ALSA is a real organisation with real outputs. Behind every event, every programme, and every member interaction is someone on this team who made it happen. That work is visible: to members, to law firms, and to the people who shape careers in the legal profession. The people who do well here are not the most experienced. They are the ones who take ownership without being asked.
The standard is high for a reason. We are trying to genuinely change what law school feels like for hundreds of students: more connected to the profession, and fairer in who gets seen. That does not happen by accident, and it does not happen if people are here for the title. We need you genuinely bought in: following through when it is inconvenient, putting the team's goal ahead of your own ego, and staying because you believe in what we are building. We are not asking you to put ALSA above your studies or your wellbeing. We are asking you to mean it when you commit. The people who thrive here do.
- Attend all executive meetings. If you cannot make one, give notice in advance, not after. The meeting continues without you. The team should not have to wonder why you are absent.
- Respond to messages within 24 hours. Silence is not a neutral act when the team is depending on you. A slow response on something time-sensitive can block the work of everyone waiting on your input.
- Deliver your role outputs on time. If you are behind, say so before the deadline, not after. Late work without warning is harder to absorb than early notice with a revised timeline.
- Represent ALSA professionally in all external contexts. You are the organisation when members and partners see you. How you conduct yourself reflects on every other person on this team.
- Bring problems to the team early. No one is expected to be perfect. Everyone is expected to be honest. A problem raised early can be solved. A problem hidden until it is too late cannot.
- Maintain confidentiality. Member details, internal discussions, finances, and partner conversations stay within the team. People trust ALSA with sensitive information, and that trust is easy to lose and hard to win back.
- Provide reasonable updates and reports when required. When your director, officer, or cabinet asks for a status update or a written report, deliver it on time and in good faith. Keeping the people who depend on you informed is part of the work, not an extra on top of it.
Meeting the baseline gets you through the door. What distinguishes the people who make this team exceptional is simpler than it sounds.
- You deliver before being asked, not when reminded. The people above you should not have to track your progress. If something is due, it is done. If it is not, they hear from you first.
- When something goes wrong, you raise it early and come with a proposed solution, not just the problem. Problems are easier to fix the sooner they surface. Bringing a situation to the team late, or without a suggested way forward, puts the burden on everyone else.
- You make the people around you better, not just your own outputs stronger. This team runs on shared information and mutual support. Someone who protects their own work at the expense of the team's is not operating at the right level.
- You take ownership of your area without needing to be chased. Cabinet should not have to ask for updates on your portfolio. You know what needs doing and when, and you get it done.
A deliberate process
The application process is deliberately thorough, and it differs by track. Officers complete a CV, a video, written questions, a short task relevant to the role, and an interview, because they own a portfolio and we need to see how they plan and execute. Interns complete a CV, written questions, and an interview, with no task or video, because the point of the intern tier is potential, not experience. Both are a real ask. We make it because the wrong person in a role costs the team far more than leaving the role empty for one more semester. We would rather wait for the right person than fill a seat.
Two-week onboarding period
Every new exec member begins with a two-week onboarding period at the start of their first semester. This is mutual: ALSA assesses whether the person can operate at the required standard, and the new member decides whether this is right for them. At the end of the two weeks, cabinet votes to confirm the new member. This is not a formality: it is how we maintain accountability for who is on the team.
During the two weeks, every new member sends brief, regular updates to their director or officer: what they worked on, what is next, and anything they are stuck on. This is not a bureaucratic check-in. It is how you show you can be trusted to operate independently. Officers report to their director. Interns report to their officer. Once you are confirmed, the updates ease off and you manage your own rhythm.
Onboarding partner
Every new exec member is paired with a more experienced member of the team for their first semester. This partner is the first point of contact for questions, guidance, and accountability. Interns are paired with their corresponding officer. Officers are paired with a founding exec member. Once you are operating independently, your partner steps back and signs off on the transition.
Continuation into the following semester is not automatic. Exec members are renewed based on their performance and the team's needs. Strong members are encouraged to step up into more senior roles. Roles that were not filled well are re-opened. If a standard consistently is not being met, the conversation happens immediately, not at the end of semester.
- You will work with law firms, practitioners, and their HR teams as a professional, not a student. You will be in rooms most students do not enter until they are well into their careers.
- You will run things that actually happen. Events, programmes, and communications that real members experience. Not mock projects or hypotheticals. Real outputs with real consequences.
- ALSA on your CV carries real weight. Your work is visible to the people who make hiring decisions, and the name signals that you understand how a real organisation operates and can genuinely execute. You build a reputation for competence, and it opens recruitment doors most students only reach after they graduate.
- You will not be figuring it out alone. You are paired with an onboarding partner who has done your role before. They are accountable for your transition, not just available for questions.
- A semester here gives you something specific to say in any interview. Not "I was involved in a student association" but a concrete account of what you built, ran, or fixed, and what it took.
- You will grow in ways you can point to. People leave this team more capable, more self-aware, and clearer on the kind of professional they want to become. The work has a way of showing you who you are, and who you are capable of being.