LAUSANNE 2023
12 April, 5:00 pm–14 April, 1:00 pm
The 2023 Annual General Meeting and Conference of the European Law Faculties Association
took place in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 12 to 14 April 2023. More than one hundred
participants, among members and speakers, contributed to a highly interesting and successful
event.
The initial gathering was on Wednesday 12 April in the Lausanne City Hall, where
representatives of the municipality welcomed the participants and presented them a historical
overview of the city of Lausanne. After that, an “apéritif” was offered to the attendants in the
‘Salle des pas perdus’, where they could taste some of the excellent local wines.
On Thursday 13 April the Conference started at the University of Lausanne, with the institutional welcome from Vice-Rector Liliane Michalik and ELFA President Andreas Ziegler. In the opening speech, Ambassador Franz Perrez, Chief Negotiator for Climate Change at the Swiss Ministry of the Environment, focused on the urgency of facing the challenges posed by climate change and the important role of Law Schools.
After a coffee break, Greta Bosch, Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Legal Education, updated the participants on the latest news about the journal promoted by the Association. She also chaired a panel discussion on the newest trends and developments in legal education, with the contributions of Iris Goldner Lang, from the University of Zagreb, Izabela Kraśnicka, from University of Bialystok and ELFA Vice-president and Andreas Ziegler from the University of Lausanne.
Afterward, Jivko Draganov, ELFA Vice-President and Laurence Gormley, former ELFA President and coordinator of the ELFA Award, announced the names of the winners of the 2022 edition of the prize. This year, the Jury awarded the First prize to Dr. Sophia Ayada, for her thesis “From contesting gender stereotypes to questionning anti-stereotyping. A critical analysis of the CJEU gender equality jurisprudence”, and the Proxime Accessit to Dr. Eun Hye Kim, for her thesis “The Advocate General as an Actor of Change – or Consolidation – in EU Competition Law”. Laurence Gormley delivered the First prize to Dr. Sophia Ayada, who attended the ceremony in person and who briefly explained the purpose and relevance of her doctoral thesis.
In the afternoon, ELFA Vice-president Jivko Draganov from the University of National and World Economy Sofia chaired a panel debate where Janis Grasis from Rīga Stradiņš University, Barbara Pozzo, from University of Insubria and ELFA Vice-president and Marjolaine Viret from the University of Lausanne focused on the necessary interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to Law. Subsequently, Ana María Daza Vargas, University of Edinburgh, Leo Martinez, American Association of Law Schools, Hastings College of Law, Pierre-Dominique Schupp, Vice-President, from the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, CCBE and Yuri van Steenwijk, President of the European Law Students Association, chaired by Veronica Ruiz Abou-Nigm from the University of Edinburgh and ELFA First Vice-president discussed the role of networks in the teaching of Law, highlighting their necessity and their relevance.
In the evening, all participants enjoyed a dinner on the premises of the Olympic Museum, on the shores of the breathtaking Lake Léman.
On Friday 14 April, the morning session started with an important discussion on the challenges of teaching foreign law in American and European law schools. This roundtable was chaired by Gema Tomás, ELFA Vice-president and Treasurer and Patrick R. Hugg, Loyola University, with presentations by Gregory Bowman, Roger Williams University and Russell L. Weaver, SEALS, University of Louisville. The audience actively participated in the debate, sharing their experiences and proposals in relation to this topic.
After the coffee break, the ELFA Annual General Meeting took place. The attendant members approved the President’s Report for 2022-2023, the Final Resolution, the Financial Report for 2022 and the budget for 2023.
During the meeting, Veronica Ruiz Abou-Nigm was elected as the new president of ELFA, Jivko Draganov as the new First Vice-President, and Lukas Rass-Masson from Toulouse Capitole University was appointed as a new member of the Board of Directors. Finally, it was also announced the place and date of the 2024 AGM. Next year meeting will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 17 to 19 April 2024, so save the date!.
