New Delhi, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) President Dr Lalit Bhasin on Monday voiced concern over the “gradual decline” in the standards of legal education in the country and said the recent remarks made by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on fake law degrees deserved “serious consideration”.
Addressing the inaugural session of an Online Faculty Development Programme on the theme “From Academia to Practice: Understanding the Law Firm Ecosystem in India”, organised by Sharda University School of Law, Dr Bhasin said that while nearly one lakh law graduates pass out every year, only a small percentage secure the legal careers they aspire to.
“I believe we must immediately take steps to arrest the gradual decline in the standards of legal education. Otherwise, the quality and economic advancement of our legal fraternity will continue to suffer,” he said.
“Nearly 1 lakh law graduates pass out every year, while our country already has around 20 lakh legal practitioners. Out of these graduates, perhaps only 5 per cent secure the legal careers they aspire to. The remaining 95 per cent struggle due to a lack of employability and enterprise readiness,” Dr Bhasin added.
Referring to the recent controversy surrounding the CJI’s oral observations on fake degrees, the SILF President said: “In this context, the recent remarks of our Hon’ble Chief Justice regarding fake law degrees and the tendency of students to join such institutions merit serious consideration.”
Dr Bhasin said many law schools were functioning with poor teaching standards and insufficiently motivated faculty while charging high fees and promising students unrealistic career outcomes.
“There is far less emphasis on the practical realities of the legal profession. Many law schools sell dreams far removed from reality without adequately investing in innovation, enterprise, discipline, humility, reading habits, practical drafting, storytelling, brand building, effective communication, multitasking, entrepreneurial thinking and networking,” he said.
He stressed that law schools and legal practitioners must work together to bridge the widening gap between academia and practice. “As a vital stakeholder representing virtually every major law firm in the country, SILF members must step in. Thousands of law students intern with our member law firms, and in many ways SILF undertakes more hand-holding of young law students through internships, assessments and training than even our regulator, the Bar Council of India,” he said.
Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Law and Justice, Dr Manoj Kumar, who inaugurated the programme, said the long-standing notion of “legal education versus legal practice” should now be discarded. “There is no inherent conflict between legal education and legal practice. There is only a cycle that needs to be completed in the grooming of a lawyer,” he said.
Dr Kumar said the real challenge was restoring the link between classroom learning and practical legal work. “When this cycle breaks, a gap emerges. That gap becomes more and more glaring if it is not consciously attended to. Our task, therefore, is to restore that cycle with proper intent and design,” he said.
Highlighting the changing nature of legal practice, Dr Kumar said law schools needed to focus far more on skill development and practical exposure. “Technology has thrown up entirely new challenges for everyone — practising lawyers, law firms, and faculties alike,” he said, adding that soft skills such as communication, negotiation, ethics and client management were becoming increasingly important in the profession.
“Yet, I am yet to see many law schools where communication is treated as an integral part of the LL.B. curriculum,” he remarked. “Law schools could collaborate with law firms to bring anonymised live files, case studies, and practical examples into classrooms. Students could be exposed to how a file progresses within a law firm environment, how strategy evolves, and how lawyers actually work through legal problems,” he added.
Dr Kumar also underlined the importance of ethics, especially for first-generation lawyers entering the profession. “Ethics can and should be rehearsed in law schools. Ethics is not merely about telling someone to ‘be ethical’. Students must be exposed to situations where ethical choices become difficult,” he said.
The programme was attended by law faculty members, students and legal professionals from across the country and focused on strengthening the interface between legal education and the evolving law firm ecosystem in India.
The remarks assume significance in light of the recent observations made by CJI Surya Kant during a Supreme Court hearing concerning fake degrees in professions, including the legal field. Subsequently, clarifying his observations, CJI Kant had said his criticism was aimed only at individuals entering professions using “fake and bogus degrees” and not at the youth of the country.
Source: IANS
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