Dear 1Ls:
On behalf of the Harvard African Law Association (HALA), I would like to welcome you to Harvard Law School.   You have all worked so hard to get here, and I want to assure you that your efforts will be rewarded by the quality education, and the unparalleled opportunities you will receive at HLS.  Below please find a brief description of the kinds of activities planned for this year.  Again, I know it was not easy to get here, but I hope you will commit some of your time to HALA because Harvard Law School provides a great platform to positively influence events in Africa.

Brief Outline of This Year’s Events:

• Lunch Lectures: This year HALA will continue the HALA Lunch Lectures in which we invite a speaker to make a brief presentation followed by a question and answer period.  These lectures are an important part of HALA’s programming in that they provide members the opportunity to interact with leading academics and legal professionals.   As the name suggests, lunch is served.

•  Moot Court: This year HALA will host moot courts in which advocates litigate cases that are pending in courts that involve Africans or are Africa related.  For example, we intend to litigate the Charles Taylor case, which is currently being heard in the Special Court for Sierra Leone on the ICC premises.  ILs are encouraged to join the moot court teams to gain litigation experience.

• Development Conference: This year we are hosting our first African Law and Development Conference on April 2nd -3rd.   The conferencing will be inter-disciplinary gathering of judges, legal scholars, economists, international organization representatives and others to discuss the role of law in African development.  ILs should involve themselves in the planning of the conference because the conference offers a great opportunity to meet and learn from individuals with much influence over the lives of everyday Africans.

• Africa Week: Africa Week is an annual celebration of African culture at the University that occurs in April.  During the week, HALA and its sister organizations in the other schools of the University host cultural events such as video presentations, speakers, dinners, and Africa Night—a cultural show with singing, dancing, comedy and a fashion show.  ILs are encouraged to actively participate in the planning of the week because it is a good opportunity to interact with students from other schools in the University.

•  HALA Journal: We are launching our first HALA Journal this year.  The journal will publish academic articles on African law.  We believe the journal will be an invaluable resource to scholars because it will likely be the first journal of its kind.  Although HLS has many journals, being a member of the HALA Journal Committee will be unique in that 1Ls will have the opportunity to be involved in the creation of a new journal.  

• Social Events: HALA will host various social events including: African dance classes, cultural nights, dinners, movies, intra-University networking events, and socials.  ILs are advised to come to these events because it is important to balance work with some relaxation and fun.   

IL Representative and Contact Information
Please be advised that HALA is looking to fill the position of 1L Representative for the 2009-2010 year.  All 1Ls are encouraged to apply by submitting a statement of interest via email to tdako@jd11.law.edu.  The only qualifications are that one be a registered 1L with a genuine interest in Africa. 

I hope you find the information on this page helpful.   Please do not hesitate to contact me and the executive board at hala@law.harvard.edu  I wish you all a terrific start of the academic year, and I cannot wait to see you on campus.
Sincerely,

Trudy Adwoa Boatemaah Dako
President of Harvard African Law Association (2009-2010)