The Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA) initiative has tied up with UK-international law firm giant Linklaters for financial support and some help in preparing training materials to allow students from non-traditional backgrounds - and potentially all others who may need it - to crack entrance exams such as the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).

An IDIA spokesperson said that at the moment, Linklaters was primarily providing financial support “but with regular engagement of Linklaters through reporting and other methods”. The firm and IDIA declined to confirm the exact amount of sponsorship involved, however.

“They would also be considering other avenues of support such as internships and job opportunities for IDIA Scholars,” added IDIA.

According to a Linklaters’ press release, London-based India group partner Sushil Jacob (an NLSIU Bangalore graduate who had begun his career in 2002 at AZB & Partners) said: “We are excited at this opportunity to contribute towards the legal sector and legal education through our collaboration with IDIA. We hope to see a more accessible and inclusive legal industry.”

The tie-up with Linklaters follows 2018’s IDIA agreement with Herbert Smith Freehills, which committed to “financial, mentoring and pastoral support to a number of IDIA scholars during the course of their legal education in universities in India”, including with fees and expenses, as well as “providing graduate recruitment support and internship opportunities, which can help the scholars in shaping their legal careers”.

Preparing for a new CLAT

In terms of the new CLAT format for this year, which has the potential to disadvantage some candidates, IDIA was adopting a “wait and see” approach for now, about whether it would help or hinder diversity. “We would have some clarity after the paper,” the IDIA spokesperson said.

For now, IDIA was busy preparing “various training materials for preparing for law entrance examinations... especially mock tests”, overseen by IDIA’s in-house “training and materials team, which has law students from various colleges who are managed by a director-in-charge prepares these materials”.

When asked whether and how such materials might be accessible more widely, and whether these could be open sourced in future, the IDIA staffer said: “We have always given access to materials from our end to anyone who needs it.

“We are planning to shift to a platform where they could be available online but it is a work in progress. We would definitely like to keep it open source if technical infrastructure allows it.”