Introduction:

Legal education means acquiring knowledge and skills of the subjects of law to become legal
professionals. It means teaching law as one of the academic disciplines for the practice of law
and to become member of the profession. Law includes both professional and liberal education
i.e. acquiring professional skills as well as aiming at value-oriented, socio-cultural education. A
lawyer is the product of such education, who is boon for the society as he works for the benefit
and welfare of the society by claiming justice on behalf of his client in the court of law. Legal
education works not only as an instrument of social control but also as instrument of social
change which is imperative to create cultured law abiding citizens, who are inculcated with the
concept of human rights and values which is the essential medium of the change.

 Legal education not only provide justice but create awareness among individuals of their rights,
duties, values, ethics and morals i.e. it create consciousness through law and religion among
society that what is right and wrong and in which direction a person needs to head by following
rule of law.

Legal Education :

Legal education in the India generally refers to the education of lawyers before entry into
practice. Legal education in India is offered by the traditional universities and the specialized law
universities and schools only after completion of an undergraduate degree or as an integrated
degree. legal education seeks to impart appropriate training which should be made available
through professionals. It needs to enable law student to think like a lawyer, to make him familiar
with the basic concepts and principles of law, and make him to learn the basic skills which are
the tools of every lawyer. Only a well-trained lawyer will help the court in the quick and proper
disposal of cases, doing justice to the litigating public and thus help his client too.

History Of Legal Education & Development :

The history of Indian legal education is evolved since time immemorial . It can be divided into
four phases- i. Ancient India, ii. Mughal India, iii. British India and iv. Independent India.

 Laws in Ancient India :

The concept of dharma, in the Vedic period, can be seen as the concept of the legal education in India.
When law was a part of ethics and religion, of morals and values, of philosophy and consciousness .
Although there is no record of formal training in law, the dispensation of justice was to be done by the
king on the basis of a self-acquired training. Justice was also administered by the King through his
appointees who in turn were persons of known integrity and reputation of being fair and impartial. The
guiding force for the King or his appointee was the upholding of the Dharma. Spiritually, it is believed
that the life on the earth is regulated by the laws of the Lord or the Divinity. It is 'rule of law', that draws
the essential difference between human society and animal world. It is the legal education that plays a
pompous role in promoting social justice. Education or awareness of laws, characterize the lawyers as
'Social engineers'.