LAW

AS
CAREER

1
 UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
DEPARTMENT OF LIFELONG LEARNING AND EXTENSION
CERTIFICATE
Name of the Student: FADIA RACCHANA DEEPAK SUREKHA
Class: 1st LLB Div: A Roll No.: 12
College: JITENDRA CHAUHAN COLLEGE OF LAW
Address: Mithibai College Campus, 8TH Floor, Bhakti
Vedanta Marg, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai – 400056.
Project: Career Project
Title: Law as Career
Submitted To: DLLE, University of Mumbai

Signature of Student Signature of Teacher

(Racchana D Fadia) (Dr. Sharmila Ghuge)

Signature of Field Signature of the Principal

Co-ordinator of College with Seal
(Dr. Shrima Bannerjee) (Dr. Priya J. Shah)

Signature of the Director, DLLE with Seal

(Dr. Dilip Patil)

2
 Acknowledgements
I would like to thank respected Dr. Priya J. Shah Ma’am the I/c Principal of Jitendra Chauhan College
of Law for permitting me to take up Career Planning as a project. I would also like to thank respected
Dr. Dilip Patil Sir, the Director of DLLE for sensing the need of our generation to extend our support to
the community.

Respected Dr. Shrima Banerjee Ma’am was a caring field co-ordinator who provided valuable advices
as to how to go about the extension work. I am grateful to respected Dr. Sharmila Ghuge Ma’am
Assistant Professor of Jitendra Chauhan College of Law for guiding us throughout our extension work
activity and motivating us to work more all the time.

Last but not the least, I would like to thank Mr Dhruv Banerjee the Student Manager for helping us
and providing us the necessary support whenever required.

Place: Mumbai

Date: 20.10.2022

Dr Racchana D Fadia

LAW AS CAREER

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Introduction:

In today’s fast paced world of Information age, technology progress and changed geo-political and
socio-economic scenarios, there is a rising demand for Lawyers. Besides, being well paying profession,
Law is an adventurous and exciting career option.

Lawyers are looked upon with respect in our society, and when everything else fails, one can take the
path of legal system for redressal of their grievances. In day-to-day life, one may come across various
situations where legal advice is required. In such situation we need the advice of legal professionals who
analyze and interpret law properly

The knowledge of Law is a must for every person, irrespective of their career choices and if one has the
potentials, becoming a Lawyer along with their other choice of career, is an icing on the cake! After all
ignorance of facts is excused but ignorance of Law is not excused by the Courts of law and it also helps
us to become responsible citizens of our country.

Lawyers advise clients about their legal rights and recommend course of action in a meticulous manner.
They also counsel clients and pre legal documents, such as wills and contracts and conduct negotiations
on legal matters, and may represent clients in court and tribunal proceedings.

Academic excellence does not count for success in this profession. Professional competency acquired
through experience and practice with lawyers is the main benchmark of success.

Purpose for selection of Law as Career option.

In the words of Thomas Jefferson “The study of the law is useful in a variety of points of view. It
qualifies a man to be useful to himself, to his neighbors, and to the public”. Thus, it is indeed very
rightly said by Thomas Jefferson that knowing Law is the most important weapon any individual can
have to protect the interests of himself, his loved ones, friends, relatives.

In today’s era of digitalization, inflation, increasing population, reducing jobs, peer pressure, media
influence, consumerism and resultant materialism, it has led to increased numbers of crimes in the
society, it is very important to know the Law which is one’s savior in times of distress. Law creates
awareness about the single most important manual of Rules which our Country follows, i.e., the revered
Constitution of India and that enlightens us about our fundamental rights as a citizen of India, the
structure of Law, Order and Judiciary in India, its mechanism of functioning, the hierarchy, and Law
also consists of various Acts and procedures to assist administration of justice in the Courts of the
country and appropriate mechanisms for redressal of grievances by its citizens.

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As per a settled principle across the world, it is a given that ignorance of fact is excusable but ignorance
of law is not. Moreover, Law is ever evolving owing to the changing trends in the civilization and
therefore the societies we live in; apart from the cultural, demographic, religious differences added to
today’s evolving internet usage in the information age and its resultant breach and misuse, across the
different parts of the world. And this surely makes Law very interesting!

Besides, there are very few names in the list of Top Lawyers and therefore as a profession, it is in great
demand. Due to the changing world order and the ever-increasing regulatory role being undertaken by
the government there is a steep demand for good lawyers, best at presenting the clients’ matters before
Judges in Courts and that makes it financially lucrative too.

Qualification and Eligibility Criteria

LL.B. refers to a Bachelor of legislative law and can be completed in three or five years course
depending upon the prior undergraduate courses done before applying for entrance exams.

To become a Lawyer, students must clear their Class 12th board exams with minimum 60% aggregate
marks or equivalent CGPA

They must sit for various national level or University level entrance exams such as CLAT, AILET,
LSAT etc

LL.B. degree after graduating is a three-year programme that requires the student to have completed a
bachelor’s degree in any area before being accepted for a three-year law degree course in recognized
Universities.

Previously, the Bar Council of India (BCI) imposed an age restriction of 30 years, but after receiving
criticism from the Supreme Court, the BCI decided to raise the age limit to 45 years for 3-year law
degrees. Students who complete a three-year LL.B. programme get a bachelor’s degree in law’s core
subjects

A five-year LLB, on the other hand, is an integrated law programme in which students do not have to go
through graduation twice, i.e., three years of graduation in any field followed by three years of law.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) used to have a 20-year age limit for pursuing a five-year LLB degree,
but after receiving criticism from the Supreme Court, the age requirement was increased to 22 years.
Thus, students who complete a five-year Intergrated LL.B. course get a law degree combined with a
bachelor’s degree in the arts, humanities, commerce, science, or engineering such as B.A. LL.B, B.Com.
LL.B, B.Sc. LL.B.

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LL.M. i.e., Masters of Legislative Law, is a postgraduate course after LL.B which is a bachelor’s degree
in law from a recognized university or college. Students who have LL.M. degree can also become a
lawyer.

Reason or Object of pursuing said career :

Law has a crucial role in the Judicial System, which is one of the most fundamental foundations of
Democracy and the progress of a Nation.

Judicial system is the backbone of the Nation and plays undeniably the most crucial role for its progress.
Lawyers constitute the Bar & the Bench. Hence this profession gives a unique opportunity to serve the
nation. Like the Father of our Nation: Gandhiji who was also a Lawyer

Those interested to engage with challenges, problems, and arguments, and those who do not like
monotonous work, this career gives rewarding experience because of:

Influence: Lawyers are linked with prestige because society pays attention to impressive appearance,
high salary, and legal power.

Diversity: A career in Law consists of a variety of opportunities in the legal field as well as in paralegal
fields such as Consultancy services, Corporate Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Real estate Law,
Secretaries, Mediators, Judges, Law Firm Administrator, Chief Financial Officer, Patent Attorney,
Immigration Assistant, Mediator, Trade Mark Attorney and many more

Opportunities and Growth: The revenue and profit of legal professionals has expanded in recent times.

Power To Make a Difference: With the knowledge of Law, one can a stand for the cause and defend it
in best manner in the best interest of that cause. For example, in the matters of Bhopal Gas Tragedy &
D.K. Basu Cases.

Awareness of Rights and Duties: Law makes aware about current rights and responsibilities. No one
dares to bother Lawyers illegally and unnecessarily.

Who is a Lawyer

A trained and licensed professional who prepares legal documents to manage, prosecute or defend the
action of the court. Lawyers are the legal advisors who provide solutions to various legal issues.
Lawyers deal with issues like crimes, civil disputes, torts, corporate law, property disputes, marriage
issues, divorce, and also international law.

Lawyers are in charge of giving respite to their clients who are unable to fight cases for themselves
before the Judiciary. Lawyers are paid well for the types of cases that they take up.

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Duties of a Lawyer:

Depending on the specialization chosen by a Lawyer, they utilize their legal knowledge to assist clients
in understanding and navigating legal issues:

Creating legal documents and submitting them to the appropriate courts and authorities

Taking briefs from clients

Attending client trials and hearings

Collaborate with policemen and detectives

Reviewing a case and advising clients on legal choices

Representing their client’s case before the judge

Since the language of law is very different from the common English, Lawyers are required to properly
analyze, interpret and explain the law properly to their clients along with all different options pertaining
to their matters.

Lawyers advise clients about their legal rights and recommend course of action.

Lawyers also counsel clients and prepare legal documents, such as wills and contracts and conduct
negotiations on legal matters, and represent clients in court and tribunal proceedings.

What helps to achieve excellence in this profession are the eight lamps of advocacy and a few of them
are the communication skills, reasoning, intellect, presence of mind and tact that gets best results for the
clients.

Like any other profession, professional competency is acquired through experience and practice with
Senior experience Lawyers / Counsels which helps getting groomed for success.

Interviewing a person from said career:

Name: Adv (Dr) Hitesh Bhatt

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Institution: B And S Medicolegal Consultancy Services

Designation: Medicolegal consultant LL.B.

M.D. Gynaec

Address: C/O Rainbow Women S Hospital,Swami Shivanand Society, Chakala Road; Andheri(E),, Nr
Cigarette Factory, Mumbai-400099

Contact Details: +91 9833 966 522

E-Mail: drhiteshbhatt@hotmail.com

Education:

Post Graduate Diploma in Medicolegal Systems from Symbiosis Distant Learning Programme Pune

LL.B. from MN Law college Ahmedabad

M.D. (Obst Gyn) from Baroda Medical College, M. S. University Vadodara

Post Graduate Diploma in Medicolegal Systems.

Professional Experience: Overall 22 years pertaining to

Medicolegal complaints filed in Consumer forums

Preventive Medicolegal Law

Criminal / Civil litigations.

Q 1. When did you start B And S Medicolegal Consultancy Services?

Ans.: In the year 2013

Q 2. What made you venture out into an altogether different professional despite being a Superspecialist
Doctor already? Are you happy to take this decision?

Ans: It was my passion and interest in law which made me help my fellow colleagues in medical field
with aspects of Law and that in turn, led me to out-of-the-box thinking about a prospective full-time
career in Law as a medical professional. After Consumer Protection Act was passed there was a dearth
of Lawyers to defend their clients since mainstream hard-core Lawyers were unable to understand the
medical terminologies and hence unable to represent the matters before the Courts in best light
especially about aspects of medical sciences and humanities. I realized the need for this huge gap in
medicolegal services which requires an interpreter to build a bridge between the two professions and my
thus interest in law propelled me towards taking it seriously as my mainstream Forte and diversify my
career in this direction.

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So yes, it has been an amazing journey and I love what I do and this has been the best decision of my
life.

Q 3. What types of services you give under your organization?

Ans.: We provide health care units with all kinds of legal support a hospital needs in today’s world of
increasing cases against doctors and hospitals.

We are affiliated with almost 60 to 100 healthcare units including corporate industry.

We are providing all sorts of medicolegal solutions to any stake holders in matters pertaining to
consumer complaints and medical councils, any medical law, we are also affiliated with corporate
chains.

We also started a unique concept for the first time in India of PREVENTIVE MEDICOLEGAL
SERVICES and MEDICOLEGAL AUDITS for the health care units wherein we offer following
services:

a) Check for the documents including various registers, case papers etc. If found inappropriate the
relevant doctor/staff is informed & trained for the same. We call it medical audit.

b) Advise on various licenses required.

c) Training sessions with Doctors, nursing staff on consent taking, Biomedical Waste handling,
operation theatre protocols, medical emergency etc.

d) Advice on day-to-day basis for any legal issue like format of consent when patient wants to take
discharge against medical advice, documents to be taken before treating a foreigner, documentation of
examination of a rape victim, proceedings in case of death on table etc. so that the client does not
commit something which can go against him in future.

e) Advice the hospitals on contracts made with associate doctors, employees, pharmacy, pathology
laboratory, ambulance, other hospital, security etc.

f) Help in making and developing rule book and SOP for the hospital.

g) ADR for any dispute between our client hospital and any other person.

h) Medicolegal CME and seminar once in a year.

i) If any case is filed against our client Hospital or doctor, we provide the grounds of defense and
drafting for the same to the lawyer of the hospital.

Q 4. How many years have you been in this career?

Ans.: From last Twenty-Two years I have been associated with the profession.
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Q 5. Who are the competitors of your organization? How you look after this

competition?

Ans.: Frankly speaking there is such a huge demand-supply gap there is no competition in the true sense
of the word. Besides I always have this approach, that I am always my own competitor. I always try to
better myself every day by continuously upgrading my knowledge and expertise in the field to provide
best services and solutions to my clients

Q 6. Do your clients seek discounts just like any other professional services field? If yes, is this
becoming a trend in this Industry?

Ans.: No, my clients are in fact willing to pay because, firstly my charges are affordable and worth it.
Hence second question doesn’t apply.

Q 7. Are you working as Advocate on a part time or a fulltime basis?

Ans: Fulltime as am happier by helping more doctors and it gives me a sense of satisfaction

Q 8. Do you also conduct academic workshops or author books/ journals in your field?

Ans: Yes definitely, in fact, I have authored chapters in textbooks having widespread subscribers from
medical and law faculty to understand the bridge that connects these two professions and help interpret
law relevant to medical sciences; such as “Consent in OBGYN”, “Law the Doctor must know”. We also
have launched a website www.consent4doctor.com to educate doctors about the various preventive
aspects of their clinical practice to avoid medicolegal complaints and subscription for availing our
specialist services.

Q 9. What are your views about the future of this sector?

Ans.: There is certainly a huge need in Medicolegal consultancy as there is a dearth of trained Medical
doctors who take up Law as a profession for such increasing number of medicolegal cases. There are
increasing number of matters and litigations with increased awareness about Consumer Law. Therefore,
most healthcare units, clinics and corporates in the medical field are now having a fixed budget
allocated for Medicolegal consultants on their Board who will always guide them on prevention aspects,
conduct regular audits to ensure safe environments and bail out in matters of unfortunate incidents of
medical negligence.

Q 10. What are the Pros about being a Medicolegal Consultant as of today?

Ans: a. First and foremost, there is No competition as Demand is more and Supply is way less

b. It has a very good compensation / income

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c. There is an Assured and regular source of income whereas Doctors depend on daily patient head
counts usually

d. Great rewarding satisfaction

e. Flexibility of working hours

Q 11. What are the Cons about being a Medicolegal Consultant that you have experiences?

Ans: a. The only thing in my case I can think is that there is more time consumed in travelling for
regular audit work across all health care units and it is an indispensable part of the job.

Q 12. What are your future prospective plans?

Ans.: We aim to create more awareness in the faculty of medical doctors about legal aspects of
medicine. We also plan to prepare a second generation of juniors in Medico-legal Law and train them in
various aspects of Law as per their interest and passion.

Social help through the career

The legal system affects our society in many ways, and lawyers contribute to the growth and freedom of
society.

Lawyers are advocates and advisors for our society. They work to represent individuals and
corporations in Court trials to promote justice in criminal trials.

Lawyers are in a unique position to support people, groups, and organizations with their legal issues and
to further the public good. Public interest litigation advocates civil campaigns for society's greater good
to support those in need of legal assistance who might otherwise not be able to afford lawyers. Personal
attorneys also do Bono work to help people with low incomes.

Lawyers work as advisors to their clients, informing them of their rights, the processes of law and help
them navigate the sometimes-tricky legal system

When a big corporation attempts to take advantage of an individual or small party of individuals,
Lawyers can work to protect the individual’s rights, and keep the bigger party from strong-arming the
smaller party.

Apart from fighting cases, lawyers provide their skills and knowledge to the society by doing pro bono
cases and lending legal services to the poor and needy. Legal aid services in India spread across the
entire country, work for the poor class of people and assist the needy who cannot afford any lawyer,
with professional Lawyers who do not charge these people for their services.

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Advantages of Being a Lawyer:

a. Variety of career options

As a lawyer, you can choose from several career options in the both public and private sectors. After
passing the bar exam, can choose the specialty you're most passionate about. From real estate to
corporate law, there are many ways to find fulfillment in this profession

b. Starting your own business

After getting a law degree and a decent amount of experience, one can start their own business. Having
own business as a lawyer, one can decide its manner of operating this business. For example, one can
work with multiple clients at a time in consultancy business or for security purpose can work with a
single client for an extended period of time for greater consistency and job security.

c. Lucrative career

A skilled Lawyer gets highly remunerated depending upon area of expertise and success rate in past
litigations.

d. Intellectual stimulation

Many people find routine work as monotonous, but as a lawyer, every different case in your field of
passion can provide you with plenty of mental stimulation and challenges. Some of the responsibilities
include understanding complex legal theories and determining the possible outcomes for clients when it
comes to a case. To do this, it requires the capability of solving problems, form a hypothesis and create
a legal strategy to benefit the client in the courtroom. It may be akin to Sherlock Holmes novels and
hence very rewarding to those who are always motivated with challenges and adventures.

e. Adaptable skills

As a lawyer, there are several opportunities to gain and grow multiple skills that can transfer to another
career. For example, one can use your negotiation skills as a lawyer in a real estate profession, can use
their problem-solving skills as a customer service representative or the research skills as a legal
consultant.

f. Ability to help others

As a lawyer, one has the ability to help businesses and people in need. While this profession allows you
to seek justice for these parties, it also provides one with emotional rewards. Depending on the
perspective, this can be more beneficial than the money earned in this profession. Winning a case and
resolving a distressed client's problem apart from the ability to effect change and create a positive

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impact and prove even more emotionally satisfying and therefore gain Respect and admiration of the
society

g. Flexibility

While some lawyers may have unpredictable schedules, for the most part, this career allows one to fit
their schedule to their particular needs. Working for a law firm may even allow to work from home in
this post covid era. Therefore, having this option lets you spend more time with family, giving a greater
work-life balance overall. Also, can hire an assistant to help with duties.

h. Safety and Protection: Safety from bullies and crooks as they cannot mess up with Officers of
the Court.

Disadvantages of Being a Lawyer:

a. High stressful situations

As Lawyers, it's important to meet deadlines and the demands of your clients. You may also come in
contact with stressful and emotional cases that can have a negative impact on your mental health.
Having control of your emotions is of utmost importance to find success in this career.

b. Long hours

Even if you have a flexible schedule, there may be some days where you need to put in long hours to
help your clients (who may have urgent matters.) This is mostly the case for new lawyers barely starting
their careers. While a normal workweek consists of 40 hours, some lawyers put in 60 to 90 hours each
week depending on the needs of the case they're working on.

c. Expensive education

In case you cannot get a suitable rank in Merit List required for admission in Government of Partially
aided Law Institutions, other private law schools come with a large price tag. Typically, the better the
law school, the higher the educational expense. Therefore such new lawyers may not be able to pay off
their debt as quickly as they'd hope to.

d. Not as many client opportunities

If a client seeks legal advice or counsel, they don't always have to go to a lawyer for help. Recently,
there's been an increase in the number of self-service products, self-help legal websites, legal document
technicians and virtual law offices. While these may not always be the most reputable options on legal
matters, they still divert prospective clients away from lawyers.

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e. Client's aren't spending as much

Clients have become more aware of legal fees and the prices lawyers charge for their services. When
they're more conscious of their legal spending, it forces lawyers to offer more reasonable rates to retain
their business. Cheaper alternatives may make them take their business elsewhere. For example, if your
legal fees are too high, prospective clients may go to a paralegal or use technology to help answer their
questions. This essentially results in a loss of profit and business for lawyers.

f. Negative stigma

While being a lawyer is a reputable career, there's always a chance you could earn a poor public image.
Even if you win your cases, you may not be able to escape the negative reputation and jokes from the
general public in current times and changed world order.

g. Difficult clients

As a lawyer, you can often choose which clients you want to represent. However, for being able to earn
a steady income, this option may not be viale. While some clients may be friendly and professional, this
may not always be the case. There may be situations when you don't particularly like some of your
clients, however, it's your job to offer them the best representation to maintain your reputation.

h. Competitive job market

There is a strong competition for this profession when it comes to the job market. This is because the
number of recent graduates continues to exceed the job opportunities available. When there are fewer
opportunities for lawyers to take advantage of, it can become stressful for legal professionals to find
worthwhile positions—or any positions at all for that matter.

i. Increased reliance on technology

The rise in technology has influenced the legal landscape. To become a successful lawyer, you need to
understand a wide range of technological platforms such as management tools, typing tools and
softwares on computers, spreadsheets and billing software. Staying up-to-date with these technological
advances can be a hassle for individuals who aren't as technologically savvy. As previously mentioned,
the rise in technology can also divert clients to online legal services that can offer help at a cheaper rate.

j. Law changes

As a lawyer, it's important to keep your knowledge of the law up-to-date and follow changes as they
occur. This means you need to put in a heavy amount of research on each case to ensure you're
following current legal practices and regulations. While it may not always be the case, staying up-to-
date on these changes can feel overwhelming and result in long days at the office

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k. Lawyers cannot disclose confidential information

l. Possibilities of making many enemies while fighting for several cases

Related Occupations:

• Criminal Lawyer.

• Corporate Lawyer.

• Environmental Law

• Family Law

• Consumer Law

• Judicial Services.

• Legal Journalist.

• Legal Analyst.

• Civil Lawyer.

• Legal Advisor.

• Trademark Law Analyst

• Patent Attorney

• Cyber Law

• Immigration Law

• Medicolegal Law

• Investigation Agencies

• Paralegal: a synonym of a legal assistant who works either in public law firms or private law
firms who perform various legal tasks for attorneys.

• Law Firm Administrator [Also called Chief Operating Officers/Chief Managing Officers]

• Chief Financial Officer

• Company Secretary

• Mediator

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• Legal Journalism

• N.G.O.

• Taxation Law

• Labor Law

• International Law

• Constitutional Law

• Administration Law

• Real Estate Law

Conclusion

Law is required in almost every aspect of life to safeguard the interest of all the stakeholders in a
particular section of society or profession at individual level or at Business/Corporate levels.

The legal sector offers various career opportunities in different fields of specialisation. Choosing the
integrated specialisation career option according to interests and aspirations is best approach. By
integrating the knowledge of Law along with the specific area of one’s passion / interest makes one
have an altogether specialised niche in their area of profession. For example, for a creative person who
loves to write, pursuing a career in legal journalism would be best. However, having strong
interpersonal and oration skills, can aid success in civil lawyer. It is important to make a decision based
on all factors before making an informed decision regarding Law as a either a career or an integrated
valuable assistance in the personal choice of business / practice / profession as a paralegal.

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17
 Law
as
Career

UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
DEPARTMENT OF LIFELONG LEARNING AND EXTENSION
CERTIFICATE
18
Name of the Student: FADIA RACCHANA DEEPAK SUREKHA
Class: 1st LLB Div: A Roll No.: 12
College: JITENDRA CHAUHAN COLLEGE OF LAW
Address: Mithibai College Campus, 8TH Floor, Bhakti
Vedanta Marg, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai – 400056.
Project: Essay
Title: Law as Career
Submitted To: DLLE, University of Mumbai

Signature of Student Signature of Teacher

(Racchana D Fadia) (Dr. Sharmila Ghuge)

Signature of Field Signature of the Principal

Co-ordinator of College with Seal
(Dr. Shrima Bannerjee) (Dr. Priya J. Shah)

Signature of the Director, DLLE with Seal

(Dr. Dilip Patil)

Acknowledgements

19
I would like to thank respected Dr. Priya J. Shah Ma’am the I/c Principal of Jitendra Chauhan College
of Law for permitting me to take up Career Planning as a project. I would also like to thank respected
Dr. Dilip Patil Sir, the Director of DLLE for sensing the need of our generation to extend our support to
the community.

Respected Dr. Shrima Banerjee Ma’am was a caring field co-ordinator who provided valuable advices
as to how to go about the extension work. I am grateful to respected Dr. Sharmila Ghuge Ma’am
Assistant Professor of Jitendra Chauhan College of Law for guiding us throughout our extension work
activity and motivating us to work more all the time.

Last but not the least, I would like to thank Mr Dhruv Banerjee the Student Manager for helping us
and providing us the necessary support whenever required.

Place: Mumbai

Date: 20.10.2022

Dr Racchana D Fadia

Law As Career
When it comes to the choice of career, we are often times asked by everyone right from our childhood
“what will you become when you grow up?” and from that time onwards, it sets our thinking brain into
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action which does keep hopping from one choice to another for a career that we will finally put our
fingers on, by the time we are graduating out from schools. It is indeed very rare to hear from children
that they wish to become a ‘Lawyer’, except in cases where parents or grandparents belong to this
profession.

In my case it was altogether a different story though. I clearly remember my family would always get
me the Doctor play set as a child to play with. I was so fascinated with the black stethoscope in my ears
and I would be the one who would role play as Doctor with my local play group friends who played the
part of patients. Hence whenever I was questioned as a child what I wanted to become, I would
immediately chirp out in euphoria with a glow of enthusiasm, “I will become a Doctor”. I consider
myself truly blessed and fortunate I could achieve my childhood dream and after clearing M.B;B.S. I
could specialise in Dermatology. One of our neighbour Aunty patted my back and recalled those days
when she had asked me this question and I lived up to the answer told to her as a child.

In fact, I never ever even though once that I shall be studying subjects of Law in future because for me,
most of the times I saw Lawyers only outside smaller courts seeking your attention for notary services
etc and my pigeon-hole focus on only my area of expertise as a Dermatologist lead to poor interest in
Law or Politics. Therefore, seeing those people in black and white uniforms standing outside the smaller
courts inviting almost every passer-by to offer their services at cheaper prices, somehow gave me a not-
so-good image of lawyers in my head, as I wasn’t aware about the real art and glamour of world class
advocacy skills practiced by famous Lawyers / Counsels/ Attorneys in the Nation and the most
important benefit of protection bestowed upon personal lives through knowledge of law.

However, it seems that destiny had another plan for me. While I was progressing in my field, a storm
erupted in my family which pulled me hard to pursue the studies of Law. So, Law for me, indeed started
as a dire need of the hour during my personal legal matters but it has made me realise that had I studied
Law earlier, I would have been able to avoid the entire tragedy that occurred with our family. And the
knowledge of Law has went on to become an important eyeopener for me to the world of rights, the
foundation of any civilizations based on Law, Order and Judiciary of any Country.

It is indeed very thought-provoking that despite being an educated Doctor neither was I aware about
Law and nor did I think it is important to know the Law of the motherland. Myself and my family paid a
huge price for this legal naivety and we have been taken for a ride by crooks and criminals preying upon
the naïve laymen of the country. If educated doctors family can be so treated by the crooks, what about
the poor, uneducated and underprivileged sections of the society surviving on hand-to-mouth
circumstances. I wish I became a Lawyer much earlier, then my Father would have been alive today!

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Only after beginning to study Law, I realised that knowledge of law is as important as survival in this
country which is burdened by overflowing number of court cases and meagre number of Judges to solve
them leading to delays of years and years before being able to even think about getting justice or
resolution for legal matters.

Today I look back and analyse my lack of knowledge has costed me my mental peace and harmony in
life that derailed all of the dreams and passions I held close to my heart because I never knew that it is
my fundamental right as a citizen of this country to visit any Government Department and inspect any
documents as that is a public document and it is published by the General Administration Department of
State Ministry. I never knew the power that Right to Information Act 2005 yields in the hands of
informed citizens.

Recently, after learning about Consumer Protection Act and utilising the knowledge in some personal
matter, I could get out of some difficult situations on consumer issues where I was being tried to be
taken for a ride. However, my knowledge of law came to my rescue and I could get the appropriate
speedy resolution from the company.

In a recent near harmful incident, I could immediately register a police complaint as I have been daring
to raise voice against politically well-connected criminals and frauds and my existence has become a
threat to their freedom. I may have failed to insist the local police to register that complaint and
safeguard myself in such scenario, was it not for the study of Law I started in 2022.

Thus, I realised it the hard way that the best way to avoid the sufferings because of the lacunae,
loopholes and the pitfalls in Indian Judicial system, due to mounting list of cases per day in a country of
138 crore population, wherein almost 2 crores out of that live on the relatively small reclaimed island of
Mumbai, it is a no-brainer to first become self-aware and know the Law of the Place we live in, that will
altogether prevent us from becoming victims of crimes or legal entanglements because of the ignorance
about rules and regulations in the country, law and order machinery. This helps us to be of help to our
near and dear ones, friends, relatives, neighbours, society alike.

I had a very faint idea about the medico-legal services but after taking the interview of a well-
established Medicolegal consultant during the DLLE Project, I even realised that apart from the
invaluable advantage of the great shield that Law offers to an individual, its knowledge can be
integrated with one’s passion. One can combine the knowledge of Law and their other field of interest to
create stand out in that particular field with a specific niche that caters other professionals of that field.

For example, in my case, being a medical professional, I have a great opportunity to become a
medicolegal consultant as there is a huge demand in this untapped field which needs real good
interpreters of medical sciences and Law to bridge the gap of communications between these two
Professions to assist the Courts in administration of justice. Also, many institutions and health care units
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don’t mind to have on their board a Medicolegal consultant who can guide them on various aspects of
safety, prevention and legalities of medical practice.

Besides in the current age of digitalisation of finances, there are increasing number of cases of online
frauds and criminal offences. Hence anyone passionate about technology and internet can diversify in
the most upcoming and relatively new branch of Law called Cyber law. This is very challenging as
Cyber law professionals have to deal mostly with Government officials who seek specialist services of
Cyber law professionals in the many cases of online frauds and complaints they receive now-a-days.

One who may be interested in Land and property can integrate their knowledge of M.O.F.A., R.E.R.A,
S.R.A., The Registration Act etc to excel in Real estate law

One who is interested in teaching may take up jobs as Lecturers and Professors in various law Colleges
and groom the future generations for a better legal system in our country which is the foundation of
democracy in our country

One who is good in their language, research, and communications can become skilled arbitrators,
mediators, counsels, research workers. Those who have penchant for Accounts/ taxation can join
Corporate Law that has great potentials. For science enthusiasts, there is also an interesting field of
Intellectual Property Rights and Patent Laws that needs integration of scientific inventions and
discoveries safeguarded by Law from getting claimed by second party or copied or plagiarised.

Apart from the above, I have personally realised that there are so many opportunities opened up for a
Lawyer to serve our nation through their knowledge of Law. One can start various public organisations
to work for the betterment of downtrodden, N.G.O.s, file Public interest Litigation for the larger causes
in the society such as environment pollution, harmful effect of radiations, safety measures in industries,
education and awareness programmes for the weaker sections of the society, free legal services to the
poor.

Overall, my experience and rendezvous with the Law as a career has been a such a wonderful and
empowering journey. Especially the wholehearted support and guidance from my Teachers and
colleagues in the esteemed Jitendra Chauhan College of Law, where I got admission is also deeply
satisfying.

I am so grateful to all my vibrant respected Teachers, staff of the college, administration, the facilities
provided and the amazing enthusiastic and zealous colleagues always willing to offer a helping hand at
the College. This all makes the environment of the College so conducive and pleasant. In fact, after my
first semester exams, I didn’t like the vacations and was looking forward eagerly to start attending the
classes again. I would go to the extent that the constant worries of harrowing legal matters in my

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personal life got eased out to a great deal after starting to attend Law college and I was so excited just
when the second semester classes were about to start at the college.

I am a proud alumnus of my Law College and will remain grateful to my new-found Alma-mater for
being an important part of my journey of self-empowerment and redemption from the negative effects
of personal legal matters. I wish, I pray and I hope that with the help, support and guidance of my
Teachers and like-minded colleagues I am able to utilise this knowledge of Law for serving our nation
in a larger cause some day, so that some other daughter may not require to lose her Father only due to
the lack of knowledge about Law!

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 UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
DEPARTMENT OF LIFELONG LEARNING AND EXTENSION

CERTIFICATE

SIGNATURE OF TEACHER

SIGNATURE OF FIELD CO-ORDINATOR

SIGNATURE OF PRINCIPAL OF COLLEGE WITH SEAL

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