Thread by @barandbench

Valedictory function of Global Virtual Conference organised by Jindal Global School on the theme "Reimagining and Transforming the future of Law Schools and Legal Education"

Supreme Court judge, Justice UU Lalit and Senior Advocate Dr. AM Singhvi will be deliver plenary address.

JGLS conference: Dr AM Singhvi commences his address.

#JGLS #LawSchools

@DrAMSinghvi

#JGLS: Legal Education and law schools are the bedrock which determines the beauty, longetivity of superstructure and superstructure is law teachers, practicing lawyers, corporate lawyers, legal consultants who in turn formbackbone of rapidly transforming economy: Dr. Singhvi

#JGLSConference: Dr Singhvi quotes former President of India S Radhakrishnan who lamented at the sad state of legal education over half a century ago.

While we have travelled many miles since, we have to ask whether we have significantly altered the landscape of legal education

#JGLSConference: In our task of national building, our efforts in the field of legal education have to contribute not only towards GNP (Gross National Product) but also to GNM (Gross National Mind: Dr AM Singhvi.

@DrAMSinghvi

#JGLSConference: The character of law schools determine the character of the Bar and the Bench and these two are the two wheels of the chariot of justice: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: We must avoid time wastage by seeking to reinvent the wheel each time a new dispensation takes charge.

There already exists a wealth of jurisprudence on the subject including valuable experience of eminent practitioners: Dr AM Singhvi.

#JGLSConference : We must focus on two things- one to tie up this vast diverse data on legal education into a simple, uniform national legal education plan and secondly to implement it in a consistent and coherent manner: Dr AM Singhvi.

#JGLSConferennce: Next aspect of my address is democratisation of law schools and legal education.

As in other spheres, there are many Indias in one in legal education too: Dr Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: While there is need to create more Islands, like JGLS, there is also far greater need to uplift the average standards and facilities of many struggling 1500 law schools in our country: Dr. AM Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: May we create more Mercedes Benzes and Rolls Royces but the strengthening of our backbone depends on the strengthening of the Marutis and Ambassadors and that cannot be neglected: Dr. AM Singhvi

#JGLSConference: In other words we have to spread distributive equity over inclusive legal education: Dr Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: Dr. Singhvi now raises 14 issues.

I l try and finish on time, he says.

#JGLSConference: Firstly, there is the issue of making our legal curriculum multi-disciplinary, creative and flexible.

Largely at the moment it is the anti-thesis of this - rigid, pedantic, stereotyped, inflexible: Dr Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: It is only relatively recently that ethics in profession, beating the backlog, reforms in justice delivery system, legal writing etc have been given their legitimate due: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConferenxe: The above is geographic ally very partial in terms of distributions across law schools. There is thus an urgent need to integrate these into a national uniform course with few exceptions: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: Sadly, connected to this is that our teaching methods have not evolved after introduction of case study method in India in the 1970s: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: The curriculum of law schools in India does not differ fundamentally from the curriculum of law schools of Anglo Saxon countries more than 40 to 50 years ago: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: A law student in India may have 9 to 10 optional subjects while US it is 200 to 300. I don't recommend the latter either. It is a bit too much: Dr Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: There is a very serious problem of law teachers or rather the lack of them - a vexed problem of numbers, quality, diversity and depth: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: If I had a magic wand the first thing I would do is to create a law school to produce ONLY law teachers of exceptional quality who will be builders and engineers of young legal minds: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: Whenever we look for faces to head new law schools, we have precious few to choose from and the same few faces rotate. We have to work urgently to end this structurally embedded drought and famine of top quality law teachers: Dr Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: The first thing an obvious need is to reform and to provide more uniform and better salaries with considerably improved terms of service: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: Reciprocally, those under such special remunerative schemes have to be bound by valid legal instruments - to teach for a minimum duration without straying k to the greener pastures of corporate lawyering and litigation: Dr. AM Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: But the start of this initiative, at least as a pilot project, is to create an alternative remunerative scheme not bound by present shackles of bureaucratic system. This can happen only by ushering in more public-private institutions: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: Our law libraries are too few and understocked. There is an urgent need to provide latest technological tools of research by linking law schools with the best sources of knowledge globally: Dr. AM Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: If necessary, a library cess levied only on Senior Advocates across the country must be designed for maximum ground impact and it must be focused to urban and rural hinterland: Dr. Singhvi.

@DrAMSinghvi

#JGLSConference: Internships and post degree placements should be sewn into a national scheme to give it an organised impetus: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: Today placements are ad-hoc with no institutionalised system for matching applicants and recipients. Some students especially those with contacts have the luxury of plenty: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConferenxe: But several of their more talented but less resourceful colleagues go abegging for placements: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: There is no objective evaluation system by the chamber head uninfluenced by contacts in the profession. What is missing is an organised computerised national plan: Dr Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: It is only a question of creating such structures which are not ad-hoc and not Delhi-centred: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: There should be a compulsory scheme as per which senior advocates should on invitation compulsorily take a minimum number of classes in lesser endowed law institutions: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: The BCI had in 2009 resolved that all law schools should establish a legal aid center to provide inexpensive justice to the needy sections of the society. This mandate has also not been adhered to: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: The major problem facing Indian legal education today is the affiliated law college system of State govt universities: Dr. Singhvi.

#JGLSConference: Justice UU Lalit is delivering his presidential address.

#JGLSConference: Justice Lalit expresses gratitude toward Dr. Singhvi for his "brilliant and thought provoking address".

#JGLSConference: Covid -19 has necessitated changes across legal profession for judges, lawyers and also for legal scholars. It has provided us with the impetus to innovate and transform the manner in which we traditionally conducted ourselves: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: The biggest transformation that Covid 19 has led to is the significant increase in the use of technology. We never foresaw that we would have to depend on technology on a daily basis for discharging our duty: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: It gave us opportunity to improve our technological acumen. Technical advancement has made it possible for lawyers to appear before Indians courts from anywhere in the world: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: It has greatly enhanced and eased the process by which lawyers conduct research. It has also increased accessibility of global scholarship: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: It has been a great boon for students. It has made it possible to receive knowledge imparted by renowned academicians across the world: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: Digitisation has reduced travel time. It has made it possible for lawyers and litigants to access any court without the trouble of travelling because courts pan-India have adopted technology: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: This pandemic has taught us the importance of observing and learning from the practices of each and other and adopting those methods that are most suited to cater to one's needs: Justice Lalit.

#JGLSConference: Similar has been the case with legal education. The medium of virtual classrooms, webinars and podcasts as a method of imparting education and encouraging student participation has been adopted internationally: Justice UU Lalit

#JGLSConference: Law schools should transform with changing times to enable students of today and professionals of tomorrow to adapt, master and enhance the manner in which they can use technology to advance the legal profession: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: They must equip themselves with adaptable and flexible platforms to reach a wider audience. This is the only way to be prepared for a technologically driven future: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: Law schools should not impart education from an academic point of view only. To meet the practical necessities of profession, law schools must be able to bridge the gap between academics and practical application of the law: Justice UU Lalit.

#JGLSConference: For the same, law schools must invite legal practitioners to teach courses

Students who attended GLC Mumbai in 1950s and 60s consider themselves lucky to have been taught by the likes of NA Palkhivala, YV Chandrachud J, Ram Jethmalani and MH Kania J: UU Lalit J

#JGLSConference: Justice UU Lalit concludes his address.