How can industry be integrated into digital education to make students future-ready?
Legal education should adopt a holistic approach that integrates theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and professional values. This ensures that students are well-prepared for the complexities of real practice. But for that, you need to design your curriculum in a manner so that insights from the industry are well factored into the curriculum by incorporating real-world case studies, internships, and workshops, etc. that can bridge this gap between theory and practice. And it also depends to what extent we can bring experiential learning by way of organising legal clinics and moot courts. These things can go a long way in promoting this interaction between academia and industry.
Lastly, law schools need to offer industry driven electives keeping industry needs in mind, such as prioritising subjects like technology law, environmental law, corporate governance, and intellectual property law. There is also a need to have a system of continuous feedback wherein law schools can invite people from the industry to seek their inputs on legal pedagogy.
What role do you see deep learning playing in the future of legal education in India?
As we all understand, AI is coming in a big way as far as legal education is concerned, and in fact, all walks of life are getting impacted by AI. There are three or four sectors where we can probably see the arrival of AI. First is automating routine tasks. In typical legal practice, there are several tasks like document review, legal research, data analysis, and these processes can well be assisted by AI systems. This can mitigate a lot of hard work that lawyers are already doing. Second, AI-powered legal research tools are becoming very popular and can provide efficient access to vast legal databases, enabling students to find relevant case laws and statutes. Third, which is very important from the viewpoint of legal profession, is predictive analytics. AI algorithms can predict legal outcomes based on historical data, aiding decision-making. These tools can benefit lawyers in multiple ways to be able to prepare their cases much better because these algorithms will provide them with all the possibilities and potential outcomes of their cases.
Additionally, the introduction of courses on legal technology, covering topics like e-discovery, contract analysis, and blockchain applications, will be highly vital from the point of AI. This is the age where we must keep certain ethical considerations also in mind.
I am sure the legal profession is going to be revolutionised, but there will also be legal issues emerging from AI disputes, for which the technology lawyers must be ready. The legal sector remains to be significantly impacted by AI, and there's a lot of potential yet to be explored.
What is the importance of industry partnerships and collaborations in shaping the future of legal education in India?
These partnerships are very, very important because, as I mentioned, real-world exposure through partnerships can provide students with much-needed practical insights and an understanding of real challenges. Collaborations with law firms, corporations, and NGOs can enrich the learning process significantly. These partnerships can also be intensified by inviting guest lecturers and workshops from industry experts, which is already happening but can be adopted in a more structured way like at NLU Delhi, we have introduced schemes called Eklavya and Abhyasa. The Abhyasa scheme is done in collaboration with industry experts to develop internship opportunities and joint research projects, which are based around complex issues, can be great learning opportunities, and facilitate skill development through industry partnerships. It will enhance student employability by aligning their skills with market demand. These are crucial ways through which partnerships can be developed.
What strategies can legal institutions employ to balance theoretical knowledge with practical skills and make students future-ready?
There is a great need to balance theoretical knowledge with practical skills. The first way to do that is by integrating the curriculum. You have to design a curriculum that seamlessly integrates theory, skills, and values. This should ensure that students learn both theoretical concepts and their practical application. Experiential learning should be prioritised where clinical programmes, court internships, and legal writing skills become very important. Communication skills are also vital. The whole aspect of clinical legal education can become extremely important because this can really bridge the gap between theory and practice. Various assessment methods should be used, including practical exercises, oral presentations, and mock simulations. This is the time when students should be allowed to work with the industry in different ways, bringing a lot of practical knowledge to classroom discussions.
For example, National Law University Delhi, has introduced a programme under which they invite experts and devote the afternoons to industry-academia partnerships. This pedagogy is now helping students in a great way. Practical insights make the theoretical aspects more relevant. Legal education must evolve to meet the changing demands of the legal profession and equip students for a dynamic future.
What is your vision for NLU Delhi?
NLU Delhi's vision is already part of the Acts that we are following. Apart from being a teaching institution, it is a very research-intensive university with 23 research centres. We emphasise significant policy research in various cutting-edge areas. This research has become so impactful in the last couple of years that it has been recognised by state and central governments, the Supreme Court, and various High Courts. For instance, the task of framing the new criminal laws was entrusted to National Law University Delhi. This shows our commitment to research development and our relevance to governance by contributing significantly to various issues which interface with legal requirements and legal aspects.
