Dean of IBSU School of Law and State Governance attended ELFA General Assembly

The Dean of the IBSU School of Law and State Governance, Affiliated Professor Irakli Shamatava, attended the annual General Assembly of the European Law Faculties Association (ELFA), which was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 23-25.

The conference theme “30 Years of ELFA: Legal Education in Tradition and Modernity” was presented through panel discussions and presentations, which examined trends in the development of legal education over the past thirty years, as well as innovative teaching methods and the impact of technologies (artificial intelligence) on legal education; also, the internationalization of legal education and ELFA’s role in this process.

Irakli Shamatava met with foreign colleagues and established new connections with leading universities in both Bulgaria and around the world to develop the law program and for future collaboration. For this purpose, the Dean visited Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, where he became acquainted with the specifics of the law faculty’s activities, as well as the library and administrative resources. The professor had various meetings at cultural-educational institutions and museums.

A new ELFA President, Vice-President, renewed Governing Board, and next year’s budget were elected at the conference. The next ELFA General Assembly will be held in Bilbao, Spain, on April 15-17, 2026.

For information, since 2019, IBSU School of Law and State Governance has been a member of the European Law Faculties Association (ELFA). The ELFA was founded in 1995 in Leuven by more than 80 European university law faculties. Today, the organization has more than 150 members from European countries and beyond.

Along with the International Black Sea University, ELFA members include leading universities worldwide: Universiteit Maastricht, Lund University, Université de Strasbourg, Freie Universität Berlin, Université de Luxembourg, University of Gothenburg, Nottingham Trent University, and American University Washington.