Read, Read, & Keep On Reading

Summary: This post explains what else may be done to improve communication as well as prepare oneself for challenges in the legal world.

My father, VKS Chaudhary, Sr Advocate, continued his passion of reading till the end of his life.

ADVICE TO LAW ASPIRANTS

Introduction & Most Important Skill।। Improve Your Language।। Being Short and Concise: Crux of Good Communication।। Clear Grasp of the Subject: Necessary for Communication।। Feynman’s Technique।। Read, Read, & Keep On Reading।। ।। ।। ।। ।।

इस चिट्ठी को हिन्दी में यहां पढ़ा जा सकता है।

Reading good books is a very good idea. It not only improves your general awareness but also improves the language. Apart from good books, reading about law is essential: it prepares you for challenges to be faced in the legal world. 

Read - Law Reports

Read at least one Supreme Court and one High Court reports word by word. Apart from this, in the era of globalisation, read foreign judgements and journals. Most of them are now available on the Internet. This will train your mind as to what judges like, how their mind works. 

As a lawyer, I read word by word and page to page of AIR Supreme Court and initially Allahabad Law Journal and then Allahabad Weekly Cases, All England Reports and Lawyers’ Edition (US SC reports). Half of the legal battle is won by just knowing how the mind of a judge works.

I also tried to read foreign journals whenever I got chance to read them from the judges’ library. 

Read - Legal History

It is good to have a fair knowledge of how the law has developed. When considering any law or amendments in the same, it is advisable to read the Law commission report that led to the enactment of that statute or the amendments. It is important to know how the law took shape; how it developed. MC Seetalvad’s  Hamlyn Law Lecture titled ‘The Common Law in India’ is a good book to begin with. It is freely available on the Internet.

Roses in December by MC Chagla

Let me illustrate my point, with an incident MC Chagla J. in his well-written   autobiography titled ‘Roses in December’.  

The day Chagla became judge in 1941, his private secretary informed him that a young lawyer wanted to meet him. When the lawyer was ushered in, he found a shy, and diffident, young man, who wanted a note from him that would permit him to read in the Bombay university library. 

Chagla was a member of the Bombay University syndicate and could do so. He happily provided him with the note and was happier when he found that the young lawyer did not merely read law but was interested in other subjects like literature and history. The young lawyer was no other than Nani Palkhiwala; one of the greatest and, if not, the greatest lawyer India has ever seen.

Conclusion: Reading good books, law reports and journals, as well as legal history is important. 

In the next post, we will talk about, Internship. 

#AdviceLawAspirants #AdviceLawStudents #Advice #SelfImprovement