Legal Clinic: "Law in Sport”
What is legal clinic »Law in sport«?
Legal clinics are a widely spread modern way or method of practical teaching of law school students. It provides hands-on-legal experience from a specific legal field to law school students and services to various clients. In our case said field is Law in sport. It is a relatively new field of law, which is becoming more and more important in (for) the society.
Goals, objectives and method
The legal clinic is intended for students of the University of Ljubljana, to become familiar with this relatively new field of law. Students are to gain additional knowledge that shall be helpful towards their further engagement in their own profession or in extracurricular activities.
Upon its early beginnings in the years 2011/12, the organising team set two main goals. The first was to establish the legal clinic “Law in sport” as an important extracurricular activity at the Law faculty of Ljubljana. Now with a growing number of applicants and with the successful organisation of 11 clinics so far, we can say with confidence that the first one is fulfilled. So, we strive to reach our second goal, which is to broaden the knowledge of sport organising and engagement.
Since 2020/21 legal clinics became part of the syllabus of the first and second cycle study program. Legal clinics were recognised as modules of the elective course Legal skills in practice - legal clinic, evaluated with 4 ECTS.
Who can apply?
Initially it was considered for students of the Law faculty of Ljubljana. As the organising team we wish to encourage all other students from University of Ljubljana to enrol and share their unique knowledge from other fields.
However, it is required that students have sufficient knowledge to be able to participate in the debates and to finish their internship.
Substance
We divide our programme in two main parts. In the first theoretical part, we provide the students with a wide array of lectures from different field experts. Fully equipped with fresh knowledge we encourage students to participate in internships provided by our mentor organisations.
The legal clinic opens with a, now traditional, lecture by dr. Marko Ilešič (Judge at the Court of Justice of EU). The lecture by dr. Ilešič usually takes place in the second half of December. The lecture reveals the relation between law and sport.
The main theoretical part of lectures is usually held in the beginning of February. Each year we invite numerous experts who each deal with their own aspect of sport in law. Through the years we were honoured to hear from:
· Professors of Law Faculty of Ljubljana: prof. dr. Peter Grilc (amongst others an arbiter at CAS), prof. dr. Klemen Podobnik, Assoc. Prof. dr. Luka Tičar in prof. dr. Saša Zagorc (amongst other the pioneer of legal clinic »Law in sport« at the Faculty of law)
· Attorneys at law: Blaž Bolcar Tomažin (Sportelement, Law firm Bolcar), mag. Jure Levovnik (Law firm Jadek in Pensa), Tine Mišic (Law firm Ilič & partnerji), Pavle Pensa (Law firm Jadek in Pensa), Janez Pejovnik, Sabina Markič, dr. Peter Merc (Lemur Legal)
· Leaders and representatives of sports associations: Mladen Čičmir (leader of international and law sector of NZS), dr. Janez Kocjančič (former president of OKS), dr. Tone Jagodic (former Secretary General of OKS), Aleš Zavrl (former Secretary General of NZS)
· Judges and representatives of state organs: dr. Vesna Bergant Rakočevič (judge at the II. instance at the court of Ljubljana), dr. Marko Ilešič (Judge at the Court of Justice), Drago Kos (first president of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption), Rožle Prezelj (the Guardian of rights for sportsman’s)
· Former students of the Faculty of law Ljubljana: Žiga Frass, Petra Kladnik, Luka Milanović, Ana Podbrežnik
· Others: Aleksander Čeferin (president of UEFA), prof. dr. Jernej Letnar Černič (professor at European law Faculty Ljubljana), mag. Siniša Mitrović (tax consultant)
· Foreign lecturers: Alexander Engelhard (Law firm Arnecke, Sibeth, Dabelstein), Dr. David McArdle (University of Stirling), Angelo Rigopoulos (UEFA), William McAuliffe (UEFA).
Internships
After the theoretical part we encourage the students to participate in the last and final act of the clinic. We try to provide internships that would satisfy as many different wishes and interest. Since the early beginnings we are proud to say that our students help and enrich their legal minds by participation in working processes of following mentor organisations:
· Athletic federation of Slovenia
· Basketball federation of Slovenia
· Triathlon federation of Slovenia
· Olympic committee of Slovenia
· Slovenian anti-doping organization
· Slovenian Football Association
· Slovene university sport federation
· Sport union of Slovenia
· Federation for sport of disabled of Slovenia
. Slovenian Swimming Federation
. Inspectorate of Education and Sport
. Ljubljana Sport and Leisure Facilities
. Guardian of rights for sportsman’s
. Bolcar Law Firm
Organisation
The Legal Clinic is organized by the student coordinators under the mentorship of assistant Jaka Kukavica, and conducted in a series of lectures by renowned experts in the field of law and sport, which take place at the faculty. Topics of lectures are selected in the way that the largest possible area of the law in sport is presented to the students, thereby familiarizing them with the field of law, which is not part of the regular study plan of the faculty.
As co-organisers, students who themselves were participants offer their help. They are open for any questions and other dilemmas one could have regarding the organisation or about the clinic itself.
This year the student coordinates are Jaka Lapanja and Aljaž Bratkovič.
Contact
For more information please contact one of the student coordinators at the email: pravo.v.sportu@gmail.com ,visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/PravnaKlinikaPravoVSportu or follow us on Instagram: @pravovsportu