ALS Campus Review: Grooming guardians of the constitution

Striking a balance between theory and practice, Amity Law School teaches budding lawyers to think like one before stepping into the competitive profession…

What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way in the legal domain. It would make a contract unviable! This is how Amity Law School Noida (ALSN) teaches law aspirants to think differently on each and every aspect related to law. A blend of traditional and modern methods of teaching law grooms the students in meeting the challenges of a legal career. “The course structure here is exhaustive. You will realize it when you will study whole of the IPC and CRPC bare acts in one semester. They will take your life! But, there couldn’t be a better start to embark on the journey of law,” said Priyanka Khare, a final year LLB student at ALSN.

Functioning since 2004, Amity Law School Noida is one of the biggest law schools in India with Bar Council of India’s (BCI) recognition. With over 4,000 students and more than 80 PhD scholars under its wings, it’s also one of the largest in Asia.

Quick Facts

Range of programmes

The School of Law offers a range of law programmes across all levels. Sharing the course structure, Gagan Garg, B.Com LLB final-year student, specializing in Intellectual Property Rights, said, “In the five-year integrated programme, the first two years are very cool and light. But, after second year we have to buck up and prioritize everything. We have got to be serious.” In addition to regular course curriculum, the Chairman of Amity Law Schools, Dr. Dilip Kumar Bandyopadhyay, pointed out that it is mandatory for Amity students to take up an additional course in a foreign language. Furthermore, to impart enhanced understanding of social realities, a course on behavioural science is also offered.

Making your case to the wider world

Giving strongest possible start to students’ professional lives, ALSN has etched compulsory internship elements in the curriculum. Nilanjan Chatterjee, a final year BBA LLB student who plans to join a law firm after graduation, said, “The experience here combines practical knowledge with academics. Internship is a part of our annual curriculum. It is designed in such a way that the student is given about two months’ of internship. I have done four to five internships till now, mostly in litigation.”

In addition to internship, the law school teaches students to make their case using numerous activities like moot courts, mock parliaments, alternative dispute resolution tournaments, etc. These activities are planned and organized by students with the help of teachers. For instance, together with Australian Adelaide Law School, ALSN is set to organize an international conference on ‘Comparing Indian and Australian Constitutional Models’ in early 2019.

Updated syllabus

Talking about continuously updating the syllabus, Prof. S S Singh, Dean of ALSN, said, “Law is beyond litigation. Keeping in consideration the limitations and specifications laid by BCI, we bring about 10 percent changes annually to the syllabus to keep it relevant. This is done by introducing studies in new arena such as telecom spectrum, cyberlaw, space law etc.” Dr. Bandyopadhyay also says that ALSN takes care to ensure that they have a mixed bag of faculty with practical and theoretical experience.

Law journals, legal camps

Library is the core of any law institution and ALSN has a specially dedicated one and a knowledge resource centre with over 10,000 books and nearly 6,000 volumes of journals and reports. In addition, the library receives 109 journals and magazines and six national dailies. Students also get the access to over 200 journals, e-books and other resources in online mode.

Contributing to a thriving legal environment, ALSN has been running a biannual journal, i.e. Amity Law Review for nearly two decades. Recently, it also started ‘Amity International Journal of Juridical Sciences,’ a peer-reviewed journal published bi-annually. Furthermore, ALSN also houses Amity Judicial Academy and Law Foundation. Aditya Tomar, Additional Director of ALSN, said, “In Amity Judicial Academy, we provide training programs to mediators, arbitrators and students of law who are preparing for the judicial examinations. Under Amity Law Foundation, we cater to the needs of society via legal aid camps, legal advisory camps and lecture series of renowned law professors, advocates and judges.”

Unique ecosystem

Amity University has created an ecosystem of its own with the presence of a common canteen along with popular brands like Dominos, Cafe Coffee Day, among others on its campus. It forms the perfect environ for hostellers. Situated in the Medical City (because of the presence of Max Hospitals, Fortis, et.al.), better known as Arogya Dham, IT and Education city, the Noida campus has been divided into blocks from A to J. The F and I blocks are dedicated to the Faculty of Law. It also has an impressive array of sports and cultural activities with dedicated premises. ALSN graduates have successfully secured placements with eminent national and international law firms at Rele & Becker; Herbert Smith; Amarchand Mangaldas; Luthra and Luthra; Governmental Law Offices including NHRC, NCW, etc. The combination of a vibrant learning atmosphere coupled with experiential teaching methods and a dedicated Corporate Resource Centre to ensure placements makes ALSN a much sought after campus for the law aspirants.

#With inputs from Pritha Roy Choudhury

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