Loathed and mistrusted as they might be, lawyers from all backgrounds—economic, ethnic or otherwise—are needed to make for a vibrant society
The lack of diversity in the legal profession, as evidenced by the inequality in the appointments of senior counsel at the Supreme Court and high courts, is a serious issue at the top level, but it actually starts at the very bottom, according to research surveying students who entered India’s top national law schools in 2013-14.
Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA), an initiative that seeks to encourage students from under-represented and marginalized groups to study law, surveyed 550 students, of whom 18 were from non-traditional backgrounds supported by IDIA.
The survey collected responses from students at nine top national law schools—National Law School of India University, Bengaluru; Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad; National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata: National Law University, Jodhpur; Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow; Chanakya National Law University, Patna; National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi; National Law University, Delhi; and National Law University, Cuttack.
The results are not encouraging across the board.
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