HISTORY OF
ALSA LC UGM

Where It All Started

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Academically committed, socially responsible, internationally minded, legally skilled. These four core values have been the very foundation to which members of the Asian Law Students’ Association, famously known as ALSA, thrives to this present day. Since its inception, ALSA has grown from a small student-initiated organization established in the ASEAN region to a prestigious legal entity that has attracted thousands of law school students all over Asia to learn, connect, and bond with each other.

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ALSA was first established on 18 May 1989 by a group of law students from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand under the name of “ASEAN Law Students’ Association'' during the ASEAN Law Students’ Conference in Jakarta. The establishment received support from the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Law Association, Asia Foundation, and even governments of ASEAN states. Furthermore, on 7th of September 2002, ASEAN Law Students’ Association officially affiliated themselves with “The International Law Students’ Association of Peking University” (ILSA PKU), “International Department of Legal Aid Association of Peking University”, “Law Association Hong Kong University Students’ Union of the University of Hong Kong” (HKUSU), “Asian Law Students’ Association Japan” (ALSA Japan), “Asian Law Students’ Association Korea” (ALSA Korea) and “Asian Law Students’ Association Taiwan” (ALSA Taiwan).

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In the next decade, ALSA would merge with other law student organizations from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and China, leading to the establishment of “Asian Law Students’ Association” through the ratification of the Tokyo Agreement. The original members, along with newcomers Vietnam, Laos, Sri Lanka, Macau, Brunei Darussalam and Myanmar, constitute the currently existing 16 national chapters of ALSA.

Early Beginnings in Yogyakarta

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Previously, in 1989, according to Anas Luthfi as one of the founding fathers of ALSA, ALSA LC UGM had been established but did not run well. ALSA’s footprints in the prestigious Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) can be traced as far back as the year 1993.  The chapter of the history book was first written when student Novi Kooswardani Brotodiningrat spearheaded the establishment of ALSA Local Chapter UGM (ALSA LC UGM) during the 5th ALSA Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as Novi was the Chairperson of National Board of ALSA Indonesia. It is within her initiative that upon arrival in Yogyakarta, she went up to the student body council (BEM) and senate to immediately establish ALSA.  Subsequently, Brotodiningrat formed an affiliation with Afie Henry which excels in English skills to help with the establishment of ALSA LC UGM. Afterwards, members were started to be recruited, and also with the help of Campus' English Clubs promotion and assistance, as English is considered to be a crucial factor within ALSA. Additionally, Joni Getamala, Boy Gemino, Mona, Dida, Rico Sidharta, Trifin, Erlangga Gaffar participated in the establishment of ALSA LC UGM. 

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At last, ALSA LC UGM was officially established on 20th October 1993 by appointing Joni Getamala as the first Director in the presence of an existing witness. The establishment of ALSA LC UGM was marked by several memorable events, such as conducted Training and Upgrading ALSA LC UGM and hosted The 1st ALSA National Meeting with ALSA LC UGM with the main agenda of ratifying ALSA Indonesia's Bylaws.

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During its early years, the journey of ALSA LC UGM was bittersweet. Aside from the ‘soon to graduate’ status of the first Board of Directors, effectively cutting off their duties short, the anemic growth of the organization was influenced by controversial views of the exclusive and capitalist nature of the organization. The results were unfortunate; the local chapter did not have the capacity to organize major events nor did the local chapter was formally accepted or recognized as a member of ALSA Indonesia (for instance, ALSA LC UGM was not invited to the 1994 National Conference in Universitas Airlangga, as found by one of the Alumnus, Erlangga Ghaffar). Despite the downturns, however, Senate Chairman of UGM’s Faculty of Law Mahendra Adinegara advocated for the benefits of ALSA’s existence, primarily on the values of being able to speak bilingually and the opportunity to associate and to create new networks with law students all over Asia. Through his advocacy, ALSA LC UGM was once again recognized as a member of ALSA Indonesia and was also recognized as an organization operating in UGM’s Faculty of Law in 1998, as Hariyanto Yang was appointed as the Director.

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ALSA LC UGM Through the Years 

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In the aftermath of the organization’s second recognition in 1998, ALSA LC UGM began growing steadily. Despite several minor setbacks, the organization was soon recognized as a force to be reckoned with within the Faculty of Law community. The struggles endured in the early years were soon buried by the rapid development that culminated during the Faculty of Law’s General Assembly on 20 December 2008, where the persistent work of Alexander Honsus and his board received their fruit of labour, as ALSA obtained the status of a semi-autonomous institution. From that point, the future began to glow for the organization. This is shown by the popularity of ALSA LC UGM that skyrocketed amongst law students in UGM, evident from the 143 newly accepted members after the Organizing, Leadership and Management event (also known as the ALSA members initiation, OLMA).

However, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, ALSA LC UGM had to rapidly adapt to the swift change and unexpected environmental shifts, including alterations in policies and work methods. This development demanded innovation in products and processes to meet the new challenges that arose during the pandemic, such as transforming formerly offline work programs into online formats. During that time, Gaudi Averdi, serving as the Director of ALSA LC UGM, needed to demonstrate adaptive leadership that could respond promptly to unforeseen changes. 

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Directors

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Novi Brotodiningrat did not structurally officiate in ALSA LC UGM, however as one of the initial founding fathers, she contributed in the establishment of ALSA whilst embedding the duty of being a Vice President and Chairperson of the National Board of ALSA Indonesia. Following the footsteps of Novi Brotodiningrat, several ALSA-ians have dedicated their time and wellbeing to lead the local chapter to a brighter future. The following are names who greatly contributed to the development of ALSA LC UGM:

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