10 Things You Must Expect from Your Law School

Here are 10 things that you must expect from law school. Legal education in India has changed its dynamics in the past few decades. The evolution of legal education has resulted in an increase in the standards of imparting legal knowledge as well. It has revolutionized itself from the conventional theory based subject to an application based subject. Law is no longer considered to be the last option one avails after having exhausted all other options. Students start preparing for law entrance exams during their higher secondary level at school.

This indicates the importance given to law as a prospective career option. A lot of time is spent contemplating the choice of the institution. Thus it becomes extremely necessary to scan through, with the utmost diligence, the law universities, to ensure that it provides the students with all the requisites necessary for building a progressive career in law. These are the 10 things that one should look into before seeking admission into a law program.

1. Quality education

It is the most important aspect that one should expect from a law school. The legal field is demanding. It requires one to read a lot. One has to be abreast of all the current important legal information. Furthermore, one is required to harness critical thinking. This is only possible when the education imparted at law school is at par with international standards. Stagnancy in the impartation of education does not facilitate development in the overall standard of a student.

A student should feel that she is receiving the best education in her lifetime. One of the serious observations that the National Education Policy Draft Report by TSR Subramanian made was that India has one of the largest systems of higher education in the country, with more than 700 universities, 37,000 colleges and an enrollment of more than three crore students but the”quality of many universities and colleges and the standard of education they provide are far from satisfactory”.[1]

Before taking admission one should scan through the university’s web portal with utmost diligence and ensure that the education standard is modern and the teaching techniques are up-to-date. Furthermore one should be aware of the fact of whether the university uses the best technologies and provides the best environment suitable for study.

2. Practical exposure

Success in the legal profession is amplified when one has links. It is relatively difficult and time-consuming for students from non-legal backgrounds to establish themselves in the profession. On the other hand, the students who already have parents with established legal careers need to come up to the expectations and cannot sit idle either. Thus it is equally important for all students to have practical exposure.

A law school should have separate legal aids clinic where the students provide free legal aid to needy people. Ensure that lawyers and judges come to the university as visiting lecturers. If the university is located close to the court then it adds to the benefit of the students.

They can visit the court on holidays and even intern after college hours. Practical exposure is of vital importance so that after graduation the one is accustomed to the environment of the courts and have made social circles that would recognize them and

3. Good faculty

A good teacher is someone who not only focuses on the critical facets of the curriculum but also helps the student think out of the box.

The conventional lecture method which is usually followed in universities does not result in any positive productivity or growth of the students. The lecturer thus has to be charismatic and have an urge for improvement. Before admission, one should ensure that the lecturers are given enough incentives for research and personal growth.

The qualification of the lecturers, in this case, does not matter if one shows brilliance in the art of teaching and is efficient in employing tricks to make academics fun and easy to understand. In addition to the presence of good faculty, the administration of the university should be student-friendly. The administration of the university should be aligned with the interest of the students. Mal-administration breeds protests which are an impediment to the academic development of the students of the university.

4. Internship opportunities

Just as practical exposure is of vital importance similarly an internship also plays a crucial role in future employment prospects of law students especially for those students who wish to join the corporate sector after graduation. Internship opens several avenues for students to learn things outside the curriculum. It is through internships that the students get the chance of practically applying the legal theories that they have learned in law school.

It is very important to have an active internship cell in the university which provides internship opportunities to the students. In the competitive legal field, it is very difficult to grab an internship especially when one does not have contacts to recommend them. This is where the internship cell comes to the play to facilitate the process of getting internships.

5. Placement opportunities

An active placement cell would ensure that the students after graduation do not sit idle and have proper employment opportunities. Before admission, one should positively check the past records of the campus placements of the students to check whether the university takes responsibility for placing students. This prevents the stress a student has to go through while applying in an individual capacity to the various firms for getting employed.

6. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy is an adage not only for school going students but is also quite relevant for the law students.

In addition to competitions such as moot-court parliamentary debates and Model United Nations a law school also provides incentives for extra-curricular cultural activities to facilitate the playing of sports. The overall college atmosphere should be amicable to ensure positive development.

Fests and competitions should be sufficient to let the students thrive in all aspects and do not end up being just bookworms. Furthermore, it is relevant to mention here that the students who wish to pursue their LLM from universities situated abroad need to engage in sports and other co and extra-curricular activities along with academics to get admission into such institutions.

7. Active research centres

The importance of research in any academic field cannot be focused on enough. Research is the main aspect that leads to the constant growth of the university. Active research centres bring accolades to the institution. It is important for the students who wish to pursue LLM to engage in legal research from their freshman year. The college should also have regular journals and newsletters to ensure that contemporary issues are being discussed and given importance.

8. Interactive environment

Before admission, one should be aware of whether the university environment is interactive. Law schools can become very hectic and stressful if the atmosphere does not support amicable interaction especially when a student stays away from homely surroundings on her own. Regular GDs, Group activities, and Conferences are not only educative but also help in overall growth.

The legal field requires one to be well-spoken and extroverted to some extent. The college authorities are expected to facilitate the students to speak their hearts out. They should also ensure that there is proper interaction between the seniors and the juniors and the juniors do not feel subjugated. Furthermore, law schools generally have a confluence of students from different states and cultures. This requires wide-scale interaction programs so that no student feels left out.

9. Modern infrastructure

Infrastructure is important from the point of view of the facilities that are provided to the students to harness their talents. There should be proper food and lodging facilities so that the students can focus solely on their studies.

Furthermore, the students should be provided with proper library facilities to enhance their academic and research skills. There should be proper sporting complexes and amenities to maintain their health. The university should make the best use of technology. The students should be given incentives to make proper utilization of the infrastructure available to them.

10. Positive Competition

In law school, all the students are already burdened with high expectations, projects, grades, and internships. In addition, the legal field is a highly competitive field. All the students run after the same bunch of companies or aspire to be successful in the same examinations or to get admission to the same group of colleges. An intense competitive environment is thus not uncommon in the legal field which can often lead students to indulge in harmful activities.

However, one should ensure that there exists positive competition among the students. Positive competition is entirely different from cut-throat competitions.

Positive competition ensures the development of students. One should also focus on the environment provided by the college authorities to ameliorate the intense competitive environments.

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[1] Exclusive: Standard of Education in India Far from Satisfactory, Says Education Policy Report.” Firstpost, 16 June 2016, Available Here

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