Law is the foundation of any society. Legal Education is the knowledge of the laws of the land that equips a person with tools to solve social problems. It is the education that makes a person eligible to practice law which means fighting for the right causes and influencing values and attitudes. It overall helps in maintaining stability in any society. On a broader scenario, it makes the general public aware of their fundamental inherent rights that come with being born as a human and therefore are enjoyed by all.
Legal education’s existence can be traced back to ancient times when kings talked about dharma and achieving justice for all at any cost. This idea of justice and fairness for all has taken much concrete shape in the form of constitutions or laws operating at international, national, and local levels.
To further this aim of developing an understanding of the law and defending Constitutional laws, a research centre acts as a platform to gain practical knowledge, ponder over existing issues and generate new ideas for solving a dispute. Not only this, a good research centre provides the environment to build and maintain professional networks for students. When focussed discussions are held in a set-up, it assists students in teaching critical thinking and clarity over complex issues.
Interestingly, legal education which involves a thorough study of the constitution, existing problems, and policies in play requires a good set of research collaboration among different players in different fields. Research centres help in advancing scholarly activities of the basics of research, training, information dissemination, research collaboration, etc. This in turn makes the students’ industry ready to explore their endeavours in a creative manner.
The inherent idea behind establishing research centres for legal education is that it supplements the learning process of students. It helps in understanding different viewpoints in addition to experimenting with the best manner of putting them forward so as to reap the desired outcomes. This seeks to ensure an active learning atmosphere where like-minds are also linked with other institutions which act as an interface for students to evolve their mindsets through debate. This paves the road for them for future development by furnishing skills and competence, creating and maintaining a just society.
On a broader note, the professions emanating from legal education range from teaching law, and research that goes into formulating a law to practicing law in court. One must keep in mind that the quality of justice or standard of a bar is a direct reflection of the quality and standard of the legal education acquired at law schools. Thus, legal education not only facilitates in production of efficient lawyers but also creates law-abiding citizens with human values and rights.
- By –
Dr. Apoorva Dixit
Assistant Professor,
Faculty of Law
