Anass JANDOUBI (ELSA Luxembourg): An association created by and for law students
The European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) Luxembourg was founded in 2007 by 15 lawyers specialised in Luxembourg labour law. Interview with Anass JANDOUBI, its President.
Can you present your association in a few words?
The European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) Luxembourg is an association created by and for students that have chosen law as their degree. ELSA can be considered as an intermediate between the academic world on the one hand and the professional world on the other. The association offers the students and young graduates traineeship opportunities as well as extra-curricular activities which enable them to familiarise themselves with the legal professions and to implement the knowledge they acquired through their studies. ELSA Luxembourg is a national group among many others present all over Europe. Consequently, the association can also offer activities and opportunities that reach far beyond the national borders, giving the students thereby the possibility to discover the legal profession in various legal traditions and systems.
“ELSA Luxembourg can offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities both nationally and internationally.”
What actions do you carry out within your association?
ELSA Luxembourg can offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities both nationally and internationally. Among the actions that ELSA Luxembourg can carry out are for instance the organisation of Moot Court Competitions, Negotiation Competitions, internships in various legal firms established in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg as well as in other European countries, seminars and conferences on different legal topics as well as essay competitions and summer or winter law schools that the students can attend abroad during the academic holidays. The activities mentioned in the previous paragraph are only examples. ELSA Luxembourg can go beyond these activities, nevertheless, for the sake of clarity and of offering a general overview, it is sufficient for now to limit ourselves to the beforehand mentioned examples.
How does your association adapt to the evolution of public policies, mentalities and the Luxembourg way of life?
ELSA Luxembourg is an apolitical association. Consequently, changes or evolutions of public policies should, a priori, not have any impact on the functioning and on the aims of ELSA Luxembourg. ELSA’s neutral stance goes beyond politics and applies also to changes of mentalities and the Luxembourg way of life. Regardless of the trends or current mentalities, ELSA Luxembourg does not shift its focus from its main objectives and tries, as much as realistically possible, to avoid any external influence which may jeopardise the realisation of its tasks and aims. Nevertheless, this apolitical stance does not isolate ELSA Luxembourg from the external realities to which it is faced on a daily basis. What is does is make it immune to such changes and this immunity is crucial for ELSA Luxembourg’s achievement of its missions.