‘Given the level of automation today, repetitive routine tasks are going to go. Analytical skills, strategy, problem-solving are coming to the forefront. Ability to interact with technology is critical and definitely changing legal services and how law students will deliver these services.’

An Interview with Prof (Dr) Amit Jain, Pro- Vice Chancellor of Amity University, Rajasthan and Prof (Dr) Saroj Bohra, Director, Amity Law School, Jaipur. The Amity Law School, Jaipur was recently enlisted among the Top Laws Schools in India in the Legal Powerlist 2020 organised by Forbes India and Legitquest. 

May 20, 2021

By LE Staff

Q. How does the teaching methodology practiced by your institute instill knowledge, skills and analytical thinking in students to prepare them for the challenges they may face as young professionals in the legal field?

Prof (Dr) Saroj Bohra: Law has always been taught with the help of theories, principles, their practices, and applications. Law, as it is invariably known, consists of multifarious areas each linked with the other. The task relevant for teaching these subjects is to bridge the gap existing between them. At Amity Law School, Jaipur, we follow a perfect blend of the lecture method, Socratic method, role-play, case studies and simulations, group discussions, tutorials, projects, seminar method, cafeteria model (teachers and students residing in campus holding discussions over a cup of tea or coffee is popular wherein everyone expresses their opinions freely), visits to courts, jails etc., special guest lectures, and technology-enabled blended learning using digital resources.

Prof (Dr) Amit Jain: We, at AUR, provide a supportive environment that facilitates creativity and innovation. Our well-structured and flexible curriculum allows students to master skills to face diverse challenges of the corporate world. To make our students industry ready, workshops, seminars and guest lectures are delivered by industry experts. The strong foundation provided to our students offers them an edge not only to face competition but also generate employment opportunities. Our state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities complement our academic ecosystem and enhance teaching-learning processes. We encourage our students to discover new perspectives, see things differently and develop an entrepreneurial mindset. The faculty members interact constructively with each other and provide great learning opportunities for students. The students of AUR develop team building, leadership, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, all of which are suitable for a variety of fields of employment.  

Q. Do you think the use of technology can support and enhance the education of your students? What kind of technology has your law school put to use for the benefit of students?  

Prof (Dr) Amit Jain: Technology has proved to be a great enabler during the unprecedented time that we have faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The university has in-house intranet system ‘Amizone’ which provides a platform for easy connection between teachers and students and provides ready information about course-profiles, class schedule, and assessment plan. 

In addition to Amizone, the university has also subscribed to secure and multi-function online delivery platforms for all its academic and administrative operations including regular teaching-learning and continuous assessment activities. This added to the smooth conduct of teaching-learning activities during the COVID 19 Pandemic. 

Recorded video lectures, e-books, continuous assessments through digital tools, interaction with industry experts through webinars, online career guidance sessions, and mentor-mentee meetings ensured that the quality of academic delivery and routine activities are not compromised at all during the nationwide lockdown. 

The faculties completed all academic activities through the virtual mode. All the assessments including end semester exams were also conducted online through pre-existing Intranet facility of the University. 

Prof (Dr) Saroj Bohra: Today, knowledge recall systems are being automated by tools easily accessible on the market. Given the level of automation we are experiencing, efficiency dictates that repetitive routine tasks are going to go; analytical skills, strategy, ability to problem-solve are coming to the forefront and of course ability to interact with technology is becoming critical. Therefore, there are definitely changes to legal services and how students will deliver these services.

Answering the second part of question, Amity Law School (ALS), Jaipur is one of the first law schools in introducing legal technology training programmes. Its working pattern is as well automated through the use of Amizone (Amity Intranet Zone), which is the campus management system covering all academic administration related processes from admissions to alumni which can be accessed by keying in URL address https://amizone.net, operational since 2009. The course plans, assignments, lesson plans, study material, attendance, results all can be uploaded and downloaded by teachers and students.

During the lockdown, the IT department had organised workshops on online teaching platforms, which helped to swiftly switch academics from traditional classroom to online teaching-learning and assessments. On MS Teams platform teachers and students are connected with their institutional email id by IT department and online classes are conducted. Teachers can record their lectures which could be referred to by students in future. So, we have two effective platforms to connect online with our students Amizone & MS Teams where teachers could also conduct their class test, project or article or mooting presentations and take assignment submissions. Course plans are exhaustively prepared including the session plans and continuous assessment components. The continuous assessments are carried out across the semester and the components are planned based on learning objectives and learning outcomes of the course. Academic calendar is also shared with students on the commencement of the session. Everything is uploaded online for students’ ready reference and implementation.

Amity’s Jaipur campus established Amity Innovation Incubator and E- Cell to encourage and promote entrepreneurship skills among the students. We have partnered with the industry for better stakeholders connect for this we have established Industry Advisory Board too. We are excited and hope that learning opportunities of the future will reinforce, complement and to bring to life new and holistic experience for our students. 

Q. Prof Jain, you often interact with faculties at educational institutes abroad. You have also been visiting faculty at universities in Australia and Europe. Do you think there is a difference between the way academics (specifically in the legal domain) function in India and in other countries? Where do you think India lacks or needs improvement as far as legal education is concerned?

Prof (Dr) Amit Jain: I believe we live in a globalized world and modern teaching methods are the same globally. However, in the western world it is observed that education is more practice oriented, and focus is more on skill development rather than knowledge dissemination. Indian legal education providers are also not behind their global counterparts. At Amity University Rajasthan we organize many competitions like Model United Nations, Moot Court Competition, Trial Advocacy Competition to provide a simulated environment to our students that helps them to practice and hone their skills. Internships play a vital role and industry academia collaboration is required to strengthen the curriculum in line with industry requirement. At AUR we have a very strong Industry Advisory Board that meets regularly to suggest improvements in our curriculum as well as pedagogy. Legal Education in India should provide opportunities to the students to work on real life problems with the support of industry mentors. 

Q. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live and work, and the change has probably hit educational institutions the most. What has been the impact of the pandemic-induced lockdowns on your institution?

Prof (Dr) Saroj Bohra: Well, due to the lockdown and even post-lockdown as precautionary measures education institutions are closed. It was an unprecedented situation and I consider the facilities of internet and technology as a blessing in disguise because of which we are connected with each other and engage ourselves productively in these trying times. Amity University Rajasthan has overcome all the difficulties by quickly adapting to the virtual online mode of teaching not only for the students of law school but also for the students of Amity organization as a whole in India and as well outside India. 

In March 2020, immediately on lockdown ALS adapted to the online teaching. Besides regular, remedial classes were also conducted. Groups with students, teachers and staff on social platforms created so that all are connected all the time. Even End Term examinations for final year students were conducted online on Amizone platform. Thereafter, ALS took up the initiative of organizing webinars hosting successfully over a dozens of webinar inviting experts from the various domains of law and as well from legal firms

Students have been provided with remote access to online data resources. Corporate Resource Centre assisted the students in appearing for online interviews and students were placed in reputed national international companies like FHS, Nishith Desai Associates, Khaitan & Co., Amicus legal, and Innodata to name few. 

Online Board of  Studies meeting, Ph.D. viva of three research scholars of ALS, Student Research Advisory Committee presentations, Student Research Degree Committee meeting, departmental meeting, HOI’s meetings, Academic Council meeting, Online Farewell of final year students, Online Orientation of Freshers, online weekly Mentor- Mentee meetings etc. were conducted. 

Overall ALS had given its best in making this COVID-19 time successful for its students and engaged them in online learning and initiated a sense of innovation to come up with new ideas. Modestly, pandemic has not changed the functionality of Amity Law School. Only the mode has changed from physical to virtual, rest all is same. Now even our new academic session is in full swing. 

Prof (Dr) Amit Jain: The pandemic situation no doubt created challenges for almost every sector including education but at the same time as said, “in every adversity lies an opportunity”. Institutions were quick to respond and moved to online teaching and learning. Amity University Rajasthan was among the pioneers in country to implement an Online learning system to ensure continuous learning. Prompt action from faculty and staff helped students save precious time and kept them engaged in productive work. Removing the barrier of geographical boundaries and location an Online Learning system also helped to develop a sense of responsibility and discipline amongst students. No doubt, faculty and student missed the 152-acre state of the art lush green, eco-friendly campus of AUR but technology brought us closure to global resources and experts. We could organize webinars and expert lectures from global experts with the help of online platforms. Student also could connect at different occasions with 1,75,000 Amity students globally. 

Q. How have you personally adapted to the lifestyle changes that have been brought about by the pandemic? 

Prof (Dr) Saroj Bohra: To say that the novel coronavirus pandemic has changed the world would be an understatement. In less than a year since the virus emerged, it has upended day to day lives across the globe. The pandemic has changed how we work, learn and interact as social distancing guidelines have led to a more virtual existence, both personally and professionally. Now most of the time is spent before screen so I have tried to maintained regular routines as much as possible and retained a daily schedule for self-including sleeping, meals and activities. I have stayed socially connected by talking to near and dear ones using the telephone, video calls or messaging. Staying in university campus is an advantage as I could take regular walk and exercise, of course, following the govt. guidelines. Also now I could spend some quality time with my son. My role as an academician, administrator, mother keeps me almost entire day occupied, however, now find some time for my hobbies and to do my research work.

Prof (Dr) Amit Jain: Though It was a nationwide lockdown due to the pandemic, it was also an opportunity to read, reflect, revive, and rejuvenate oneself. The faculty and staff members including myself were not behind in terms of keeping themselves updated and self-develop. We undertook online courses and certifications available at online platforms. It was a time to build skills and sharpen the saw. The situation was full of chaos and confusion, but routines for faculty and students were made very structured beginning with online yoga session, pranayama, and meditation sessions during morning hours followed by regular classes in the afternoon and industry webinars during evening hours. In difficult times like this it is important to keep our immunity intact and keep oneself emotionally and physically fit. I ensured constant touch and communication with the team through online meetings to ensure that they stay motivated and do not get perturbed by environmental changes. I personally wrote appreciation letters to team members for their dedication and contribution during the pandemic. 

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Prof. (Dr.) Amit Jain is Currently Pro-Vice Chancellor at Amity University Rajasthan. He holds a Ph.D from Sardar Patel University and has completed FDP from IIM Ahmedabad. 

Prof (Dr) Saroj Bohra is Director, Amity Law School, Jaipur. Her qualifications include B.A.,LL.B (Gold Medalist), LL.M., Ph.D.