LEGAL EDUCATION WITH ITS WIDE  DIMENSIONS AT GLOBAL COLLEGE OF LAW, “NAAGLOK”, KUSHALIYA, DISTT GHAZIABAD NCR

Legal education, a significant Stream of higher education (UG and PG Courses) is well in place  in  Schedule VII- Concurrent List of the Constitution of India. Through Advocate’s Act 1961, the GOI has given mandate to the Bar Council of India (an apex body to regulate and monitor the legal study and the legal education centres in the form of colleges or Universities to maintain and regulate the standard of legal education. BCI is based with its HQ at 21, Rau’s Avenue Institutional Area, New Delhi and its State level Offices at centres where the  High courts of the respective states are located. HOWEVER, the J&K State does not have the state Bar Council  by now and the necessary functions are being looked into by the High Court of state. The opening of state Bar Council at Srinagar (JK) is in its preparations.

Thus, the BCI has taken responsibility to regulate and monitor the standard of legal education in India.

Degree Course in legal studies:

The BALLB is an integrated Degree Course of 05 Years whereas the LLB is a unitary Degree Course of 03 Years. To keep pace the BCI keeps making research as to how to make the legal study more student centric. As known, other professional and technical degree courses are available right after passing the XII Standard, whereas hitherto, for legal education it was available in the form of LLB (unitary degree Course) after passing Degree Course from a recognized University approved by UGC. To keep a match and compatibility, the BCI has come out on the same pedestal  for the students who passed their XII and desire to prosecute Degree Course in legal studies as  an integrated Degree Course of BALLB, BCOM LLB, BCA LLB, BBALLB of 05 Years.

Accordingly, the first NLU in Bangalore on test basis was opened in 1987. The test had evoked   good results and as such  certain  more number of  NLUs have been since  opened at various centres in India. Today there are 23 NLUs in Various States to facilitate students to avail themselves of opportunity to pursue their Integrated Degree Course of  05 Years. As such, almost all states have been covered with one NLU each and the remaining ones will be covered  in coming few years, opening a big scope for students gravitated towards LEGAL STUDIES.

As known, a melt down  in global economy from 2008 onwards and  India also without  exception  has  remained plunged into , the scope for job opportunities after doing technical degree courses like B Tech, management degree courses of PGDBM/MBA and other degree courses diminished immeasurably, consequently the gravitation of students towards legal study has increased multifold.

As such , Legal Education has steadily grown in India after Independence, but the growth has been exponential in the last three decades. This accelerated pace in the growth of legal education coincided with liberalisation of India’s economy and its increasing integration with a globalised world. Economic liberalisation since 1991 expanded the utility and scope of legal services in India’s economy, corporate sector and public policy. Growing globalisation as well as emergence of trans-national challenges like terrorism and climate change underlined the need for broader and international collaboration in legal research. To improve and coordinate national responses to them and to ensure the protection of states and individuals, countries had to boost investments and research in legal education. At the same time, one must not forget that the lawyer's task is ultimately concerned with justice and social welfare, as  

Max Radin said “any legal teaching that ignores justice has missed most of its point”.

The success, if any, of legal education can be largely attributed to what started as an experiment in 1987 with National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bangalore. What started as the first ever 5-year integrated BALLB (H) programme has become a full-fledged story with as on date  23 National Law Universities (NLUs) set up in  different states and union territories. The 5-year LLB programme has now become the flagship and mainstream law programme today. However, with numerous other law colleges existing and many more coming up, there is a huge dearth of qualified faculty which needs to be re-assessed/ recalculated  by the respective universities in consultation with UGC/HECI/BCI to make the sufficient availability of faculty possible with some flexibility in norms  like teachers with LLM Degree in a particular ratio to be allowed to take forward the teaching in legal study centres.

The admissions to national law schools are currently governed by the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). Admissions and legal education are, however, fraught with hiccups that require urgent attention. The huge proliferation of law colleges, the low level of funding and full-time staffing means that the ability of Indian law schools to undertake substantive research and scholarship was very limited. It is in these circumstances that certain  recent trends in legal education are required to be  discussed.

First is the imposition of an age limit (20 years) by the BCI to pursue law. In a landmark judgment in 2015, the Supreme Court of India scrapped the upper age limit (under Rule 28 of the Legal Education Rules, 2008) imposed by BCI for applicants of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for admissions to state law colleges and universities, making it clear that no age limits can apply to aspirants seeking to study law in the country. However, in November 2016, the BCI restored Rule 28. The upper age limit prescribed under this Rule has again stayed by the Supreme Court in March this year, pending final hearing. Above all, the right to education should not be subordinate to any unavoidable reason like age, economic or social inhibitions.

Second is the changing attitude towards the teaching and curricula in law schools. Despite infrastructural limitations in most law schools, the best law schools in the country still manage to retain students of high calibre and intellect. The quality of the teaching, range of courses and research is top notch. This is further evidenced by the opportunities available for the students of these institutions after graduation; LLMs and PhDs from the best universities in the world, placements in the top firms in India and abroad, and even non law based opportunities. In fact, the most important advantage of a law degree is that  it opens unbound number of  career options available to students   after graduation in law.

Third is as to how to stem attrition (dropping rate ). The  professional degree Courses are  opted by students to build their distinguished career and obviously to make it a respectful earning game to support their own  family and to contribute to society in their capacity. Government of India is expected to connect the legal study with employment opportunities which will make students understand that once they are graduate in  degree course of law with the required score will not sit idle but be employed to earn their game of life and to deliver to society as well.

How to choose the right law school.

The unavoidable question, an aspiring law student will have to answer is what considerations/parameters  should one weigh when picking a law school.

Any decision to select the right law school ought to rest primarily on three factors; the infrastructure available, quality of faculty and the opportunities upon graduation. Despite over 1200 law colleges in the country, very few legal institutions meet these criteria and the GLOBAL COLLEGE OF LAW(GCL) being an exclusive law college with In campus Hostel with all required amenities at NAAGLOK, Village Kushaliya, PO Dasna Hindan Nagar is one  of the top 10 progressive  law colleges in India.  The national law universities, a few private universities and counted number of  legal study centres(colleges)   including GCL are certainly great options for law aspirants. As regards the admission process, most national law universities admit students on the basis of Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). National Law University in Delhi conducts its own exam AILET to admit students. CLAT & AILET remain the most important and competitive law entrance exams in the country. Admission to GCL  is made on the basis of its own entrance Test GCET with preference to CLAT Score Card and norms decided by CCS University Meerut apropos BCI regulations.

Other leading and progressive private law schools across the country like Global College of Law in Ghaziabad (an exclusive law college with in campus hostel), Symbiosis Law School in Pune (also campuses in Noida & Hyderabad), Christ in Bangalore, KIIT in Bhubaneswar, Nirma in Ahmedabad and Amity in Delhi/Noida have also become preferred destinations for legal education for students from across the country. Most of them conduct their own entrance exams like GCETof Global College of Law , SET of Symbiosis or admit on the basis of University merit List with preference to CLAT Score Card.

Why to opt for Global College of Law:

Two decades ago we used to talk about 3Rs – read, write and arithmetic. In the last decade we started talking about Computer Literacy and all students were expected to be computer friendly. Now we are talking of Digital Literacy OR Digitisation. Here at Global College of Law, a full-fledged Computer Lab  for the purpose is in place  where we teach about digi-techs  and also about soft skills with manual teaching support as to how to pronounce words, appropriate grammar, parsing,  construct good sentences to make writings (Pleadings and various other applications )effective.

How to record your own work to flash on social media, BLOGS and YOUTUBE, is   empirically taught and it is supported by  distinguished teachers in GCL .In GCL  a full-fledged laboratory supported by  technical staff  for the purpose is available for students.

Emphasis on English Language of Global Standards: Honestly it is observed that students in general, need emphasis on their knowledge of English Language. Surprisingly the District Courts in Norther India including NCR  are in dearth of Advocates who plead/argue  in English Language. It must be known that quality literature and books of Law are  available  in English language only. Therefore to know law rightly the knowledge of English language with all 03 skills-reading, writing and speaking is required. Here in GCL we are well equipped with quality Text Books, Qualified teachers and above all the milieu for the propose.

In the back drop of globalization, internationalization and privatization the scope for legal education with English medium has increased  unbound. To match  with, the students are expected to take right decision while selecting college for legal study.

Extra version of Law - Jurisprudence:  Curricula, just  syllabus centric is taught in colleges but here in GCL having realized the increasing scope for extra version of jurisprudence, various areas of jurisprudence are on research like Medical Jurisprudence and Poverty Jurisprudence . We have a full fledged laboratory  in place for the purpose which helps students to use their research skills to evolve for the study. It must be known to all that an advocate is expected to know sociology, economics, engineering, medical science and many more  area as  proved by the in-depth study of  Advocates in the matter of Aarushi Murder Case  where Police or CBI failed and the file was going to be wrapped for ever but learned advocates studied the cases afresh through their unparallel skills and the Courts had to give hearing for continuing trial. This is one way where the GCL has made an attempt to streamline the medical Jurisprudence as a  lively lab.

An exclusive Law College with Incampus Hostel: GCL is unparallel in this area. It is operating on standards of NLUs where students are given all opportunities to interact with various visiting faculties and  as a result the score card of students of BALLB has been matchless. It is also proposed to make it more lively and friendly- Reading with playing and Playing with reading in its   sprawling lush green campus in its   pristine beauty.

To conclude, the law course, be it the five year integrated LLB programme or the three year Unitary LLB programme is a great academic experience. Upon completion, the student has varied skills that gives him or her set or temper to pursue numerous career options. Law is intrinsically connected to society, and its transformational impact on society can never be over rated.

Emerging specialisations and popular courses

The governing regulations of the BCI mandate that every law student must undertake a minimum number of mandatory courses – thereby ensuring that each student has a basic understanding of the subject. In addition to these mandatory courses, the student can undertake credit based electives and specialisations. Students are required to research and evaluate what kind of programme or elective is right for them. Apart from the traditional branches such as civil, criminal, corporate, taxation and labour and trade, there are new areas such as Banking, human rights, gender, cyber law, intellectual property law, arbitration, international law, space law and sports law that a student can specialise in. GCL is well equipped in cyber Law, Competition, Company, Arbitration and Public Laws.

A person with a background in legal education can, in addition to practicing law, also seeks career opportunities in other spheres. One of the advantages of a law degree is that there are many career options available to a lawyer after graduation. A student may consider a career in litigation, law firms, corporates, human rights, the NGO sector, public policy, UPSC, the UN, journalism and the like. Legal institutions capitalise on these advantages and help students diversify their career options after law school.

What to expect as a student…

The law school curriculum is structured in a way that exposes the student to many facets of the law. However, one notices that the moment a student joins law school, he or she is focused on joining a Judiciary Services , UPSC Services, Bank services, Corporates, Practicing in Courts   or the like. While it is good to be ambitious and have a plan, the student must not shut out his or her options. It is beneficial to be exposed to different areas of the law and then make a decision on what line to pursue including the above.

At the same time, a tenure at law school specially at Global College of Law can be an exhilarating experience. It is a time to make amazing friends, share different experiences of class study/Mooting/ field work (Legal Aid Clinic, Thana Visit, Tehsil Visit, Jail Visit, Court Visit) and to learn from one another. The social and the academic experience complement each other.

To conclude, the law course, be it the five year integrated BA LLB  or the three  year unitary LLB programme is a great academic experience. Upon completion, the student has possess varied skills that gives him or her  set or temper to pursue numerous career options. Law is intrinsically connected to society, and its transformational impact on society can never be over rated. Law for all through EXHAUSTIVE FIELD and  CLASS WORK with mobile legal aid clinic is the USP of GCL.

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