About external articles
Another week, another law school ranking: national daily Mint has ranked the large national law colleges in the top five positions, in its India's best colleges supplement it published today.
Mint has placed National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore in first, closely followed by Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad and National University of Juridicial Sciences, Kolkata (NUJS).
The schools in the top three positions were unchanged since last year, and achieved 637, 627 and 619 points respectively in the rankings.
The runners up in fourth and fifth were National Law University, Jodhpur and National Law Institute University, Bhopal, which swapped places from their positions last year.
Mint's methodology used a combination of the rankings used by India Today magazine and Outlook magazine last week. Mint contacted faculty members and legal professionals with a questionnaire, asking them to rate each of intellectual capital, pedagogic systems and processes, placements, and "infrastructure and support systems".
Each category was weighted with intellectual capital being allocated 250 points down to infrastructure and support systems, which was worth 150 points.
The paper did not publish the sample size used.
Faculty of Law Delhi University came sixth; Government Law College, Mumbai jumped up the rankings to seventh; ILS Law College, Pune was unchanged at eight; Amity Law School, Delhi made it into the top ten for the first time at nine; and Symbiosis Law School, Pune closed the list at ten.
Click here for a PDF of the full ranking on livemint.com.
Have a look at India Today's and Outlook India's competing law school rankings, which excited heated debate from readers last week.
Blawg-osphere
If you were left behind by SEBI's whirlwind of activity last week do not fret: the Indian Corporate Law blog has a crash course in SEBI reforms.
Blawg-osphere
Indian blawg Law and Other Things posted a brilliant article dissecting the statutory framework that is being used to deprive suspected swine flu cases of their liberty. But, asks the blawg, is the Act actually fit for purpose?
Probably not: although swine flu is frightening and has reached global pandemic status, it is technically unlikely to be an epidemic in India and would thus not fall within the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.
While some of the powers of the Act are suitably draconian to allow the state to deal with diseases serious enough to destroy it (although the maximum Rs 200 fine is unlikely to hurt much), does the 100-odd-year-old legislation leave public health officials defenceless against the virus until it is too late?
Blawg-osphere US legal blog Above the Law has published an in-depth interview with an Indian legal process outsourcing (LPO) company, providing a good insight into where LPO could take the US and UK legal markets in future.
Above the Law talked to Gururaj Potnis, the director of Manthan Legal, which claims "over 700 man-years of experience in the LPO industry".
Potnis said that US firms would have to wake up to LPO if they want to survive and offer value to clients. "Some law firms are just wanting to be blind," he told Above the Law. "There is a tremendous value potential. But people do not want to take an open view."
The business case he makes is sound on many fronts: clients will increasingly request low-level legal work to be outsourced, LPO can solve headaches for management such as underutilisation and high fixed costs, as well as keep the legal work-flow ticking over 24/7 – although one imagines many US white shoe firm associates already work almost as many hours in the week, or at least did, before the downturn.
In typically ironic, vociferous and often offensive fashion (you have been warned), Above the Law readers commented on the story in droves – currently the thread runs to 123 comments and counting.
They include the good ("Again, outsourcing is not a magic solution to every problem. But properly used, it can be a very useful tool."); the bad ("These Indian lawyers are helping to BURST THE BIGLAW BUBBLE!"); and the ugly (from a "parody of a xenophobic hick").
See today's story on Legally India about the Scottish, who see the future of Indian outsourcing in Scotland.
Analysis
India’s new government could be the springboard for the country’s legal system to scale new heights.
The recent Indian elections saw a decisive win for the Congress Party, the stock markets rally, the various economic growth forecasts adjusted and the rating agencies ditching their gloomy outlook for the country (see ‘Elections’ box).
The optimism within the business community here is so heartfelt and the belief in the new government so strong, it is reminiscent of the first month or so after Barack Obama’s election victory in the US.
Nevertheless, the data for the start of the year makes for depressing reading. India, much like the rest of the world, has suffered in every major sector (see ‘Figures’ box). The country, as ever, faces incredible challenges.
But amid those challenges, even though they come with a long wish list of demands from their old but newly emboldened government, Indian lawyers are also seeing great opportunities. In India, it is business time.
Analysis
India needs to enhance its arbitration offerings and overhaul its courts’ processes to give its backlog of cases any chance of closure before the year 3000.
A trip to the neo-Gothic Bombay High Court is an entertaining experience that should be on every visiting lawyer’s travel itinerary. Once past the sandbagged machine gun emplacements outside, loosen your tie and spend a few hours wandering about open-air corridors between throngs of locals, hundreds of offices with unfathomable purposes and court rooms filled beyond bursting point.
Also spare a thought for the unfortunate litigants, who will most likely not find the experience as enjoyable.
The running joke in India goes that, if you litigate here, your sons and daughters will inherit your dispute.
About external articles
For anyone fascinated by intellectual property in India, there was an interview in last weekend's Mint Lounge supplement with IP expert Pravin Anand, managing partner of Anand and Anand.
Anand is portrayed as an unashamed IP geek who has not only put on an IP-themed educational play and created an IP-themed boardgame, but who has also been at the forefront of Indian IP development.
In one current high-profile case he is representing toy-maker and Scrabble-copyright owner Mattel against the creators of the Facebook/internet sensation Scrabulous, which has since been renamed Lexulous - for IP reasons, obviously.
In what is either amazing editorial foresight or an intriguing coincidence, the young Kolkota entrepreneurs who are facing Anand in court about Scrabulous, were profiled in the same paper just a few pages away.
Problem is, each interview makes its respective subjects sound so similarly charming, for the reader it becomes difficult to pick a side in the case.
Editorial
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Editorial
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Editorial
It appears my junior could not retrieve the exact file you wanted...
I had ordered my junior to find it but he underdelivered and only gave you this page.
What could have gone wrong? Maybe:
- the link you clicked to get here was proofread by my junior and had a typo in it, or
- I shredded the file or put it in a new place without telling you or my junior, or
- something unforeseeable has happened.
While none of the above shall be construed as an admission of liability or fault, I regret this unfortunate event and shall ensure that no bill will be raised for this search.
Also, my junior may be sacked.