DailyPost 138
THE CORPORATIZATION OF LAW
Till around a few decades back, India could barely boast of a few good law schools, this lacunae was squarely to be blamed for the quality of the legal process, was the notion which was taking shape. Times have changed beyond recognition, brand new qualitatively superior law schools have come up, there is a national level entrance exam and five year law degrees have become the mainstream. Has the quality of the legal process dependent on better human resources changed?
Before making an attempt to reply to that question, what has actually happened is that during the intervening period the goal post got completely changed. Whatever, the corporates contended with before the onset of these new law schools; its for sure that they did not the best graduating legal brains in the country. Presumably they were managing with consultants showing them the way to the right lawyers.
Though corporates are a part of us for long, IT brought it into the mainstream. The young bright upcoming law graduates started finding a corporate location for themselves. It become a surge and today the corporates are able to distribute most of the bright graduating law students among themselves. The lure of a handsome pay package, a comfortable non challenging job / life and other additional fixed perks a company would offer. Even with best of the compensation, it would be a backend process.
The quality of the legal process remains broadly unchanged. The new expected entrants leaving the fray even before entering it. Top lawyers are institutions in themselves, they come to our rescue for vexed legal issues and reasoned constitutional opinion, whenever and wherever warranted. These stalwarts have practiced law and made legal profession, legal process and wider public life better with exceptional legal acumen. They have the courage to put their knowledge and expertise to test, everyday.
LAW IS TO BE PRACTICED IN COURTS, NOT OPERATED FROM CORPORATE CUBICLES.
Sanjay Sahay