WHY LAW?

- AN IDIA
 WHY LAW…

 Because “law means power”

 Financial stability

 Employment security

 Scope of success

 Various options available after Law

 An outlet for expressing creativity

Not just Courts – but law firms, NGO’s, international organisations (UN)
Different Specialisations: Media law, Environmental Law, Medical Law, Corporate
Law, Space Law, Human Rights Law…
 FOR WHOM SUCCESS BECAME MORE THAN JUST
A DREAM…

 Sarosh Homi Kapadia, CJI, started his career as a class IV

employee.
 K. G. Balakrishnan, the 37th CJI, studied at a Government
school for which he had to walk 5 kms. every day.
 Nani Palkhiwala, was born to middle class blue collar
workers

“Really, it is a matter of pride for us, but what I achieved is the

result of hard labour and integrity…”
- K. G. Balakrishnan
 NATIONAL LAW SCHOOLS AND THE FREEDOM
MOVEMENT

• First British model law school was opened at Agra in 1823

• The main leaders of independence movement like Mahatma Gandhi,
Jawaharlal Nehru were all lawyers.

• Post independence there was an explosion in opening law colleges and this
led to great deterioration of the profession.

• With severe fall in standards, government tried to emulate the US law school
pattern

• Professor NR Madhav Menon changed the landscape of legal education after

establishing the National Law School India University in 1988.

• At present there are 913 Law schools across India.

• Law is taught as a 3years program after graduation as well as the 5 years

integrated course after 12th.
SOME PROMINENT LAW SCHOOL’ITES

NANDAN
VIKRAM NELVIGI
RAGHAVAN (PARTNER,
(WORLD BANK) WHITE AND
CASE)

RAHUL ARUN
CHERIAN THIRUVENGADAM
(INCLUSIVE (PROFESSOR AT
PLANET) NUS)
ASHISH ARUN SIVARAMJANI
OWNER OF THAMBISETTI
OFFSHORE (ACADEMIC
RESEARCH TEACHING AT
PARTNERS (LPO) LSE
AT 25

SHIBANI GHOSH
NUJS, RHODES JOEY
SCHOLAR, 2006 MATHEWS
(MODEL)
 LIST OF NATIONAL LAW SCHOOLS

 National Law School of India University, Bangalore

 NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
 National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata
 National Law Institute University, Bhopal
 National Law University, Jodhpur
 National Law University, Delhi
 KIIT Law School, Bhuvaneshwar
 Gandhinagar National Law University, Gandhinagar
 Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur
 Ram Manohar Lahiya National Law University, Lucknow
 Chanakya National Law University, Patna
 Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala
 National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi
 National Law University, Ranchi
 National Law University, Bhubhaneshwar
 OTHER INSTITUTES

 Indian Law School, Pune

 Government Law College, Mumbai
 Faculty of Law, Delhi University
 University Institute of Legal Studies, Punjab University
 Symbiosis Law School, Pune
 University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun
 Christ Law College, Bangalore
 Amity Law School, Noida
LAW SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE
WHY A NATIONAL LAW SCHOOL

 National Law Schools aim at

imparting legal education to
students akin to what the IITs
have thus far achieved.
 The Pedagogy, State of the Art
Infrastructure, exposure for
Internships, regular moot
courts and Practical training of
day to day legal problems has
helped graduates from these
schools in the past to make a
mark in different areas of the
legal profession.
 AFTER A LEGAL EDUCATION

 Law Firms (AZB Partners, Amarchand Mangaldass, JSA, Luthra and

many more)
 International Organizations (United Nations, WTO, Amnesty
International, GreenPeace)
 Judicial Services
 NGO’s and Activism
 Litigation

 Post Graduation and Research

 Lectureship/Professorship
BECAUSE A LAW SCHOOL CONTAINS MORE
THAN JUST LAW!
AND BECASE WE ALL NEED LAWYERS…
 ITS ALSO ABOUT THE MONEY, HONEY!

Average expected monthly salaries provided in different extensions of legal

education:

Corporates 45000 – 65000 pm

Law Firms 55000 – 95000 pm
PSUs 40000 – 25000 pm
International Org. 25000 – 35000 pm
NGOs 5000 – 25000 pm
Litigation 0 – 20000 pm
ACCESS BARRIERS: WHAT STOPS ME FROM GETTING
THERE??

 CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)

- For admission to any of the National Law Schools,
qualifying the CLAT is compulsory.
- The application forms cost Rs. 2500 each with examination
centers located mostly in urban areas.
- The exam comprises of GK, English, Mathematics, Legal
and Logical reasoning
- Cracking the CLAT requires rigorous and consistent
training
- High participation and competition
NATIONAL LAW SCHOOLS
- High fees
- Cost of living (laptop, books, et cetera)
 ENTER IDIA – WHAT IS IT?
(Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education)

The IDIA project seeks to find ways to reach out to the marginalised and under-
represented groups, sensitise them to law as a career option and help those interested to
acquire admission to these law schools.

It is hoped that such access to legal education would go some way towards empowering
the marginalised and under privileged students and the communities that they
represent.

Indeed, all of us who are part of the legal juggernaut have a collective responsibility in
ensuring that marginalised sections are able to directly deploy the instrumentality of law
to improve their lot and to contribute towards the creation a more just and fair society.

Add to that the influx of diverse student populations would make for a more optimal mix
of views and perspectives at such law schools and consequently enrich the process of
education itself.

In short, improving access to legal education would improve diversity at law schools
and various other legal institutions (law firms, NGOs, etc. that hire such law students) and
contribute to empowerment of marginalised communities
 BECAUSE YOU DESERVE THE EDUCATION

•IDIA aims at preparing students for getting admission to the best of the National Law
Schools.

•It starts with an aptitude test where the students who score well will be selected,
trained/mentored by students of National Law Schools, for a year, to help them crack the
CLAT

•This is also done with the help of professional training from institutes like IMS, books
(Manorama Year Book), et cetera

•Once these students crack the entrance exam, all expenses pertaining to the education
(estimated about 8.7 lakhs/per student, for 5 year course) shall be funded by our project,
apart from providing a monthly stipend.

•We assure that once in a Law School, selected students feel at home, are able to cope up
with the course structure and don’t feel any different or disadvantaged in comparison to
any other student.