This article is written by Shreyans Ritolia, Law College Dehradun. Shreyans in looking for suitable opportunities in litigation as an outgoing final year student.

It is said that Law is a noble profession and I am thankful to everyone who helped me choose this noblest profession.

It was a difficult choice for me as after 12th all my mates started filling the form for entrance exams of different professional courses or had started to figure out the best-suited college which they thought were best for them or CA/CS etc., and I was still in dilemma about where to take admission.

There were few incidents which acted as a catalyst for me to opt for law as a profession.  

The first incident which motivated me to take law seriously as a career option was a visit to the district court with my father. That day I saw many lawyers wearing a black and white uniform, arguing in front of the man sitting at the top, shouting at the top of their voice, “May it please this honourable court, Your Honour, My Lord.”

The aura and the environment of the court provoked me to choose law as my profession.

Later when I returned home I had a word with my father about the legal profession and he told me about the great lawyer Mr. Nani Palkhivala and about Justice Krishna Iyer. Then my dilemma converted into determination.

After this incident, my cousin brother was shot by some goons when he was returning from his office. This was shocking for the family.

This incident led me to law as a profession.

Now in my final year of Law School, I feel that there are a few things which I will always cherish about being a Law Student.  

1. Legal Aid

Our College has an active legal aid centre, fortunately, my roommate was the president of the Legal Aid Centre and he was the man who was very passionate about helping the needy.

It is often said that a person has a great impact of his group which he keeps and as a result, I too started helping people who were needy.

Once my maid bought a camera which was not working and she informed me about this, I filed a consumer complaint at the consumer forum and still, I am pursuing that case with help of my friend who is also a lawyer.

This is the best and the most motivational activity which I enjoyed as a law student.

2. Moot Court

Moot court is the lifeline of any law school and is an integral part of any law student’s journey.

For me, it gave an opportunity to test my argumentative skills, advocacy skills. As Research is an important skill which every law student should have and being an active member of the Moot Court I got to learn the nuances of research which also helped me during my internships.

I was fortunate and somehow unfortunate when I took admission.

Unfortunate because there was an absence of active mooting culture and fortunate because it gave me an opportunity to develop the culture of mooting in my college

My dearest friend Karam was the mastermind behind the Moot Court in our college. He motivated me to take part in Moot Court activities and I am thankful to him from bottom of my heart as he showed me how to showcase my argumentative skills in a better manner in the Moot Court.

After a week of induction, I was appointed as a Convener of our Moot Court Society. During my tenure, I interacted with many students from my college and with the conveners of the moot courts of the colleges operating in the country. Also, I got an organizational experience of organizing National Moot Court Competitions which saw 32 teams participating from different law colleges.

I also participated in various National Moot Court Competitions and the best one was the 34th Bar Council of India National Moot Court Competition. Participating in moot court gave me the golden opportunity to hone my research and advocacy skills.

3. Internships  

Internships are the most important and mandatory activity to do. Being a law student I enjoyed the most doing an internship with different law firms and lawyers.

My first internship was at Calcutta High Court with a senior counsel Mr. Protik Prokash Banerjee. He was an excellent man with a great intellectual mind. In his chambers, I got to learn about the practical aspects of Law.

A matter was going in which sir was contending that there is a violation of Fundamental Right i.e. article 14 of the constitution and sir asked me to find a recent judgment on a proposition of Law. This internship also gave me some good friends and with whom I am still in touch.

During my second internship with an IP Law Firm in Delhi, I got to meet one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. My mentor made me learn IP Laws and provoked me to specialize in IP Law. The charisma of that man deeply influenced me. He always praised me even if I give him a single case law on the given proposition.

After this, I did my internship with a criminal lawyer in my hometown, in this internship I got to witness the real court session which was very different from my imagination.

And after that, I interned with two tier 1 law firms which gave me an opportunity to meet some of the best legal minds. During internships, I got to learn about due diligence work, research and drafting.

I also got an opportunity to witness the conferences with senior counsel and it was a thrilling experience for me. Even I got to know about formalities and documents needed for opening a hotel in Delhi and in Noida. Laws like private equity, M&A, FEMA, FERA, contract drafting are fun to learn and read as these laws are not taught in my college.

These internships give an opportunity to witness the court proceedings which I enjoyed the most being a law student.

Internships also provide with an opportunity to do networking which is very important for a law student.

I am an extrovert person and it gave me an opportunity to build a strong network.

During my internship, I came to know some of the best lawyers in the country, got an opportunity to meet the judges of the High Court and Supreme Court.

Once I advised a Chartered Accountant on some issue which he was facing and it worked for him. I was thrilled!

In a similar instance, my friend from my hometown wanted some advice on some consumer protection matter which I could help him with. In this way, I also got to do legal aid and build a never ending relation with these people.

Opportunity to interact with these legal luminaries and advocates is a thrilling part of any law student’s life.

Law school always gives any of its students so much. What really matters is how much we have given to our institution. This splendid journey of 5 years was a roller coaster ride. Apart from Legal Aid, Moot Court, internships and networking, I enjoyed reading articles written by some great jurists which always kept me motivated.

Every bit of my law school I enjoyed. I loved being a law student.  I enjoyed every activity which I did as a Law Student be it organizing legal aid camp, mooting, writing research papers, going in seminars, meeting new people, publishing articles etc.

After two months I will miss being a Law Student!