A Premier Institute For Law Studies
Civilization has given birth to an extremely stratified system of society where top-to-down control is essential. Law is required to maintain order and stability in the society. It serves to prevent behaviors the society deems offensive, and it helps punish the guilty.
A lawless society is called “Anarchy” - it is literally where everyone does what he wants. Anarchy in societies has really a bad reputation, mostly because it is the antithesis of civilization similar to the tribal culture of the past, but essentially, human beings lived in a state of anarchy for about a million years, but what is less known is that they also had a lower rate of depression, anxiety and unhappiness and a host of other mental disorders, commonly associated with a neurotic civilized lifestyle.
In past, no one really questioned law-makers, law distributors, or the laws themselves, but of late, society has begun to question most legal activities as to their effectiveness and competence. The cause of these reviews has emerged by changing times, changing thoughts, understanding, beliefs, as well as the development of technology and other such new developments within societies.
NALSAR, Hyderabad, ranked no.1 law school by India Today survey, is one of the premier institutes in our country. It breeds world class lawyers, who especially after the ‘Moot Court’ sessions emerge as powerful lawyers equipped with potent knowledge and razor-like mind to enter the profession.
Prof. Veer Singh, Vice Chancellor, NALSAR, Hyderabad, discusses various issues from law to how law can make India a safer place to live.
TCG brings to you a detailed account of a candid interview with Prof. Singh….
TCG: Is there a real passion in the students to study law or do they come into this profession by default?
Veer Singh: Of course, many students go in for medicine or engineering as first choice, mainly because he/she is not aware of the opportunities available. I would like them to take a quick look at the job scope in law sectors. One could pick up a corporate sector job, where placement is 100%, as all our final-year students are absorbed into good firms. Their pay package is as high as in IIM or an IT job. In fact, not many people are into private practice because good lawyers get fat packages from corporate sector.
TCG: It is widely believed that all good lawyers get absorbed by the corporate sector. Is that true?
VS: Absolutely, professional earnings in law are the highest in comparison with any other profession. The security and comfort of the job do not allow them to venture into new avenues. Also, private practice for a beginner is tough in the initial years. Though the purpose of law school is to produce lawyers that enrich the judiciary, this somehow is not happening; therefore, we need to think of strategies to attract lawyers to legal profession and judiciary. Fortunately, now the scope is expanding.
If a student is committed, intelligent and professionally competent, within two years, he can make his mark and reach reasonable level of earning. He will catapult himself to the top within no time like top doctors. It is no exaggeration when I say that top lawyers of the country make a whopping ten crores every year and pay income tax of 2-3 crores!
TCG: Is this really a profession where one has to walk the razor’s edge like a police officer?
VS: In a way, yes. Like any other profession, it demands certain skills and extreme hard work, additionally. One must have excellent communication skills, such as being able to effectively and emphatically convey one’s point, adequate persuasive power and reasoning capabilities.
TCG: Can one develop these skills while staying in this profession, or do the skills have to be inborn?
VS: Of course, they can be developed through
practice. Take the example of Lincoln who would always draft his lecture, rehearse in a closed room several times before addressing the people. This is the only way to develop one’s oratory skills. Also, take the example of late Nani Palkhiwala: even though he was handicapped by a bad stammer, he excelled in his studies. At college, he earned a master’s degree in English literature. He overcame his speech impediment and went on to become an icon in Indian Law. He initially applied for the post of lecturer in English but lost it to a lady who was preferred over him. He was grateful to her who turned him towards the profession. It was not just the earnings that brought him name, but his grit and intellect were always in full function. Needless to say, this is one profession where one needs to be alert, aware and absolutely on one’s toes. Things could be missed within a wink of an eye and it spells doom.
TCG: What strategies is NALSAR adopting to draw more students towards this profession?
VS: Strong objectives established at the national level are enough to draw them but apart from this, we need to do something periodically. We need to produce lawyers who are self-dependent, confident and passionately determined to keep the torch burning. This aim is already achieved. It gives me immense pride to tell you that our students perform much better than any other seasoned lawyer. In spite of all this, there is a colossal waste of talent, as I already told you, due to many graduates getting absorbed into the corporate sector. A meeting held on January 31, 2009 among Vice Chancellors of all law universities of the country with the Chief Justice of India has discussed these points. If we address the fear or job insecurity concerns, things would automatically fall in their place, when they are assured of monthly income of 30,000/- , this social security will surely turn them towards the practice, from corporate sectors which seem to be ruling the roost. We need to work on these lines as all of us are basically looking forward to ‘settling’ down to a sound career, first and then have a family, social life etc”.
For a litigation lawyer sky is the limit, emoluments are tremendous. Jinnah, the famous lawyer of the past, reaped best benefits in this profession. He had a fully staffed functional guesthouse in every big city throughout the country. Venu Gopal, another leading lawyer, was so successful that he donated 1.5 crores to NALSAR, Hyderabad.
TCG: Shouldn’t law be introduced as a mandatory subject at schools as it plays a very important role in the society?
VS: Of course, regular civics teaches about
fundamental rights, parliament and government. Apart from this, teachers should insist on the importance of law and lawyers in the society. Everybody needs to have basic knowledge of law as they do have about common medicines they take. Many issues like license, income tax, house tax etc need some knowledge of law. To break or make a rule, you need the knowledge of law.
Law should be introduced at grade V and specializations can be taught from grade X onwards. They also need to know about environment, family, and criminal laws too along with repercussions of breaking the law. It is sad that despite being educated, many citizens are ignorant about their surroundings, their rights and duties. Hence, once you are equipped with the subject knowledge, you can apprise others too and lead the society towards better direction.
TCG: What is ‘criminal brain’? Is it mandatory to have one to be successful in this field?
VS: It is not the ‘criminal brain’ that leads one to success but the intelligence that takes you there. Let me take the reference of the Gita where Bhagwan says, “Intelligence is the raw potentiality and is neutral.” It is neither good nor bad. It takes the flavor of your passion and intelligence. Being a saint, dacoit or a top leader is your choice, intelligence is just a tool, and it is an innovation. How and what you would like to innovate decides the fate of your life. Take the example of the 18 Nazis whose IQs were on genius levels. Their genius took the wrong route, as there were no worse criminals than them, they killed 6 million Jews. Take the example of Man Singh and Veerappan; they did have an immense potential and intelligence but they were used in the wrong way.
TCG: What are ‘Family Law and Environment law’? How do they contribute to the society?
VS: They contribute at two levels. First, we train legal warriors who join the nation. Second, we have a legal advice wing within the campus where people seek solutions to various problems. We also have para-legal programs where citizens are apprised of various issues like Lok Adalat, manned by lawyers, judges and students. This is in the jurisdiction of the High Court and happens within our premises. Litigants from different areas come with their problems. Persuasion is the basic tool applied to come up with solutions. Litigation settles issues amicably and that is what we encourage first. Since court procedures are expensive and time-consuming, Lok Adalat is the first priority. Ninety percent cases are solved by counseling, including husband-wife issues. We also have literacy programs.
Another part is: students go to the field and study various impacts of various government schemes. They see how effectively the schemes are executed including the environment issues, employment programs etc. This is called ‘In Practice Study’ where students give a detailed report of the actual working of government programs. The actual function and feedback is obtained through this. Recently, we surveyed NREGA too. We came to know that Nrega is doing very well in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh but not working so well in other states due to rampant corruption and diversion of funds. Only our students could detect this. Government turns a blind eye to this, but since NALSAR is a socially committed institute, it will always give a clear unbiased picture. This is a part of internship too.
We also handle outside projects, such as one from the World Bank (worth 2 crores) to study environmental scenario. We were asked to probe into environmental pollution methods in AP. Our faculty and a few students teamed up to make a detailed report. One teacher is the principal Investigator. We even conduct surveys in hospitals too. In a way, we are a constant threat to the government as we unearth facts. People try to conceal things but we have our ways of digging out the truth. We also do the appraisal of jail staff after studying their work conditions. We also do reports on media studies and working of RTI Act.
We organize workshops and seminars for Red Cross and various other NGOs. We train them in humanitarian laws and human rights. An educated person can always work better. They in turn train public.
We will be holding an international conference on Islamic Law very soon. We also have a conference on Consumer Law on the 27th and 28th of February this year. Forty foreign professors have already registered for the event.
TCG: What is the career path for law? How does one enter into this institute?
VS: Admission to the First Year of the 5-year B.A., LL.B. (Hons) Degree Programme is made strictly on merit, based on a Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). A candidate must have passed 10+2 or its equivalent examination securing 50% of marks in aggregate and those who have taken the examination in 2008 and
are taking in 2009 are eligible to apply.
TCG: Is this profession untouched by recession?
VS: Partially yes, it cannot completely escape the clutches of recession, but it impacts jobs in corporate sectors. It is not as devastating as in IT and engineering, primarily because there is a need for lawyers in crisis hour.
TCG: What is ‘Moot Court’? How does it help the students to do better?
VS: It is a simulated court, which brings out the actual court scene and the skills of students. It is the battle of rights. Our students argue and we are the judges. It is a virtual court. We have had competitions and our students did extremely well in the International Moots. The recent Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington was attended by our students who won third position on the international platform. One of our students, Vinay Kesar, was declared the best speaker from the country.
TCG: When does maximum learning and training happen during students’ life?
VS: It happens on field, undoubtedly. Students learn direct lessons through life, not mere classroom lectures. Practical training is integral part of curriculum right from day one. Attendance is mandatory. Mid-Term and surprise tests keep students on learning mode always. Our students must live on the campus only.
TCG: Are lawyers more argumentative and interrogative than people in other professions? If so, why?
VS: This is true because they are more aware of their rights. These characteristics are absorbed into them through the subject that they should raise their voice against wrongdoings. Hence, they are always assertive, confident and seem abrasive. It is not that they are always right. Surely, if at all, a government official is wary of some one; it is the lawyer.