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EVOLUTION OF LEGAL EDUCATION IN INDIA: ANCIENT TRADITION TO MODERN LAW SCHOOLS

By ABT Teamc
05 Aug, 2025
EVOLUTION OF LEGAL EDUCATION IN INDIA: ANCIENT TRADITION TO MODERN LAW SCHOOLS
Indian legal education itself has also seen a profound shift from ancient traditions to modern practice-oriented law schools. This transformation is reflective of the country's shift from a colonial history to an independent nation with a robust legal system.
  

Ancient and Medieval Ages

Legal education in ancient India was deeply embedded in the principles of Dharma and Nyaya, which formed part of the legal fabric of society. Cases were adjudicated by kings and rulers on the basis of their conscience, but there was no formal legal education. Medieval times witnessed radical transformation with the emergence of Sharia law during Muslim domination, when formal legal instruction began in India.
  

Colonial Period

The British colonial period saw a dramatic change in legal education. The creation of the Supreme Court of Calcutta in 1774 highlighted the necessity of trained lawyers familiar with British law. Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras's modern universities, founded in 1857, included legal studies in their curriculum, with an emphasis on English statutes and case law. This was the period when Indian lawyers trained in British legal traditions began to emerge, including the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
 

Post-Independence Developments

Post-independence, legal education began to shift in accordance with India's constitutional and socio-economic objectives. The Bar Council of India assumed responsibility for the regulation of legal education so that legal courses became uniform and certified throughout India. The previous three-year LL.B. course required a degree at the undergraduate level, and the introduction of five-year integrated law courses such as B.A., LL.B., was a true shift towards cross-disciplinary legal education.
  

National Law Universities and Contemporary Law Schools

The establishment of National Law Universities (NLUs) during the second half of the twentieth century revolutionized India's system of legal education. The first NLU was the National Law
 
School of India University (NLSIU) at Bangalore in 1987 with a five-year integrated law degree including legal training with arts or sciences. The practice has spread all over India and now over 20 NLUs offer specialist law degrees combining theoretical expertise with hands-on learning.
  

Transition from Theory to Practice

Indian legal education is now trending towards practice-focused education. The law schools emphasize practical skills within the context of moot courts, internships, and legal clinics. The curriculum equips the students with tools of analysis such as critical thinking, legal writing, and negotiation skills, to handle the complexity of the modern legal profession. Legal education has also turned more accessible and skill-based thanks to technology with virtual moot courts and online databases being included in the curriculum.
 

Challenges and Future Directions

Despite all these advances, issues persist. The inconsistency of resources among institutions remains an issue, affecting the quality of education and experiential training that is able to be delivered to students. The competition between intensity in theory and competence in practice remains a perennial challenge for law schools. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 attempts to move beyond such challenges by calling for a broader and more inclusive approach to legal education, integrating it with India's general education reforms.
In short, Indian legal education has undergone a shift from traditional customs to vibrant, modern law schools. With India's unabated growth and development, its legal education system has to evolve to meet the needs of a changing world by equipping future lawyers with theoretical knowledge as also with practical expertise to serve the nation effectively.
 
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