17You should embrace the inter-disciplinary elements of your

education to get a well-rounded perspective on the world. Whether

through your classes or your own personal efforts, learn about history,

philosophy, science, literature and art. These disciplines will serve you well

as a lawyer. The law is grounded in history and philosophy. Many of the

biggest controversies in society today involve science. Literature and art

will help you learn that the world can be understood in many different ways.

An inter-disciplinary, well-rounded education allows you to prepare for

whatever you may confront in life whether in the law or outside of it.

Second, think about theory while you are here. When you read a

case don’t just examine the facts and the holding, but reflect upon the

theory and context behind the decision. If a particular issue strikes you

research it further and write about it. Consider submitting your work to the

law review. There are still many areas of the law that need to be more fully

explored by scholars and students like you. Moreover, when you study the

theory behind the law you are learning principles you can apply to any

case.

Third, learn about law and globalization while at law college. Dean

Harold Koh of Yale Law School asks students to consider three aspects of

law and globalization: the law as globalization, the law of globalization, and

the law in globalization.[ Harold Koh, “Dean’s Welcoming Speech 2006”

18Aug. 30, 2006] Let’s examine each of these briefly in turn to get a sense of

this relatively new field.

The law as globalization. This means that the spread of law

worldwide is a feature of globalization just like global communication or

global culture. Of course, the sharing of legal knowledge between

countries is not new. India has looked abroad for inspiration for its law

since independence. The Indian Constitution’s political structure was

influenced by Great Britain, the Fundamental Rights by the United States,

the Directive Principles by Ireland, and its federalism by Canada and

Australia. When drafters of constitutions in other countries undertook their

task, they too looked to other countries for inspiration. Recently, the

drafters of the South African Constitution deliberately cast their gaze to

constitutions across the world for inspiration for their own constitution.

Similarly, courts of different nations look to the decisions of other

courts for insight or guidance to a topic before them. This too is not new.

What is new is that the decisions of courts from around the world are now

just a mouse click away. This increased interconnectivity brings

advantages and disadvantages. It is an advantage because we can learn

from the experiences of other countries and when applicable have our

discussions shaped by the reasoning of courts in similar situations.

However, there are also potential pitfalls. There can be literally hundreds

of decisions on any given topic from other countries around the world. We

19can become overwhelmed by the shear immensity of information we are

presented with. Furthermore, many of the experiences of other countries

may be only partly relevant or not relevant at all. It is learning to

discriminate amongst all the information presented in a globalized world

that makes a good lawyer.

Let’s now turn to the law of globalization. This means that

globalization comes with its own unique set of laws and legal institutions,

whether it is human rights treaties or WTO trade law. An increasing

number of cases involve or are informed by this law of globalization. It is

imperative that we understand and shape this emerging law.

This brings us to the law in globalization. Here, the word “law” is

used normatively, in that law is not just a set of rules – dictators and tyrants

can impose those through force – but instead law has a moral authority,

law brings justice. We must understand how we can use the law to blunt

the harsh edges and control the dark sides of globalization. As long as

people have humanity so must their law, this is no different in a globalized

world.

Turning from globalization and the law, let me discuss a fourth

aspect. I think that before you go out of the law college, you should engage

in public service as part of legal education while you are here. There are a

number of ways of doing this. One is working at the legal aid clinic at the

20Government Law College. Such work not only trains you in skills you will

need to be a successful lawyer, but also allows you to give back to the

community around you. You will discover challenges in public service

work. You will also develop a greater understanding of the perspectives of

those you help. That greater understanding will in turn increase your

desire to help.

This brings me to the fifth and last aspect of your legal education.

Reflect upon your values while at law college. What will you stand for?

What will you fight for?

Gandhi and Nehru were trained in the law, as were many of our

other independence leaders including Dr. Ambedkar, a distinguished

alumni of this school. So were great leaders for freedom and equality in

countries around the world. The challenges our country faces today may

be different than those it faced at the time of our founding fathers, but the

need for lawyers committed to the public service is no less, need for values

is no less and the need to improve the reputation of lawyers as a class, is

no less. Final judgment is yours.

Conclusion

It is important that we are asked to dream of utopias. To ask not just

what is, or what seems possible, but what could be. In the first part of this

lecture I outlined some of the challenges facing justice dispensation in our

21country, and hinted to some answers. I limited my grand pronouncements

about the future and instead chose to spend the second half of my talk on

discussing legal education. I did so because lawyers will be important

practitioners and in many ways the architects of justice dispensation in the

future. If we have good lawyers – by which I mean well-rounded lawyers,

grounded in theory and research, adaptive to a changing world, committed

to the public service, and motivated by strong values – then we have

reason for great hope. Whatever utopias we strive to reach that journey

begins here. That is why I am so thankful that I was asked to come today

to celebrate the

150th

anniversary of this illustrious institution that has

already produced so many distinguished alumni. The strength of

institutions like the Government Law College and the potential of students

like yourself gives us confidence that the future of justice dispensation in

this country is bright.

Let me end by acknowledging that it is difficult to achieve the

perfection but one can always strive to excel and if one continues to walk

on this path tirelessly, many, if not all, problems could be overcome. Many

thanks and best of luck.