What is an ELSA Legal Research Group (LRG)?
An ELSA Legal Research Group is an academic project, aiming at providing the legal community with an international publication, which is the outcome of legal research on a specified topic of law conducted by law students and young lawyers. It is called Group because the legal text is drafted collectively by national researchers and national reports are compiled with the findings of the other countries. The final report with the findings of all national research groups can serve as a valuable legal source.
How is the research conducted?
ELSA and the Academic Board of each ILRG draft an Academic Framework. This is comprised of a thesis answered through approximately 10 questions each looking to introduce, analyse, evaluate and conclude on the thesis. The researchers are asked to answer these questions by having researched their national legislation and case law first in order to find out the level that the European and international conventions, directives and agreements are implemented. The aim is to give answers to the questions and make comparisons and conclusions publicly accessible within 25-35 pages per country.
What is the difference between a Final Report and a Concluding Report?
The Final Report of an ILRG is a compilation of the National Reports, whereas the Concluding Report compares and contrasts the findings of the Final Report and is much shorter.
How many participants are selected per country, and what are their roles within the project?
Every participating country must have one National Coordinator for the coordination and promotion of the project, recruitment and guidance of the researchers and facilitation of communication with ELSA International. The National Coordinator chooses how many people will comprise the National Research Group. The NRG will consist of National Researchers for the legal research and writing the report with the findings, National Linguistic Editor(s) for the proofreading of the text, corrections regarding the terminology and compilation of the findings and National Technical Editor(s) who ensure the professional outlook of the report. The researchers are supported by the National Academic Board/Supervisor responsible for the evaluation of the legal content and provision of academic feedback to the researchers The countries are coordinated by the International Coordination Team which is selected by ELSA International before the national recruitment. This team consists of the International Coordinator, the International Linguistic Editor and the International Technical Editor and they all have similar duties on international scale. The ICT is supported by an external Academic Board responsible for the quality of the Final Report.
Who can participate in the project?
Participation in the ELSA ILRG is free of charge and is aimed at ELSA and non-ELSA members. All law students (undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD) and young lawyers may be members of the National Research Groups. However, for the position of the National Academic Supervisor, we encourage people who have the necessary expertise on the field of the research in order to be able to provide the researchers with academic feedback and correct their texts if necessary. Therefore, lecturers, professors, experts and lawyers are the ideal ones for this position.
May students coming from different universities in one country participate in the same National Research Group?
Yes. There can be only one National Research Group per country. Therefore, we encourage cooperation within the respective universities of each country.
Can someone apply for a National Research Group even though they live in a different country?
An ELSA ILRG asks for participants who are very familiar with specific national legislation. The current place of residence is therefore not as important as the knowledge a participant has, for example, concerning the legislation of the country of origin or one of the countries they study/work in.
How long does the research last?
The ELSA LRG is launched every Autumn. The National Coordinators are asked to promote it in their countries during December. After the phase of recruitment, the researchers are able to begin with the research in January and in May, the research is finalised. The Final Report is published in the following Autumn, depending on the length and content.
Can someone participate more than once in an ELSA ILRG?
What are the benefits of participating in this project?
ELSA has important institutions (such as the Council of Europe) as Academic Partners and cooperates with leading experts on the field of each ILRG in order to prepare a rewarding project. The participants get a certificate by ELSA and the Academic Partner. The report of the research is published online and physically and is distributed to ELSA's whole network. The participants have the chance to exercise their legal writing skills and boost their teamwork, leadership, management skills, while they substantially enrich their CV with an international publication.