ALSA was firstly named ASEAN Law Student’s Association (“ALSA”), established in May 18th 1989 by a group of law students from ASEAN countries, inter alia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philipines, and Thailand. The agreement to establish ALSA was agreed upon in Jakarta, during the 1989 ALSA Conference.

In 2003, ALSA expanded its coverage into Asian countries and named the organization into Asian Law Students Association. ALSA is known as a non-governmental and non-political organization that comprises of 17 National chapters in Asia.