KERALA LAW ACADEMY: FEES, PROS AND CONS

 AUTHOR: G R ADITHYA: KERALA LAW ACADEMY: FEES, PROS AND CONS, LAW COLLEGE, TRIVANDRUM

The Kerala Law Academy (KLA), established in 1966 is a Centre for legal studies, legal research and law reforms. Its acclaimed peer-reviewed research journal is published continuously since 1977.

Its Law College, affiliated to the University of Kerala, offers Undergraduate programs in BA LL.B. and B.Com LL.B. five year integrated courses, LLB Unitary three year course and Post-Graduate courses of LL.M (Administrative Law), LL.M (International Law) and MBL (Master of Business Law).

Its sister concern, CALSAR offers Research program in Law (PhD). It is one of the most affordable college in Kerala.

The Academy wants its campus, class rooms, clinical settings and ambience to provide a different experience. No doubt, the Academy will make you think and teach you skills and ways of thought, where much is expected from the student. The Academy wishes to ensure that its training gives you the strong basement and foundation needed for a successful legal career.

The establishment of the Academy was in 1966 along with the legendary jurist late Justice V R Krishna Iyer, late Chief Justice P Subramanium Potti, late Justice V Sivaraman Nair and late Sr Adv Narayanan Potti, who were then outstanding lawyers in the Kerala High Court. Even after becoming judge, Late Justice V R Krishna Iyer, was always involved in the management of the Academy and functioned as the President of the Academy for a long time till his death in 2014.

It is a matter of great satisfaction that the alumni of the Academy includes a former Supreme Court judge, several former and sitting high court judges, innumerable judicial officers, reputed senior advocates, leading lawyers and leaders of the Bar, reputed Vice Chancellors of national law universities, reputed law Professors, academicians and law teachers, Multinational Corporate Global Legal heads, Corporate lawyers, senior law officers, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly, senior Government officials, etc.

I am proud that the Academy is the only institution from Kerala to get selection to represent India five times (in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999 &, 2000) in the prestigious Philip C Jessup International Moot Court Competition (Jessup International rounds), held at Washington D C., USA.

The only other institution from Kerala to get selection to represent India in the Jessup International rounds is NUALS, Kochi in 2005 and no other law college/law school from Kerala had represented India in this prestigious international rounds.

So also the Academy is the only institution from Kerala to get selection to represent India four times (in 2002, 2003, 2005 & 2010) in the prominent Stetson International Environment Law Moot Court Competition held at Florida, USA and to get selection to represent India in the prestigious Louis M Brown International Client Consulting Competition in 2000 held in Dunedin, Newzealand.

Let me tell you that law is all pervading and a brooding omnipresence and the life of law is justice. Justice depends on the judicial and legal process and in turn on the quality of judges, lawyers, law makers and ultimately on the quality of law teachers. Hence it is obvious that quality legal education is the need of the hour.

It is most important to note that judges are guardians of democracy and justice and so their quality is important for the smooth progress of our society and delivery of justice. Hence it is essential that the best are attracted to law and to the judiciary and those who join judiciary should have excellent levels of quality and integrity in administrating justice. Only sustained training can help in this regard.

As the legendary United States Supreme Court judge, Justice Cardozo, said, “the training of the judge, if coupled with what is styled the judicial temperament, will help in some degree to emancipate him from the suggestive power of individual dislikes and prepossessions. It will help to broaden the group to which his subconscious loyalties are due”. Hence law schools should be Centers for developing integrity and the right judicial temperament.

While, the United States and other developed nations have evolved their law universities as effective Centers of research, our law universities are yet to think in these directions. The law schools like Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Stanford law schools in United States are legal laboratories, which bring out new concepts, original thinking and critical reasoning, and contribute to the judicial and legal process of the nation.

As early as in 1911, the traditional lecture method in the study of law has been supplemented by the case method introduced by Langdell in Harvard, and then by the problem method. Now the emphasis in methodology has shifted from doctrinal analysis and legal reasoning to the broader spectrum of practical skills. Skills and values development, clinical and practical training, and research paper presentations have become the key factor in professionalizing the study of law. [See Carrington Report (1971 Washington), Crampton Report (1979 US), MacCrate Report 1992, (which was endorsed by Law Commission of India report 2002)].

New pedagogic strategies and training methods designed at the Academy, aim to equip you with the necessary tools to become a complete professional lawyer by the time you graduate. Many innovative subjects and programmes to develop lawyering skills are included. We use a wide range of methodologies and insights from various other disciplines. I am certain that legal studies structured with stress on scientific elements will mould your professional development during the law school year.

Why to Join Kerala Law Academy?

• State-Of-The-Art Infrastructure-Well equipped infrastructure with extra facilities like moot court hall, open-air auditorium, stadium
• Expert Staff-Well trained staff that has expertise in the field
• Resourceful Library-The Academy provides the services of three libraries that have substantial number of titles and volumes and various law journals
• Achievement-KLA is the only institution from Kerala to get selection to represent India in the prestigious Louis M Brown International Client Consulting Competition

INFRASTRUCTURE

The Campus of the Academy at Peroorkada, Thiruvananthapuram is located at Peroorkada, Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala, India in 14 acres of land, on a hill of sylvan splendour with a view of the Arabian Sea on one side and the Western Ghats on the other with eco-friendly surroundings.

The campus provides lecture halls, hostels, moot court hall, faculty rooms, open air auditorium, canteen, library, internet facility etc. There are no medical facilities. The ports and games are very actively organized, and also the campus politics are very actively prevalent on the campus.

FEE STRUCTURE: KERALA LAW ACADEMY: FEES, PROS AND CONS

FACULTY

Check the list here https://keralalawacademy.in/faculty.html

INTERNSHIPS AND PLACEMENT

Placement is available but  This happens only if companies and firms contact our college regarding placements.There are a lot of good opportunities in my college like moot courts and clients. So, the students have a good record in C.V, and they can be placed in good firms.

CO CURRICULAR AND EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

• KLA is the only institution from Kerala to get selection to represent India in the prestigious Philip C Jessup International Moot Court Competition, held at Washington D C., USA. KLA has got selection to the Jessup International rounds five times- ie., in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999 &, 2000.
• KLA got selection to represent India in the Stetson International Environment Law Moot Court Competition held at Florida, USA four times, ie., in 2002, 2003, 2005 & 2010. Only other team from Kerala which has got selection to represent India in the Stetson International Competition is NUALS, Kochi, which got selection in 2008.
• KLA is the only institution from Kerala to get selection to represent India in the prestigious Louis M Brown International Client Consulting Competition.

• KLA is the only institution in India which is conducting on a regular basis a National Client Consulting Competition for testing the client interviewing skills of the law students at the national level continuously since 2000. This national competition is into its 11th successful year.
• KLA is the only institution in Kerala to have a Court Centre neighbouring the Court Complex which works as an effective training and Liaison Centre and is unique as it serves as an extended campus and co-ordinating Centre of the Academy between the class rooms and the Court. In 2004, the Court Centre also started a ‘Centre for Clinical Legal Training’ to provide intensive/specialized clinical training to both law students and lawyers.
• The clinical law training provided at the KLA is unparalleled and the best in Kerala as reflected by its national level achievements.
• KLA is the only institution in Kerala to provide the services of two law libraries, one being an advanced research library. KLA library service provide 33 foreign law journals which is among the highest number of foreign law journals available in law colleges/universities in Kerala. (See http://keralalawacademy.in/library.html ).
• KLA provides its students the maximum interface with the top of the legal profession among the law schools/law colleges/universities in Kerala.
• Though a private institution under public trust management, no seat for the 5 year LLB course is reserved as management seat or management quota ie., all seats in the 5 year LLB course are filled on the basis of merit as laid down in the admission norms.
• The All India Moot Court Competition for the KLA trophy conducted by the KLA is the third oldest national moot court competition and with highest participation in India. It is held annually without break since 1990 and is into its 22nd successful among.

GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL

College doesn’t assist for placements.

SENIOR JUNIOR CULTURE

There is no ragging or anything else.All  the students help each other .Ragging is totally prohibited in the institution and anyone found guilty of ragging and or abetting ragging whether actively or passively or being part of a conspiracy to promote ragging is liable to be punished in accordance with the UGC Regulations on curbing the menace of ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009 as well as under the provisions of Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act 1998.

PROS AND CONS

Pros are:

• Academy will make you think and teach you skills and ways of thought, where much is expected from the student.
• Academy is the only institution from Kerala to get selection to represent India five times (in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999 &, 2000) in the prestigious Philip C Jessup International Moot Court Competition (Jessup International rounds), held at Washington D C., USA.
• It is one of the most affordable college in kerala.
• KLA is the only institution in Kerala to have a Court Centre neighbouring the Court Complex which works as an effective training and Liaison Centre.

Cons :

Placement is available but this happens only if companies and firms contact our college regarding placements

I rate my college 8/10

Also Read: Review: Government Law College Thrissur, Kerala

# KERALA LAW ACADEMY: FEES, PROS AND CONS KERALA LAW ACADEMY: FEES, PROS AND CONS