach station, etc. to bring the participants to the dormitory/ho(s)tel. The most
convenient transportation options should be looked for and offered to the participants in
the application form, mostly by additional fees. It is wise to create a list with arrival and
departure dates and times and to get hold of the official lists for planes, trains, coaches, etc.
to be aware of potential delays. The members of the OC picking up the participants should
be visible as ELSA members, be briefed beforehand on who they have to look out for and
most probably be holding printed-out paper with the names of those particular participants.
Taking the participants back to the airport, train station, coach station, etc. upon their
departure is as well recommended, however is not stated in the regulations, thus is not
binding.
The information stated in the second form explained above or another form/e-mail sent later
for transfer from the airport, train station, coach station, etc. should be confirmed before the
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Law Schools Handbook
arrival of the participants. The information should cover the date and time, the exact airport,
train station, coach station, etc. (especially in case there are more than one airport, train
station, coach station, etc. in the city of the venue), the airway, railway company, coach
company, etc. and other relevant details.
If the transfer from/to airport, train station, coach station, etc. is to be demanded by
additional fee, it should be clearly stated if the fee is designated only for one way or both
ways. Two different fees might be given, one for one way and the other for both ways.
Transportation
In case the different premises that are being used for the ELSA Law School are
located far from each other, it would be required either to arrange shuttles or use the public
transportation. Especially in bigger cities, the university as well as municipalities may be
contacted for shuttles free of charge. This would not be possible in some cases, if this is not
possible shuttles for low costs should be looked for. For public transportation, especially in
cities with large numbers of tourists, there are usually weekly tickets or other discounts to
use for several days.
If the distance is within reach, it is totally acceptable to let the participants walk to the venues
as long as they are guided by the members of the OC. However the organising group should
make sure to fix official departure times and announce these to the participants in advance,
so that they are ready on time and the whole group can leave on time.
Transportation back to the dormitory/ho(s)tel from the social programme late at night: if the
accommodation is not within walking distance and there is no more public transportation, is
advised to be provided more than once during the night. Otherwise, especially the
participants willing to return earlier might complain. Indeed this would be the case if the
transportation is paid for in advance by additional fee by the participants. However, if the
transportation is paid by the participants each time taken –which we do not recommend, as
this would slow down the group–, then the OC would obviously not have to take care of the
return. Even in the latter case actually, it is advisable to accompany the participants or give
guidance to them of as how to get to the dormitory/ho(s)tel.
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Welcome package + Working Materials
After the complete academic, cultural and social programme is finalized, the working
materials should be sent to the participants via e-mail. This document would provide them
with detailed information on the whole event, the entire academic, cultural and social
programme, the invited speakers and their curriculum vitae, as well as providing the broad
academic content rather than only giving the topics of the lectures/workshops. To this extent
it would be useful to provide some notes written by the speakers on each topic, so that the
participants are able to prepare for the event sufficiently. In order to guarantee a proper level
of qualified participants, it is recommended to ask the participants to look into the subject
beforehand, so that they have at least already heard of the topics being discussed during
the lectures/workshops.
Upon arrival of the participants, the first thing they receive while checking in should be a
welcome package. The welcome package is recommended to consist of a bag, sac or
another similar containment item which entails several important things. First of all, any
marketing materials distributed by your partners or sponsors should be in there. Second, a
pen and a notebook should be added to provide the participants with some basic working
tools. Third, basic information about the city and the country as well as the local and/or
national ELSA group hosting the event should be given. Fourth, a name badge
containing the telephone numbers of some of the members of the OC, as well as
emergency
numbers
such
as
the
police
and
the
ambulance,
the telephone number and the address of the dormitory/ho(s)tel and last but not least,
the name and the telephone number of the emergency contact for that particular
participant.. In the very unlikely events of a participant getting lost or even worse,
passing out, the name badge would be very helpful to the participant or to the persons
taking care of him, etc. A small welcome gift could be put into the welcome package as well.
Taking care of speakers coming from different city/country
than venue
At all times suffiicent thought should be given to the speakers coming from a different
city/country than the venue are in attendance exclusively for the ELSA Law School and
should be treated accordingly. It should, therefore, be made sure that some of the members
of the OC are in touch with them during the whole process, before and during their stay as
well as after the event for feedback. It is important that each speaker is in contact with the
same member of the OC during the whole process so that he/she would not get confused
and feel comfortable, knowing a face to whom could be addressed any concerns.
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Law Schools Handbook
In the beginning, the speakers have to be picked up from the airport, train station, coach
station, etc. and guided to their hotel. For any occasion when they need to change the
venue, they should be picked up and guided to the location. The members of the OC should
ask the speakers about their stay every once in a while. It is recommended to propose or
reserve a separate hotel for the speakers instead of the same with the participants so that
the speakers would feel more special and unpleasant consequences could be avoided, such
as when drunken participants come back to the hotel at nights. The speakers might also be
provided with a welcome package especially if they are coming from a different city/country
than the venue and as well with the working materials since often they are very much into the
topic and would like to receive information on the fellow speakers themselves.
8. Event
The day has finally arrived and everything is about to start. proper planning should prevent
many problems, having said that there might be issues to face that cannot be predicted.
Time management and human resources will be the key. Anticipating each need and
knowing how long each step would take will allow the members of the OC to be accurate
and effective at all levels.
The members of the OC should be aware of their duties. The division of tasks is crucial and
is the key to success. However, indeed, at any emerging problem, all of the members of the
OC should be available for support.
Arrival of Participants
The organising group should have already asked the participants to arrive at least a day
before the start of the academic programme since the lectures/workshops would begin early
in the morning. Therefore, most of the participants would be expected to arrive on Sunday.
However, there probably would be some participants arriving earlier or later. If there is not
lack of human resources or difficulties regarding transfer to and from the airport, train
station, coach station, etc., we strongly recommend you to pick up every single participant.
However, if the OC is faced with difficulties in regards to picking up the participants arriving
a few days earlier or the ones arriving late at night when public transportation does not work
and the only way to go to and come from the airport, train station, coach station, etc. is by
taxi and especially to and from the airport taxi is very expensive, these facts should be
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Law Schools Handbook
explained in detail to the participants before their arrival.
For instance, the OC might state that the participants might not be picked up between
1.00 AM and 5.00 AM because of the last reason mentioned and that such participants might
either wait for 5.00 AM for a member of the OC to pick them up or not wait and
directly take a taxi to the dormitory/ho(s)tel. In this case, if the OC asked for additional fee
for transfer from the participants, it should not ask for that from the ones taking taxi since
such participants should pay the taxi price on their own. Let us remind you that this example
might not be the case for every ELSA Law School and that this would
probably be the case for some big cities.
The participants should not be kept waiting at the airport, train station, coach station, etc.
In other words, the members of the OC should be there to welcome the participants before
their arrival time just to be on the safe side. It has to be kept in mind that the participants are
coming to a foreign country, the language of which they might not be speaking.
The transportation to and from the airport, train station, coach station, etc. should be planned
in advance. Either shuttle service or public transportation would be the best way to handle
it. These transfer costs would probably be asked for as additional fees. It is alright, after
welcoming the participants, to kindly ask them to wait for a while if other participants are
about to arrive in a reasonable time to the same airport, train station, coach station, etc. This
would both lower the costs, especially if shuttle service is being used, and ease the human
resources since less members of the OC would be picking up the participants. It is advisable
to the members of the OC to offer traditional sweets, drinks, etc. to the participants who
arrived earlier while waiting, so that they do not feel that they are treated rudely by being kept
waiting. Let us emphasize that the waiting time should be reasonable.
There should be members of the OC at the dormitory/ho(s)tel welcoming the participants
picked up from the airport, train station, coach station, etc. and brought by other members
of the OC. Before the check-in, payment should be requested from the participants if it is not
fully done yet. Then, the welcome packages should be distributed. The participants arriving
earlier than the start of the programme should be kindly asked if they need anything during
their free time. The members of the OC explain and, if there is not lack of human resources,
even show them the surroundings, especially supermarkets, exchange offices etc. and the
main points of interest.
It is advised that the OC organise a welcome party for the first night before the academic
programme starts since almost all of the participants would have arrived by then. We
recommend this party to be thrown, if possible, at the dormitory/ho(s)tel rather than at
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Law Schools Handbook
a bar, club, etc. since the purpose of the event is for the participants and the members
of the OC to get to know each other. The HOC should give an unofficial welcome
speech –the official opening would probably be on Monday morning along with the
first speaker of the week– and the members of the OC should introduce themselves
briefly. It would be nice as well if all of the participants also introduced themselves shortly.
Taking care of participants
It is important for the HOC to have a list of the participants all the time with him/her
especially if it is a large group in order to keep track of every participant. In case, when
counted, there appears to be fewer persons than on the list, that way it would be easier to
know who is missing. Another idea for ELSA Law Schools of large groups and those not
lacking human resources might be as follows: Supposing there are fifty participants, the
HOC might appoint two members of the OC to be responsible from ten participants where
each of the two members would work in a system of rotation –for instance three days each
if the event would last 6 days in total– and thus five members of the OC would report the
situation of each ten participants as well as counting them whenever needed in order to
speed up proceedings.
Another method would be not to count the participants while taking them from one place to
another, rather to wait for at most 15 minutes after the departure time fixed in advance and
then to leave without making sure that all of the participants would be there since all should
be expected to be responsible adults and the OC should not consist of babysitters. This is a
completely different approach than the previous example. It is up to the organising group to
choose either one of the two or even a third option not stated here.
ELSA Smile should never be removed no matter how unfortunate and desperate the
situation would take shape. All of the members of the OC should be careful about this so that
the participants would not be aware of the negative circumstances.
The programme of the day is advised to be written on a board or flipchart if possible in
the dormitory/ho(s)tel every morning. This way the cultural and social programme, meeting
points and times and if necessary the dress code might be reminded to the participants
every day. The entire academic programme might be separately written on a different
flipchart to be hung for the whole week.
Throughout the whole week, day and night, there should be at least one member of the OC
staying awake at the dormitory/ho(s)tel even when the participants are asleep or outside
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Law Schools Handbook
for the academic, cultural or social programme. The reason for this necessity is that the
participants might need help, there might be emergency cases or any other situations
requiring the help of the OC.
Academic programme
As an ELSA Law School is dealing with
prestigious professionals on behalf of ELSA,
it
is extremely important to have a serious
and formal image. As a consequence, the
OC must ensure that everybody is on time
for the lectures/workshops. In addition, the
participants should have an appropriate
level of interest, and they have to be
encouraged to participate actively and
contribute especially to the workshops. It is
advised to the OC to have at least one of its members at each lecture and workshop present
in order tto encourage active participation, if it is lacking on the side of the participants, to
be there in case the speakers need anything or in case anything goes wrong in the room
during the session This ensures that the organising group is aware of what is going on all of
the time.
In case of a problem with the behaviour of a participant, personal approach as soon as
possible should be the first option. To avoid such inconveniences, disciplinary rules might be
fixed and announced to the participants before the event starts.
To avoid any unfortunate surprises, it is important to get the telephone numbers of the speakers and confirm their participation the day before their lecture/workshop.
Despite all the efforts, it might not be possible
to follow the agenda entirely. Therefore, the
organising group should have thought of
alternative plans ready to be implemented.
For instance, if one of the members of the
OC has a close relation with an alternative
potential speaker, he/she might talk to
that professional for a back-up plan. Other
alternatives might be changing the schedule,
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Law Schools Handbook
going for a sightseeing and having the lecture later during the time interval
specified for sightseeing or waiting for a while if the speaker is only late but still
coming and while waiting, taking the participants to a near-by coffee house.
This way or that, such alternatives should be thought through and planned before the
event. During the academic programme, approximately three members of the
OC are enough to deal with any unexpected problem. Planning a system of rotation
among them would allow everybody to have some rest.
Cultural and social programme
As during the whole event, some of the members of the OC should accompany the
participants during the cultural and social programme. An alternative plan is also highly
advisable if the activity depends on the weather. As an ELSA Law School is condensed into
a really hard week, the participants would definitely enjoy some free time. Therefore, it is
important to prepare a realistic and non-exhausting cultural and social programme.
Another aspect to consider is on which day(s) the cultural programme will take place. The
week is very intense, so having sightseeing in the middle could help participants to have a
break and keeping the required level of commitment during the last days of the academic
programme.
Free time
It is very important to let the participants spend some free time asside from the academic,
cultural and social programme planned for them. Once they receive information about the
surroundings and get to know the city in general, they would not need an exhaustive
supervision during their free time. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to offer them guidance for
different options or suggestions. Some of the members of the OC are advised to stay in key
points during the free time so that they can be easily reached by the participants if needed.
Departure of the Participants
Taking the participants back to the airport, train station, coach station, etc. upon their
departure is as well recommended, however is not stated in the regulations, thus is not
binding.
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9. After event
Although almost everything is finished, the responsibilities are not totally over yet. This last
part is not irrelevant as it is the beginning of the planning for the next edition of the ELSA Law
School of the particular organising group and as well it might guide the potential organising
groups of next years.
Thanksgiving
An ELSA Law School is one of the most prominent ELSA activities and thus, it can influence
the image of ELSA for externals. An ELSA Law School aims to be annual which requires
both hardworking and a good reputation to be owed to well-known speakers and the
university or other institution hosting the event and in some cases, as well, serving as
the academic partner. Therefore, it is essential to be extremely careful with the treatment
towards the speakers, sponsors and partners. Consequently, the overall reputation not only
of the organising group but also of ELSA in general would benefit from the event. On one
hand, the organising group would have less difficulty with the next edition of the ELSA Law
School and on the other hand, the prestige of ELSA in general would increase with another
extensive project accomplished and to be realized again and again in the following years.
An interesting tool is a graduation ceremony where not only the participants but also the
members of the OC would be acknowledged for their efforts and contributions by handing
each a certificate. Such a ceremony would be a great opportunity for the speakers, sponsors
and partners to gain awareness on ELSA’s professionalism and on the opportunities ELSA
provides. This ceremony is likely to be organised as a gala ball including the official closing
of the event by the HOC. It would be nice to also invite the ELSA Alumni of the organising
group to the gala ball. The guests would remain happy if they received official invitations to
the gala ball in advance via e-mail or postal service.
The speakers, sponsors and partners should be shown gratitude with a plaquet or any other
convenient gift. The speakers might be presented their gifts right after the lecture/workshop
and/or at the end of the week during the ceremony. The sponsors and partners might be
thanked with a gift during the ceremony or later at their offices.
The certificates and the plaquets should be prepared and the gifts should be bought before
the event.
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Evaluation by participants and OC
As we like to say in S&C, sharing is caring.
There is no such thing as a perfect event, so
there will always be some aspects to improve. Thus, discovering these aspects is very
important and the best way of doing so is
through evaluation. Whether the Participants’
Evaluation Form provided in the ELSA Officers’
Portal under http://officers.elsa.org or a specific
evaluation form created for this event by the organising group,
submitted by all of the participants is necessary for a proper evaluation.
having
it
The Evaluation Form should be collected and analyzed by the OC and
mainly by the HOC and has to be taken seriously, the participants should
be given enough time to think about it and to express their views as accurately as
possible. In addition to the participants, all of the members of the OC
should also evaluate the event.
All of the evaluations should be done right after the end of the week. Although both the
participants and the OC would be extremely tired after the week of the event, evaluating in a
short period of time after the event is necessary as this is the best time to discover all of the
positive and negative aspects as they are still present and clear in their memories.
Other than the evaluations, it is advisable to have an OC meeting as soon as possible after
the end of the week to analyze the overall event and all of the evaluations. Starting with
this OC meeting, the organising group should begin thinking of the next edition of the ELSA
Law School and even of the potential HOC for next year who has already been a part of this
edition.
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Final Report by HOC
Last but not least, knowledge management should not be neglected. Transition and
continuity are not always properly ensured at ELSA and a knowledge management system
can help to solve the problems arising from this fact. Information and experience about an
event as complex as an ELSA Law School must not get lost.
One of the final tasks of the HOC is to write an accurate Final Report about the event, taking
into consideration the evaluations of both the participants and the members of the OC as
well as his/her own overall evaluation of the whole
period of organizing an ELSA Law School
since more than 6 months with the objective of
improving it in the future. This report will help and
inspire not only the successors but also other ELSA
groups interested in organising their own ELSA Law
School.
The other task the HOC should fulfil before the end of his term as the HOC is to submit the
Evaluation Form provided in the ELSA Officers’ Portal under:
http://officers.elsa.org
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Contact Information
ELSA International
239, Boulevard Général Jacques
B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 646 2626
Fax: +32 2 646 2923
Email: [email protected]
Vice President Seminars & Conferences: [email protected]
Assistant for Law Schools: [email protected]
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