University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University

Background

The law school is located in Chandigarh, India and is one of the only two independently financed department of Panjab University.

University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS) was established as a constituent department of Panjab University, in the academic session 2004-05. During a short span of time, it has emerged as one of the premier legal Institute with a unique blend of tradition and modernity. Its mission is to equip the students with the skills to comprehend and diagnose the intricacies of various legal and other inter-disciplinary issues and devise solutions to these problems through analysis and reasoning. The stimulating and interactive academic environment of the Institute helps to hone the 'DRAIN' .Drafting, Research, Advocacy, Interviewing and Negotiation- skills of the students. To accomplish this, the Institute arranges a number of curricular and extra-curricular activities. Students are trained in essence of the substantive laws, techniques of procedural laws, methods of client counseling and skills in legal and social sciences research etc. The Moot Court Competitions, Client Counseling Sessions, Quiz Contests, Seminars, Group Discussions and Extension Lectures etc. are a regular feature of the academic calendar of the Institute. The Institute also exposes its students to the 'law in action' through compulsory internships with Hon'ble Judges of Supreme Court, Punjab and Haryana High Court, eminent lawyers, legal firms, various commissions and NGOs, etc. The Institute's own Legal Aid Clinic, which provides free legal services to the economically weaker sections of the society as a part of community outreach programme of the Institute, also offers opportunities to the students to work in co-ordination with practicing lawyers. The endeavour behind this action 'process' is to enable the students to understand that the legal professionals, besides their professional responsibilities have a significant bearing on a wide range of persona and transactions as well.

Alumni

Department is the alma mater of three Chief Justices of India, a large number of Chief Justices of the High Courts, members of subordinate judiciary, civil servants, law officers and members of the legal profession and a large number of legal luminaries and justices. The number of its alumni, which rose to the bench of the Supreme Court and in many High Courts of this country, is too large to mention. Former Chief Justice of India, Dr. A.S. Anand taught in this department for a number of years.

Infrastructure

The Institute provides state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate a sound learning experience for its students. It has an independent four storey building consisting of 18 modern spacious classrooms, well furnished separate Common Rooms for boys and girls, an Administrative Office, a Conference Hall, a well-equipped 'Computer Lab' with 75 computers backed by free internet connectivity and Wi-Fi facility and a fully functional library with a varied collection of books, journals and other e-resources. UILS has also recently established a well equipped Legal Aid Clinic, a modern Moot Court Hall and Language Laboratory to enhance the professional and communication skills of the students.

Undergraduate

AIL offers a 5-year integrated B.A., LL.B., and B.COM LL.B. programs. The college is approved by the Bar Council of India. Admission is based on the Common Entrance Test, conducted by the university, along with 10+2 Marks

Postgraduate

UILS offers a one-year postgraduate L.L.M. program including an evening course.

Placement Cell

In today's fast changing world, building an effective career strategy is very important. UILS has a fully functional Placement Cell that acts as an interface between the legal profession and the students. The cell works consistently to generate placement and training opportunities for the students. It organizes workshops and training programmes to enable the students of UILS to become successful professionals. The cell also facilitates the selection of the students with various legal firms, advocates, companies and NGOs etc.

Publications

To sharpen the analytical skills of the students and to promote an intellectually challenging environment, the Institute brings out a number of publications based on a range of contemporary legal and social issues. Since 2008 the Institute has been publishing the Journal of University Institute of Legal Studies a referred annual Journal (with ISSN number). From 2010, the Institute has also launched UILS Law Review a Student Journal and Legal Eagle a bi-annual Newsletter. Both of these publications are conceived and conceptualized by the students under the guidance of the teaching faculty.

Legal Aid

It has established Legal Aid Clinic-cum-Arbitration Centre as well as a Placement Cell. It is the only Department which has students Exchange Programme with ELSA under which various groups of students have gone from Chandigarh to Stockholm and vice versa. The Department has provision for special lectures in memory of Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan and S. Ajit Singh Sarhadi. These lectures have been delivered over the years by eminent persons such as Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, Justice V.S. Deshpande, Professor Upinder Bakshi, Dr. L.M. Singhvi, Professor Mool Chand Sharma, Justice J.S. Verma, Mr. Soli J. Sorabjee and Prof. M.R. Madhava Menon.