Source: Indlawnews.com, Wednesday, March 05, 2008

The introduction of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for the top seven law schools (NLSIU, NLIU, NALSAR, NUJS, NLU, HNLU and GNLU), from May this year, has thus been a step in this direction. Any aspirant will only have to bear the expenditure of Rs. 2,000 and to face the tensions of just one exam that will be conducted at 20 centres across India. Even for those who are located at other places, taking a single exam is an immeasurably more manageable affair.

The year 1987 saw the beginnings of the tectonic shift in perceptions about law as a career from one of the least attractive careers, to one of the most sought after, with the establishment of the National Law School of India University in Bangalore. Then, if a student had announced intentions of studying law at say, Delhi University, he would have been asked, only half in jest, whether he was looking for cheap accommodation in the capital. In 2008, the scenario is vastly different.

It was a time of hope for the legal fraternity. The concept of a national institution to act as a pace-setter and a testing ground for bold experiments in legal education came up before the Bar Council of India in the context of the Councils statutory responsibility for maintaining standards in professional legal education (under the Advocates Act). The NLSIU Act, 1986 of the Karnataka legislature, under which the NLSIU was established, referred to these goals, including a stated intention to develop a teaching and research institute of higher learning in law.

The NLSIU monopoly over what was then hyped as the revolutionary five-year B.A.LL.B. program, lasted for the next fifteen years. In 1999, there was an explosion of the law school phenomenon, with many other states decided to follow suit. NALSAR in Hyderabad, NUJS in Kolkata, NLIU in Bhopal and NLU in Jodhpur were established by their respective state governments. Ten years hence, the prestige of gaining admission to these law schools is comparable to that of any IIT.

This was not without an impact on the aspirational values behind NLSIU and other colleges. Now, a student who intends to gain admission to one of the top-tier law schools will necessarily invest in coaching institutions (Law School Tutorials, the most successful of them, charges close to Rs 16,000 for a complete preparatory course.) The proliferation of these coaching centers have also meant that students from the bigger cities tend to be much better prepared to write the entrance examination. Until this year, there was also the small matter of applying to five to nine different colleges, which would also cause a significant dent in the wallet.  Apart from the expenses involved even before one took the exam, the fees charged at these premier institutions have gone through the roof in recent years. (In 2008, an NLSIU student in his/her first year has to pay Rs. 113,500. Similarly, Rs. 110,000 in NALSAR and Rs. 103,500/- in NLIU.) All this amounted to a small fortune that put a top-tier law degree out of the grasp of most Indian students.

In 2004, Siddharth Chauhan, who would later become Vice President of the Student Bar Association at NLSIU had written in the inaugural edition of Quirk, a literary magazine that was being attempted by a few enthusiastic students of that law school:

Some general criticisms offered are that the test inherently favours those with good English-medium schooling and that the high fee-structure as well as requirements for ancillary spending create an elitist profile of students. Another point made is that despite the provision of financial aid schemes, only the well-off would have access to preparatory resources. I do not intend to address these issues directly in this note but instead suggest another reform that might enable a slightly more diverse profile of incoming students. I will argue that though a common-entrance test for admission to NLSIU and the Law-schools that have subsequently followed its model is not an exhaustive solution to the shortcomings in the admission procedure it will nevertheless be a step in the right direction.

The introduction of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for the top seven law schools (NLSIU, NLIU, NALSAR, NUJS, NLU, HNLU and GNLU), from May this year, has thus been a step in this direction. Any aspirant will only have to bear the expenditure of Rs. 2,000 and to face the tensions of just one exam that will be conducted at 20 centres across India. Even for those who are located at other places, taking a single exam is an immeasurably more manageable affair.

Still, the problem of high fees will continue to keep these law schools from being a fair reflection of the Indian population. However, there are options which may help ease the financial burden on students and parents.

Bank loans

Procuring credit may be a tough ask for a lawyer, but not for those aspiring to become one. Almost all banks provide educational loans and almost always, the discretion to sanction the loan is completely with the branch manager. An application in proper format with proper documents may be made to the branch manager of any bank in the students place of residence. Educational loan schemes in most banks do not require collateral security or a guarantee. However, depending upon the terms of the loan provision of collateral security may be necessary. The students will have to repay only after completing their course.

Government scholarships

Many state governments provide scholarships for students from these regions to study in institutions of excellence. If the student is from a Scheduled Caste/Tribe, most state governments have easily accessible scholarships. For instance, in Chhattisgarh, the state bears all the expenditure of tribal students in HNLU (according to the students of the institution). Similarly, in NLIU, financial assistance is provided to students belonging to SC/ST category by the Madhya Pradesh government. The Government of Andhra Pradesh is making provision of 1.5 crores to cover the educational expenses of meritorious students who secure admission in NALSAR.

Fee Waiver

In NLSIU, fee concession to the possible extent is granted on the recommendations of a Scholarship Committee. This depends mainly on the economic status and performance of the students. Only those students who secure a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 6.00 out of 7.00 in the previous academic year are eligible to apply. The scholarship amount will be disbursed after submission of necessary documents for proof of income shown by them in the application form and the scholarship committee has the full discretion to fix any amount after considering the candidature of an applicant on the basis of the evidence of personal financial problems and the grades obtained.  The sanctioned amount will be adjusted against the fees or the mess bill during the year.

Similarly, GNLU also has a fee waiver for meritorious students. From 2004 to 2006, it offered Rs. 20000 as freeship to each of the first 20 meritorious candidates on the general merit list seeking admission, based on their performance at entrance test.

Academic Assistance Scheme

This scheme is in practice only in NLSIU. Under this scheme, students in need of financial assistance may undertake academic and organisational responsibilities under the supervision of Faculty members for not more than thirty hours per month, who may be rewarded in monetary format.

Scholarships

NLSIU has many scholarships like The Shankaramma Memorial Trust Scholarship, in which Rs. 500/- per month is awarded every year to two or more students (preferably from Andhra Pradesh). In Velakacherla Narasa Reddy Rural India Merit scholarship, one scholarship is awarded every year to a student commencing the IV year studies for two years, subject to satisfactory performance. Justice Venkataswamy, Mrs. & Mr. Mariappa Gowda and Mrs. & Mr. B. Narayan scholarships are awarded to highly deserving students towards his/her boarding/lodging charges in the University. Late Justice B. Vasudevamurthy Scholarship is awarded to a deserving and meritorious student who is unable to join NLSIU due to economic conditions. Hemant Narichania Scholarship is awarded to II and III year meritorious students of B.A.LL.B. from lower socio-economic strata of society. The Bodh Raj Sawhney, Sam Byramji Nariman scholarship and The Lalit Bhasin scholarship is awarded every year to the highly deserving student of NLSIU. Dr. K. Manorama Scholarship is awarded to a II year Girl Student based on a merit-cum-means assessment. M.S.S. Rao scholarship is awarded every year to the highly deserving student to the tune of Rs. 6,250/-.

Recently, Microsoft established one scholarship program, an initiative set up for capacity building and creating a pool of specialists in the area of IT and Intellectual Property. It will be awarded on the basis of evaluation of students research papers, on pre-approved topics related to IPR by experts from the law firm of Amarchand and Mangaldas, and the legal and corporate affairs team at Microsoft India. It will include the grant of Rs 80,000 per annum scholarship to law students in the country. Three students from NALSAR were the first to get this but now it has been launched in many other law schools also.

Mr. Shardul S. Shroff, Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff Co., New Delhi, have proposed to create a scholarship for two students of NLIU in the name of late Shri Suresh A. Shroff.

In 2002, Anand (name changed) had to leave NLIU as he was not in a position to arrange the fees. For him, it was not a tough decision, as he was only in his first year of the program. But, in 2005, when Anjana (name changed) in her final year in the same college had to face financial hardships, she decided to fight it out, and had to take support from her batch mates and alumni of the college. The situation has been getting better over the years. Now, with decent grades and serious internships, a career as a successful lawyer is not far from the reach of financially underprivileged students. This is likely to contribute to the realization of those aspirational values behind the establishment of NLSIU. With the cost of education kept in check, the majority of students need not feel compelled to opt for the skyrocketing salaries promised by law firms and corporate offices and the standard of the Indian bar may in fact improve. Top-tier law schools has a responsibility to be more sensitive to the needs of financially underprivileged students, and it is in the interests of the legal profession to keep the fee structure in these institutions within reach of these students.