General Information
ELSA BiH (The European Law Students' Association Bosnia and Herzegovina) is an international, indenpendent, non-governmental, non-profit and non-political organization run by and for students. It is comprised of students and recent graduates who are interested in academic and personal excellence in addition to their studies at their universities.
ELSA offers law students a perfect platform to develop their existing skills, acquire new skills and meet fellow students and legal professionals throughout Europe.
Five law students from Austria, Hungary, Poland and West Germany founded ELSA in 1981. Today ELSA is the world's largest independent law students association and it is represented at nearly 200 law faculties in 42 countries across Europe with membership in excess of 30 000 students and young lawyers.
ELSA-activities comprise a large variety of academic and professional events that are organized to fullfil the vision of ELSA and in order to provide our members opportunities to enhance their skills and to interact with each other.
Finally, working in the ELSA-network prepares active members of ELSA for their professional life through international experience gained through the association.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina we exist since October year 2009. after obtaining observer status at the International General Assembly in Budva, Montenegro. In record time, earned with quality and professional work, we got a full status with the right to vote, in October year 2010. , with unanimous decision on the International General Assembly in Alanya, Turkey, and by this we present in best way our society and law students from BiH.
ELSA operates on three levels. International Board (IB), with mandate of one year with no possibility of reelection, is the executive body of the General Assembly which is the supreme and decisive body of theorganization. International General Assembly is held twice a year, on which reports are given regarding: the work of national groups, change and adopt the Statute of the organization, receiving new members, elected by an international board, making short and long term goals of the organization, etc. The next level is the national level, which works through National Board whose mandate is also one year. Members of NB are elected at the annual national assembly and its role is to coordinate the lowest level in the hierarchy, ie, local groups, by which most of the activities and projects of the organization are carried out. Boards at all three levels, starting from the highest in the hierarchy to the boardsof local groups, consist of the President, the Secretary General and Treasurer of the four sectors that are in essentially for existence of the organization, and headed by coordinators are the same.
These are:
1) Division of Academic Activities (AA);
2) Sector for seminars and conferences (S & C);
3) Sector for student exchanges and traineeships (STEP) ;
4) Department of Marketing (MAR).
Our activities are currently carried out through local groups in Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka, with a tendency to expand on Bihać, Zenica, Tuzla, Travnik, East Sarajevo etc. Currently there are over 300 members from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Law students provide the possibility of legal education to attorneys, legal ELSA European seminars and summer schools, internships in European firms and attorneys, legal institutions, law moot court simulations, and other competitions on legal issues. It is important to note that we have done a lot on linking law students from both entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and we established professional cooperation related to legal issues through constructive dialogue, without any political connotations.
