GLSA Elections

TAREK BILANI
Volume 10, Issue 9
The Global Law Students Association (‘GLSA’) has got elections coming up this week! The deadline for submitting your application (nomination form+CV+400 word cover letter) is this Friday 23 September at 11:59pm. Interested candidates can send this application by email to ichoi@student.unimelb.edu.au or drop by the GLSA office to hand in a hard copy.

For those unaware, the GLSA is a student group at MLS with a long and proud history. Our focus is on international legal issues; if you have a strong passion for international law, a desire to work abroad or an interest in working with some phenomenally interesting people, you would fit right in. Feel free to drop by our office on level 2 and ask any questions.

This year has been a great one at the GLSA. Right at the start of the year we recruited 10 amazing co-opts, taking our committee to 21 students (more than it has ever been). Among our events this year included international student meet and greets, film screenings, a special talk (co-hosted with MJIL) with renowned international legal scholar Martti Koskenniemi, a unique human rights workshop with real practitioners, firm feature seminars and Hong Kong Clerkship seminars, an expert panel on sex trafficking, and a panel on careers in Asia. We have also opened up GLSA membership to MLM and RhD.

A few words on our upcoming elections. We will be taking applications for all our director positions except President (which closed last week). Each role has a detailed position description easily located on our Facebook page, but this list will hopefully give you a basic idea of what we are looking for:

Vice Presidents (x2): The VPs are in charge of managing internal and external relationships, primarily with current and prospective sponsors, law school committees and research centres.

Executive Director: The ED holds a primary management position and works closely with the President to coordinate portfolio teams and interact with the law school faculty.

Treasurer: The Treasurer has chief responsibility for the accounts and financial management of the GLSA, and will also assist in putting together sponsorship packages.

International Student Liaison: The ISL focuses on international student integration through a Tandem Program run in conjunction with the LSS. Social events and information sessions are put on for the benefit of our international students.

Professional Development (x2): The PD directors foster international interests through the hosting of workshops, seminars, and our annual Global Thinking Lecture Series

Careers Directors (x2): Careers are focused on the production of our annual flagship guidebook for careers in international law, as well as managing events to assist students in preparation for the job market.

Marketing & Communications: Primary responsibility for marketing and communications falls on this director. They are responsible for managing our media (Facebook, newsletter, website, brochures, etc.) and raising public awareness for the GLSA and its events.

Lastly, a shameless plug for our last TWO events of the year, to take place prior to the mid-semester break. On Tuesday 20 September we have the latest edition of our annual Global Thinking Lecture Series, and this year we have got a BREXIT panel. The British Deputy High Commissioner is coming along to join our panellists in discussing the shock vote and what implications it might have on the legal market. On Wednesday 21 September we are running a legal internships panel, starring 4 current and former students who have conducted internships abroad. They will be sharing their experiences, tips and more! For more on those two events, stay tuned on our Facebook page.

​Tarek Bilani is a JD student and the current GLSA President