On Thursday (28/04), students wearing colorful university blazers filled Room III.3.1 of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FH UGM). Coming from various regions across Indonesia, they intentionally traveled to Yogyakarta to attend a biennial competition event organized by FH UGM, namely the 2016 Gadjah Mada Legal Research and Innovation (GALERI 2016). The event was held with the spirit of fostering legal research and innovation among Indonesian law students.
GALERI 2016 carried the grand theme “Towards ASEAN Community Integration.” The background for selecting this theme was based on several characteristics of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), including: a single market and production base; a highly competitive economic region; equitable economic development; and a region fully integrated into the global economy.
At 1:00 PM WIB, Fajri Matahati Muhammadin, S.H., LL.M., as Chairperson of the GALERI 2016 Committee, officially opened the event. “Thank you for coming, finalists. After this session, you may participate in the Legal Research Colloquium. Hopefully, you can engage in deeper discussions regarding the materials you present so that you may improve both your presentations and the preparations you have made before entering the finals,” Fajri told the participants of GALERI 2016.
The event then continued with the Legal Research Colloquium. Participants of the Scientific Paper Competition (LKTI) were divided into two groups based on theme categories. The first group focused on Business Law and was mentored by Prof. Tomi Suryo Utomo, S.H., LL.M., Ph.D., while the second group focused on International Criminal Law under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, S.H., M.Hum. Participants of the Legal Drafting Competition joined the second group due to the relevance of their competition theme to International Criminal Law.
At 4:00 PM WIB, the event proceeded with a technical meeting. Participants entered designated rooms according to their competition categories. In each room, committee members explained the competition mechanisms and procedures that participants would undergo on the following day.
One of the distinctive features of GALERI 2016 compared to previous years was the addition of a new competition category. Previously focused solely on the Scientific Paper Competition (LKTI), the event now also included a Legal Drafting Competition. Furthermore, GALERI 2016 aimed to provide participants with added value beyond merely competing. First, through the Legal Research Colloquium, participants received direct mentorship from professors who are experts in their respective fields. Second, participants also benefited from a national seminar discussing the development and prospects of legal scholarship following the integration of the ASEAN Community. (Sekar)
