Future of legal education and profession in india

In the current time, expansion and upholstering of legal education is required. The legal profession is highly demanding and if the students are not rigorously trained to meet the challenges of the profession in 21st century, they would lag way behind. Law schools around the world are engaged in training students from diverse cultural and ethnic groups which is a major challenge. A curriculum that caters to the need for a diversified body of students is extremely essential. The students studying law today are torch-bearers and represent the future generation of lawyers who would contribute to the strengthening of legal systems around the world. Their role in shaping and improving society is crucial, thus, comprehensive training is required. A lawyer is not only looked up to by the members of the society as a bridge between them and justice delivery mechanism but also as an idol who leads the society towards prosperity and peace.

Legal education fostered in the law institutes of India especially the National Law Universities is very organised and systematic. But the need is to tune the curriculum to meet the international standards. Legal education systems are transcending boundaries. It is for the policy-makers to introduce pragmatic changes in the curriculum in order to make it more dynamic, functional and up-to-date. The future of law around the globe is changing, the landscape of the legal profession is expanding exponentially and the demand of lawyers in all the domains of society is increasing. For ensuring a successful career in law, a law student must train himself not only in law but in the art of communication and persuasion as well. Enthusiastic and active participation in activities such as the Moot Court, Legal Aid, Client Counselling Consultation and Mediation Sessions provides an edge to a law student.

In India, the youth is filled with passion for learning, energy and zeal to take an active part in social development. A robust legal education system may play a crucial role in fuelling that zeal and fully realising their immense potential. It is evident that all governmental agencies are working tirelessly to improve the current legal education system with carefully drafted policies. It is up to the Universities of the country to adhere to these policies.

In order to enable our law students to tap all the avenues and opportunities offered by the law field, we have to make collective efforts. As a provider of legal education, it is a moral and ethical duty of every law institute to provide a healthy learning environment to the students for catalysing their growth. Providing them with efficient intellectual resources, world-class infrastructure and recreational curriculum should be the fundamental aim of every law institute of the country.

A module should be specifically designed to instil certain professional traits in the student's such as good oratory skills, analytical and critical thinking, good writing and drafting skills, leadership qualities and teamwork. The importance of research can never be emphasised enough. A dedicated module on legal research training is a must in every law school. It is systematically conducted research that helps students find and synthesise new knowledge.

Legal education is not something to be taken lightly or casually. The future of the students depends on it. Since our students would become lawyers, future of the society is inextricably connected to them. It is our duty to deliver responsible and dynamic legal professionals to society as it would ultimately help us build a better legal system.

Career opportunities in law are immense. Lawyer, Legal Consultant, Independent Mediator, the Legal Manager in various organisations and judicial services are some of the most prominent avenues. To excel in any of these areas, a law student requires efficient training. With rapid development in technology and the advent of artificial intelligence era, a new challenge has been posed in front of the legal professionals. Thus, it is extremely important for a law student to continuously keep himself equipped with modern tools and techniques. In this endeavour, a functional learning curriculum can play an important role. Those engaged in providing legal education must update their course module to incorporate the recent development in the law field.

It is reported that India produces the highest number of legal professionals in the world. As a community, it is not only our job but an obligation to deliver lawyers of refined quality and finesse. We have to adopt the concept of internationalisation of legal education. It is the need of the hour.

To conclude, the burden of improving the quality of legal education and legal system in the country is also on the shoulders of education providers. We have to discharge this duty with utmost dedication, intelligence and professionalism.

 About the author

Dr Yogendra Kumar Srivastava is Dean of Students Welfare and Director at JLU School of Law. He has over 18 years of experience in academia and industry.

 

 

 

 

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha