This Article is written by Anurag Singh ( a law student from GGSIPU, New Delhi.)
Introduction
It is quite ironic that most people who pursue law in our country do not know the full form of the abbreviation ‘LL.B.’. Such facts clearly indicate the nature of the courts of our country- evolving but at a stagnant rate. Every person wishes not to visit two places in their lifetime- a court and a hospital. While the former decides the fate of people, the latter decides their survival. However, be it a courtroom or an ICU of a hospital, the real warriors wear coats. It is just the colour that makes the difference. The legal profession is one of the most respectable positions in society. There is a reason why the client addresses his/her lawyer as ‘Vakeel Sahab!’. This is because they see hope, expectations and ambition. The typical nature of a man in a black coat can be guessed from the fact that a lawyer is a person who writes a 10,000-word document and calls it a brief.
History of Legal Education in India
The study of law in our country has its origin in ancient India when the concept of ‘Dharma’ was prevailing. The Kings either used to dispense justice themselves or appoint Judges and Assessors to administer justice, not necessarily trained in law but who were known for their righteousness and justness and had the reputation of being fair and impartial. Though it was only in the year 1857 when the first formal step in the field of legal studies was taken. Three universities were established (one each in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay) where legal education was introduced as a subject for teaching.[1] The establishment of these universities can be termed as the cradle of formal legal education in our country. Although, legal education was still in its early stage, yet a beginning had been made to transform and generate great lawyers in our country India.
Setting up of National Law Universities
This was a masterstroke when it comes to imparting legal education in India. Before the establishment of NLU’s, a student first had to do complete graduation and only after that law as a discipline could be studied. This changed with the establishment of the first National Law University in Bangalore in the year 1985.[2] These law universities offered a five-year integrated course that a student could join just after completing his intermediate. It ensured that graduation as a prerequisite to study law was no longer needed with the establishment of these NLU’s. At present, there are 22 NLU’s in India, each serving the goal of making the nation a formidable one when it comes to lawyers and legal education.
Common-Law Admission Test (CLAT) Exam
This exam is one of the ways to grasp legal education in the country. However, CLAT was first conducted in the year 2008. Before 2008, every National Law University of the country used to conduct their separate exams and also the admission process was also separate for every university. This caused immense agony to the law aspirants since it was not possible to fill up the examination forum of every university and then be present to give their respective exams. Since every NLU had its own exam, the schedule of these tests often conflicted with the tests of other NLUs and other major entrance exams like IIT-JEE and AIPMT. This resulted in students missing out on some tests. Moreover, not every university had a similar exam pattern. So, it was difficult for students to prepare specifically for each exam according to the pattern. Unbearable mental pressure on students forced the core committee to take a decision regarding a common exam for admission to all NLU’s.
Another notable aspect of law exams is the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) conducted by the National Law University, New Delhi. Of all the NL U’s in the country, NLU Delhi is the only one to conduct a separate exam for admission in the present case scenario. Thus, any student in India, who wants to pursue a specialized course in law after the 12th standard has a multitude of options, be it the NLUs or the private institutes. Even if one wants to pursue law after graduation the option of a three-year LLB degree is available to him or her in Delhi University, Punjab University, etc. As a matter of fact, the entrance coaching for law entrances has also become really specialized owing to centres such as Career Launcher, Clat Possible, etc.
Conclusion
The legal education in India at present is great, if not perfect. The conduct of CLAT exams has made it easy for students to focus on law as a career itself. The new era of legal education in India has opened up avenues for students in law students in India and completely revamped the image and structure of the legal profession of the country and it is no longer viewed in the parochial manner as it was before.
[1] Sarin Foundation » Legal Education in India – Past, Present and Future – Justice A.S. Anand (sarins.org)
