Former CJI D Y Chandrachud said India’s legal education system has major gaps despite producing top lawyers. He urged reforms, tech skills, and mental health support for the profession.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: On August 10, Former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has highlighted the urgent need to reform India’s legal education system to meet the fast-changing needs of the 21st century.
Speaking to law students at the Vishnupant Advant Lecture Series on Saturday, on the topic
“The Present and Future of Legal Profession: Opportunities, Challenges and Drawbacks”,
he said that although India produces some of the best legal minds, there are still big gaps in the system that must be fixed.
He said,
“Despite producing some of the finest legal minds, our legal education system continues to grapple with fundamental gaps that hinder its ability to meet the demands of the 21st century,”
Justice Chandrachud explained that the legal field is rapidly changing because of technology and global issues.
He said,
“We are witnessing today a digital explosion, data protection disputes, climate change litigation, online dispute resolution and digital first regulatory frameworks are becoming the new norms,”
He suggested that the way law is taught must adapt to these new challenges.
He said,
“Pragmatically, this means reforming legal education and continuing professional development programmes to foster cross-sectoral expertise. By cross-sectoral expertise, I mean digital law, data privacy, environmental law, cultivating critical reasoning and social empathy, and encouraging collaboration with other professions such as technology experts and social scientists,”
He added,
“To achieve this vision, law schools and continuing education programmes must anticipate the evolving landscape of legal careers and actively prepare both students and current professions to succeed within it,”
According to the former CJI, legal studies must go beyond old laws and procedures.
He said,
“The curriculum must expand beyond traditional doctrines and procedures to include foundational training in data science, tools and experience designed for technologies and principles of algorithmic accountability,”
He explained that lawyers of the future must be ready to work with artificial intelligence (AI) and technology experts.
He said,
“Students need to develop skills to assess AI model outputs, detect biases in training data and work collaboratively with software engineers to define tools that uphold constitutional values and human rights standards,”
Giving an innovative suggestion for training, he said:
“Moot court exercises could incorporate artificial intelligence adversaries that challenge students to predict algorithmic decisions and formulate compelling arguments to hold automated systems accountable.”
Justice Chandrachud also spoke about the technological reforms he introduced while serving as Chief Justice.
He said,
“During my tenure as Chief Justice, I had the great opportunity of unveiling several technological reforms. Reforms that I am happy to report have remedied to a great extent the issues that plague our judiciary. We introduced e-filing of cases available across nearly all states,”
He added that the Supreme Court has now gone almost completely paperless.
He said,
“Today, the Supreme Court judges operate virtually in a paperless manner and they are provided with scanned, bookmarked and digitally signed case records which they access, read, annotate and preserve for their reference,”
Offering advice to young lawyers, he said they should avoid reacting to personal attacks.
He said,
“If your opponent throws insults, ignore them. Responding won’t win you the case. I have carried Fali Nariman’s principle that if your opponent throws insults, ignore them. I am carrying that in my retirement as well. To people who throw insults at me, I have only one answer, if that makes you happy, so be it,”
He also urged lawyers to focus on their core role. He said they should
“reorientate their identity as facilitators of justice before everything”
and always put ethics first.
He said,
“There is no shortcut for success, and the students of law should be lifelong learners and independent thinkers,”
Quoting legal legend Fali Nariman, he said:
“Know your law and facts deeply. Be careful to not get lost in trying to fit your case into old judgments and don’t suffer from ‘case law diarrhoea’.”
He further advised:
“Read, observe and learn how to argue and how not to argue. When you have multiple arguments, lead with your weakest but make it your strongest effort. Save the best argument for last.”
Justice Chandrachud stressed the importance of discipline and hard work in the judiciary.
“The hardest working judges do the most amount of work. Stay busy, sharp and avoid complacency,”
he said, adding that
“integrity is everything.”
He also warned against exaggeration in court.
He said,
“Understate your case rather than overstating,”
He added,
“Leave anger outside the court. Even in heated arguments, calmness wins more than passion,”
The former CJI advised lawyers to build good relationships with peers. He said lawyers should not be quarrelsome, pointing out that
“your colleagues shape your reputation.”
He reminded them that
“Courtesy matters more than you think” and they should “never indulge in personal attack on judges or opponents.”
He urged them to
“focus on skills and substance over showmanship.”
Talking about the mental health challenges in law, he said:
“Lawyering is a stressful profession and several studies have pointed out that lawyers’ jobs can be often very stressful and making them more prone to addiction and struggling with mental health issues, such as depression, at higher rates than the general population.”
He encouraged students and lawyers to support each other.
He said,
“Talk to each other and understand those who are in distress, why they are in distress,”
Finally, he reminded students that the profession needs diversity and more participation from women. He asked them to keep learning and upgrading themselves throughout their careers.
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