In a rare move from academia to the law firm world, Link Legal India Law Services has engaged former Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre faculty Solil Paul as chair - academics at the firm.

According to Link Legal’s press release, Paul would “help the firm formulate and implement a structured and systematic Continuous Legal Education (CLE) programme”.

The firm would also “look to increase its interactions with the academic world and explore joint legal education initiatives with law colleges”.

We have reached out for further comment to the firm.

Managing partner Atul Sharma said in the press release: “I have known Solil from my Law Faculty days. Solil chose academics and went on to be respected as an outstanding teacher.

“It will be great for the firm to have the benefit of Solil’s academic excellence and experience in developing an in-house legal academy to help us invest further in our CLE initiatives.

“This is an initiative very dear to my heart as it has the potential to give back to the young lawyers what we have acquired over the years.”

In the US and UK, legal scholars join private practice or top law firms in their knowledge management or even practising functions more regularly.

While that migration hasn't happened very often yet in India to our knowledge, most of the bigger firms have also been formalising their in-house education and knowledge management functions in recent years.

Paul is a 1978 graduate of Delhi University’s Faculty of Law programme, and also holds an LLM in comparative jurisprudence and civil liberties from the University of Michigan.

At DU's Campus Law Centre he later taught subjects including constitutional law, interpretation of statutes and jurisprudence, and has been visiting faculty to various government and non-government institutions, including the National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.

Paul has also edited various books and journals on law including the 9th, 1999 edition of The Transfer of Property Act 1882, the 16th edition of The Code of Civil Procedure and Faultines' Volume 16 on Counter-terrorism Laws: The Supreme Court on Confessions, noted the press release, also adding:

Paul has been associated with various NGOs to hold programs/ lectures on legal awareness and rights of the people. He is also running a trust called ‘Lawyers for Change’ in Thal- Bhagwanpur village in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The trust works towards the upliftment of the rural population in various fields such as education, environment, self- employment, etc.