ELSA (The European Law Students' Association) is an international, independent, non-political, non-profit-making organisation run by and for students. It is comprised of students and recent graduates who are interested in law and have demonstrated commitment to international issues.

Law students from Austria, Hungary, Poland and West Germany founded ELSA in 1981. ELSA is today the world's largest independent law students association and it is represented in more than 200 law faculties in 35 countries across Europe with membership in excess of 30 000 students and young lawyers.

From the very start of student representation efforts in Malta, law students have always played a pivotal role. It was in fact at the beginning of the 20th century, on the initiative of a then law student, Arturo Mercieca (later Sir Arturo Mercieca), that what was then the CPU (nowadays KSU) was set up as the first student union on the island.

As the number of students increased, the need was felt for student representation efforts to be localised in the various faculties. Once again taking the first step, a group of law students, in 1943, at a time when Malta was still ravaged by war, set up Għaqda Studenti tal-Liġi (University Law Students' Society). This group of students was led at the time by a young student, going by the name of Joseph Ganado. This young law student was later to become Professor of Civil law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Malta, during which time he was considered as one of the pillars of the Maltese legal profession. Prof. J. M. Ganado at present occupies the post of honorary president of Għaqda Studenti tal-Liġi, along with other distinguished personalities.

Today, Għaqda Studenti tal-Liġi plays an essential role in the law students’ academic experience at the University of Malta. It is enough to say that Student Representatives appointed by the Society, in every year of the law course, maintain a link between the Society, the Faculty of Laws, and the students themselves. The Society’s website also serves as an efficient and up-to-date online noticeboard, and its popularity is proven by a very high number of hits on the website practically all throughout the year.  One can here find all that the law student requires, be it timetables, notices issued by the faculty, other informal notices of interest to law students, vacancies and traineeship opportunities, legal links, as well as information about both the academic and non-academic events which the Għaqda Studenti tal-Liġi organises throughout the year.