Pioneering Indian Legal Education – For Professional Competence and Social Responsibility as per the Changing Needs of the Indian Society.

Abstract

In its 184th report, Law commission of India suggested various proposal for changes in the Advocates Act and the University Grants Commission Act to promote legal education and lay down standards. Knowledge Commission and New Education Policy 2020 had also given much importance to legal education and the difficulties in imparting legal education in India. As suggested by Law Commission of India, Bar Council and U.G.C. committees are recommended to look into the MacCrate report and other such reports in the U.K., Canada and Australia such that we align with the standards elsewhere. The MacCrate report had proposed a method of teaching the students in various skills and values with the help of the faculty and the supplementary faculty of practicing lawyers and judges. Apart from the traditional method of lectures, Prof. Llewellyn and Judge Jerome Frank’s conceptual solving method should be promoted. Being the highest population of young people India should provide a high quality education for full human potential for making an equitable and a just society. The Author recommends a balance of practical and theoretical knowledge in legal education for achieving the goals of relevant legal education suitable to the changing needs of the society. The present generation of law students display higher levels of intelligence, some are brighter and more outspoken with high expectations. Thus, legal education, apart from imparting information must also instil moral values in students. Legal education stands for the enhancement of human sensibility and injects a new sense of protecting human liberty and equality before the law. The future also depends on its capacity to incorporate systems thinking and respond to the evolving landscape shaped by demographic changes, technological progress, and economic development. A forward thinking and comprehensive approach to curriculum design will be essential for preparing lawyers to succeed in the intricate legal frameworks of the future. The legal profession today intersects with various fields such as Economics, technology, Environmental Science, and Public Policy. Therefore, the future of legal education lies in its ability to provide interdisciplinary training. Courses that integrate law with other disciplines can equip students with the skills needed to address complex issues. Legal education plays a crucial role in promoting social and economic justice, two pillars for a just and an equitable society.