Prof. Madhava Menon on Legal Skills

In the past few decades, the legal education system has seen a revolution. In the 1980s being a lawyer was considered the last resort as one’s career choice. The legal education system in India was deplorable and it needed a major revamp. That was all changed with the establishment of the National Law School in Bangalore in 1987, which offered the 5-year integrated BA LLB course. And on this model subsequently, many other law schools were established across India. One person was most responsible for this revolution and that was Prof. N. R. Madhava Menon.

The reforms were hugely successful. But with the success of the national law school model, it is now commonly felt that it is time for the next wave of reform in the area of legal skills development. In this talk, we speak with Prof. Memon on what may be required by this next wave of reform. How may one achieve it? And what is the role of teachers and students in trying to achieve this?