Capability To Add Logic To Law Is The Secret Sauce To Becoming A Good Lawyer: Akshata Namjoshi, Associate Partner, KARM Legal Consultants
What has been your personal experience at the college? When did you graduate and what are some of the few remarkable moments etched in your memories about your college?
The fact that it was a national law school that invited people from all parts of India made a huge difference. The exposure was unparalleled. I graduated in 2014 and hostel, moots, debates all the memories have a special place in my heart.
Subjects and professors you like the most.
Prof. Ghayur Alam for the subject Fundamentals of Law and Prof. Raka Arya for the subjects Space Law, and Women & Law.
What would you say is the USP of the college?
Moots and academics kept me busy during my law school. But the hostel life did teach me a lot. NLIU hostels are generally decent and at par with the other law schools in the country.
Having spent some good years in the profession, what according to you are areas our colleges must focus on to cultivate the legal minds that the country needs?
As law school students, we are very scared to explore interesting areas of research. 5 years is a beautiful time, which gives the necessary ecosystem to students to think beyond the conventional black letter law. Both colleges and universities need to think beyond the conventional examination system and focus a lot on discussions.
Future of Legal Education in India: What needs our immediate attention and what are the ways we can improve?
Learnings from jurisprudence can be effectively retained with discussions and not just marking-based examinations. What will make good future lawyers is the capability to add logic to law.
While hard work may be the key to everything, sometimes education from a premium institute remains a distant dream for many reasons. What then can students do to ensure their future is not marred by a lack of resources?
A good institute plays an important role, but one learns the most on the job. Every student needs to take extensive internships. Also, identifying the areas of interest early on is very important.
Can one make a good career in law with knowledge of regional language and laws?
Lawyers in more court-facing roles, especially litigating lawyers greatly benefit from the knowledge of regional languages. Because it’s one thing to know the law, and another to effectively practice law to your client’s benefit.
If you could go back in time to your first year in law, what would you tell yourself to do differently?
I would tell the 17-year-old me to be more open to ideas. There are so many possibilities in the field of law, that one keeps learning something new every day.
