“Teachers must be abreast of the latest developments and equip students”:  Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar, Judge, Karnataka HC 

Bangalore, January 22, 2024: Referring to the rapid technological changes in the next ten years, Justice Dinesh Kumar, Judge, Karnataka High Court, emphasized the need for law teachers to be abreast of the latest developments and equip students. 

He was speaking at the Southern Region Law Teachers Conclave 2023-24 organised by the RV University in collaboration with Manupatra recently. The theme of the Conclave is ‘Empowering Legal Educators for tomorrow’.

In his address as the Chief Guest, Justice Dinesh Kumar stressed the need for legal educators to undergo training on the implications of cyber law and related legislations to ensure that they remain at the forefront of evolving educational methodologies that incorporate technology. 

Justice Dinesh Kumar spoke of the evolving nature of legal education by contrasting the methods employed by practitioners and scholars over different generations. He pointed out that observation and assistance under senior lawyers were no longer the sole source of learning and growth for the current crop of legal professionals. With the exponential increase in access to data and information, Justice Kumar highlighted the need for legal professionals to prepare for an imminent overhaul of the system in the next decade. He also referred to the paradigm shift that legal education has undergone since the 1990s with the introduction of five-year integrated law programmes. 

On 19th January 2024, the Supreme Court Collegium headed by the Chief Justice of India, Justice Chandrachud, comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice BR Gavai has recommended the appointment of Justice Dinesh Kumar as the Chief Justice of Karnataka following the elevation of Justice Prasanna Varale to the Supreme Court of India. 

In his welcome address, Prof. Y.S.R Murthy, Vice Chancellor, RV University expressed happiness over partnering with Manupatra in organising this conclave. He said that RV University‘s School of Law was born out of a desire to provide quality legal education in the country and seeks to transform legal education. It joins the other six existing schools to enable students to explore intersections between the law and disciplines such as business, economics, liberal arts and technology. Prof. Murthy pointed out that the School of Law has hosted the Attorney General for India, R. Venkat Ramani, former Judge, Supreme Court, Justice Raveendran, UN Special Rapporteur on Racism, Dr. K.P. Ashwini, Member, NHRC, Dr. D.M. Mulay, Justice Narender, Justice Arun from Karnataka High Court and many other legal luminaries.  “Our Law School which is barely less than 6 months old has organised 3 international conferences so far on peace, conflict resolution and victimology, besides hosting C20 and Y20 under the G20”, he added. 

The Conclave consisted of panel discussions and insights from around 20 eminent speakers across various law schools from South India. The speakers ranged from partners of law firms, general counsels of companies and legal academicians, all of whom deliberated on the essential competencies required for students of law and the role of law teachers in facilitating the development of these competencies. The discussions largely focused on the need for a blend of industry and academia to prepare students for the challenges of the professional world.

The scope of technology in all aspects of learning with the evolving landscape in preparing the law teachers for increasing competition and globalization was also emphasized. The sessions covered various dimensions of the challenges that the law teachers need to grapple in the 21st century and mechanisms to cope up with the pace and the need for thorough introspection on an individual basis and leadership roles. The sessions also underscored the need for a renewed focus on inclusive education and furthering strong foundational and language skills for educators to create better suitable environments for better learners and a better tomorrow.

Deepak Kapoor, CEO, Manupatra, Vice Chancellors, Deans of Law Schools, General Counsels from Wipro Ltd. and Quess Corp Ltd.  and over 150 law teachers from various states of Southern India participated in the event.