Bangalore: Sitting on a shelf at the library of the National Law School of India University, or NLSIU, a glass-walled structure straight out of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, is a book titled the Young People’s Book of Law.
It reads: “So, there is, and must be for each generation, much to read, much to learn and much to put into practice. But it is all such interesting work and understanding of the principles of law and seeing how they apply in the modern world that is one of the most rewarding studies. Those who decide to take it up seldom, if ever, regret it.”
“NLSIU brought in a new dimension to education in India. Our five-year BA LLB programme made students take legal education seriously.”
More than two decades ago, Indian students would find these words dull and unconvincing. But NLSIU’s path-breaking efforts have helped redefine the need for legal education in India, making the
legal profession a lucrative and attractive career option.
“When I joined in 1993, no one had even heard of the NLSIU. Law was an option for those not interested in studies or for those who wanted to pass up a few years or those whose parents were lawyers. The competitive exam conducted by the school was fair and honest and would take in a limited number of the best students in the country. This changed the notion of what a law school was,” says Menaka Guruswamy, who graduated in 1997.
Last month, around 12,000 Indian students aspiring to be lawyers appeared for the first Common Law Admission Test, or CLAT. The test is the result of an effort initiated by the Bar Council of India, a regulatory body that prescribes standards in legal practice and education, and the University Grants Commission, a government agency that provides funds to institutions of higher education to cut down the multiplicity of law school entrance exams in the country.
The CLAT at present applies to admissions in 10 law schools in the country. Students are given an option to rate the schools according to their preference. As per the rank obtained by the students seats are allotted as per their preferences.
The admission process of the first CLAT exam held this year showed that more than 7,500 students chose NLSIU as their first preference.
Not surprising, considering the high salaries offered by international and national law firms, besides multinational corporations, to NLSIU students and the school’s competent faculty and exceptional infrastructure facilities; it is believed to have the best law library in the country.
Lucrative option: A class in session at the National Law School of India University in Nagarbhavi, Bangalore. Photograph: Hemant Mishra / Mint
The government of Karnataka set up NLSIU in 1988 as a response to the neglect of legal education in India. This negligence could have been a heavy price to pay in the wake of economic liberalization and new regulatory schemes.