Legal studies in Vienna

Are you interested in what legal studies in Vienna look like? Do you think that belonging to ELSA can help you to become a better lawyer in future? If so, I encourage you to read an interview with Constantin Eisl, who is a student of law at the University of Vienna and President of The European Law Students Associastion in Vienna.

Kinga Mierzyńska: Why did you decide to study law and join The European Law Students’ Association?

Constantin Eisl: My decisions – to study law and to join ELSA – are to be treated separately because they were taken at different points of time.
I decided to study law nearly 2 years before I joined ELSA. I started to study law in fall 2009. I made this decision because studying law does not only give you security of knowing your rights. It broadens your view on different and complicated issues. It makes you work hard and get along with complex tasks. Studying law equips you with the means to face up to difficulties of daily life. And that was my intention. Furthermore I had always been told that a solid law degree is a perfect basis for an ongoing career as a diplomat. And that was my dream job ever since.
I actually didn´t know ELSA at all until a very good friend of mine started law school. This friend had joined ELSA very early in his student career and was very active ever since. This internationality fascinated me from the very beginning so my decision to join ELSA or not was not a difficult one.

K.M: I'm interested in what legal studies in Vienna look like. Could you briefly describe the system of your studies?

C.E: First of all, it is to mention that we don´t have the Bachelor-Masters System in Austria. In Austria you still have to study at least 4 years to get a degree in law, which is called “Magister iuris”. The system itself in Vienna is really clear. The studies are divided into three parts. The first one takes two semesters and contains mainly introduction courses, the history of law and Roman law. The second part takes 3 semesters and is focused on private and commercial law. The third chapter also takes 3 semesters and is focused on public law.

K.M: What about the most important projects of your local group?

C.E: The most important project is definitely the ELSA Law School on Dispute Resolution. It is a huge project which gives 42 students from all over the world the opportunity to learn about dispute resolution in all its facets. The ELSA Vienna Law School Team is determined to offer its participants an insight into the world of dispute resolution through an academic program held by leading experts in Austria. It is held under the Patronage of Prof. Paul Oberhammer, a leading expert in the field of litigation and arbitration, and in cooperation with renowned Austrian law firms.
The 3rd ELSA Law School on Dispute Resolution is scheduled to take place in the last week of August 2014.

K.M: In your opinion does ELSA give possibilities and opportunities for you and other law students? Do you agree with the statement that belonging to ELSA can help you to become a better lawyer in future?

C.E: I totally agree with this statement. In today’s world the daily business of a good lawyer does not stop at the boarders of a certain country. Big law firms are connected all over the world. Big cases may contain jurisdictions from many different countries and demand an open-minded and internationally thinking lawyer to solve them. And that´s what ELSA can equip you with. Being open-minded, internationally thinking, and getting to know different cultures and jurisdictions. ELSA offers such a big variety of possibilities.

K.M: You had the opportunity to participate in NCM in Poznan. Could you tell me about yourimpressions?

C.E: I was really impressed by the whole event. I was amazed by the size and the good organization of the NCM. Poland has such a great ELSA culture and so many active members. This NCM and the whole work of ELSA Poland is an ideal for many other countries within ELSA. But the greatest point was the hospitality and the warmhearted people I was surrounded with. It felt like home from the very beginning till the last moment of saying goodbye. This was my first visit to Poznan and to Poland in general, and I hope there are many more to come.

K.M: How would you encourage the students from Poznan to take part in Erasmus in Vienna?

C.E: That is a very easy question. Let´s organize a study visit from Poznan to Vienna, and the participants will be convinced from the very first moment, when they see the beauty of the Austrian capital.

Kinga Mierzyńska – Ambasadorka Student.lex.pl na Uniwersytecie im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu