Life at a Law School

Life at Law School

The National Law Universities (NLUs) are drawing more and more applicants each year for all kinds of reasons. There are some genuinely trying to become conscientious practicing lawyers, apart from those who wish to make it big in corporate legal practice. Of course, you will also find the scholastically-minded looking to challenge their grey cells. Whatever be the drive, if you are studying at any of the NLUs, you have sufficient reasons to expect all this and much more as the destiny’s favoured child. After all, you have come to this place after a grueling, national level test which pits you against thousands of the most talented youth.

The five year, integrated BA LLB programme is modeled on the premise that as aspiring lawyer should have sufficient basic exposure to important facts, theories and ideas in history, sociology, political and economics as they all impact the creation, implementation and interpretation of laws in any given society. For good reason, the first two years offer graduate level courses in these areas to be followed by courses in law.  Enough exposure to communication courses in the first two years makes sure that the aspiring lawyers are equally good at only interpreting law, but also equally adept at articulating them in writing and speaking.

Choices Galore

Great choice in terms of electives makes NLUs a dream institution. Where else in India would you find optionals like Cinema and Law, Politics and Law, Green Laws, Cyber-crimes and the like? Of course, you will receive a general grounding in all kinds of basic laws which a lawyer needs to know, but you will have immense flexibility in designing your own LLB degree that you can study courses suited to your taste, needs and preferences. This is one feature which you find at hardly any other university in India. In fact, the emerging consensus among all NLUs is that the students should be taught the bare minimum courses, with more emphasis being placed on electives which lead to real, relevant learning.

Excellent 24 X 7 library resources make them a much desired place. In fact, during exam days, the buzz of activity centers around the library where most of the students descend for studies. The overworked photocopier guy’s responsibility gets tripled at this point of time as he has to cater to never-ending queues of wanna be barristers for photocopying requests.  Most NLUs boast justifiably about their guest faculty list which literally reads like Who’s Who of celebrated lawyers and other legal luminaries. How many wanna be lawyers can hope to be trained by the likes of Ram Jethmalani and KTS Tulsi?

Rock-solid exposure to practical law in the form of placements (a 36-day attachment with a prominent firm or practitioner) apart from the legendary Moot Court Competitions prepare you for the rough and tumble of professional life. You get an invaluable chance to hone your skills under watchful but helping eyes. The quality of legal training in NLUs can be judged from the fcat that the most coveted Moot Court competition in the USA has been won by an NLU team. Of course, the number of moot courts won domestically runs into a huge figure.

Acivities

It shouldn’t give you the impression that NLUs are all about studies. Plenty of clubs and activities await you to help you recharge your discharged physical batteries, drive away exam blues, maintain fitness or simply bring out the fun part in you. The wide range of student activities covers those most representative of law colleges i.e. Moot Courts, Guest Lectures, Workshops, Negotiations, writing for legal publications et al as well as the literary kinds like Parliamentary debating, Quizzes and Discussion-forums in addition to cultural pursuits like music, dance and theatre as well as the most enthusiastic of sports competitions. In fact, the NLU Bangalore Rock Festival has become a prominent event on the musical circuit, keenly awaited by all music buffs.

Remarkably, most matters involving the organisation of these activities are run by student committees with minimal faculty interference. In the private sphere of the hostels of course there are 'prowling creatures' with even more popular pursuits who answer to the stereotypical descriptions of computer 'gaming-freaks' and 'movie-buffs'.

About Placements

Great placements with reputed law firms e.g. Amarchand Mangaldas, Suresh A Shroff and Co., Luthra and Luthra Law Offices, Bank of Baroda and Securities and Exchange Board of India.
Prominent foreign recruiters include Clifford Chance Llp, Allen and Overy Llp, Linklaters Llp, Simmons and Simmons Llp and Herbert Smith Llp. and corporate houses like ITC, HUL, Bharti are a natural outcome of such rigorous but stimulating legal training regimen.  Though some students opt out of campus placements simply because they find legal practice on their own to be more fulfilling, most students have 2-3 job offers upon graduation. Though the average salary has come down a bit recently, it still hovers around Re. 8-9 p.a.

The overall experience to be gathered at Law school is such that it caters not only to the training of potential advocates or transaction lawyers but also serves as a good base for careers in areas like Journalism, International Relations, Civil Services, Management, Industrial relations and Academics among other things. Several alumni have already distinguished themselves in several occupations that on paper have nothing to do with legal practice. That, in fact, proves the point that these institutions are capable of delivering an education and imparting skills, which empower you to actualize your potential in several areas.