Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh is a Professor and the Dean at the Faculty of Law, SRM University, Delhi-NCR. He is an experienced professional, having worked at the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, as Head of the School of Corporate Law. He has also been an officer with the Competition Regulator of India, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and has been associated with the UPES University Dehradun as Dean, School of Law and the Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, as a faculty member in corporate laws and securities regulations.

Dr. Singh has a doctorate in law with a basic degree in science, followed by degrees in law with gold medals in his LLB and LLM examinations from Nagpur University. He has also completed his MBA in HR and has a PG Diploma in Journalism. He is a certified trainer on “Managing Disputes and Difficult Conversations on the Board” by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) and a trained mediator by ICADR. Dr. Singh is a life member of the Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA) and the International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR). He has authored a book titled “Corporate Power to Corporate Crimes: Understanding Corporate Criminal Liability in India”. He is also the author of Legal Studies I and II for high school students and ‘Learn the Law’ for general readers published by EBC.

Dr. Singh is an avid writer and has written a number of articles on different topics like sports law, money laundering, corporate governance, and environmental law, among others. Dr. Singh is also a Life Member of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), the Indian Society of International Law (ISIL), the Indian Law Institute (ILI), the Institute of Directors (IOD), the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) and is a member of the European Law Institute (ELI).

SRM University

Being the Dean of the Law Department, how do you ensure the students have holistic exposure not just academics?

As the academic leader as the Dean of the Faculty of Law at SRM University, there are several responsibilities, including managerial and administrative. However, the most exciting part of this role is academics, which entails thinking through programme design and efficient delivery for my students. This role allows me to provide my students with the latest and most updated curriculum, ensure the adequacy and quality of instruction, and inculcate a value system in our students. Our objective is to prepare professionals who are not only excellent in their jobs but are also good human beings with empathy and values. Students have umpteen opportunities to develop as leaders in their own rights through the various curricular and co-curricular committees both at the faculty and the university level. Being part of the multidisciplinary university further enhances the opportunities for peer learning for my students.

What do you see the department’s/college’s greatest strengths?

The Faculty of Law at SRM University is part of a multidisciplinary university that is accredited with an NAAC A+ grade. The university has already implemented the National Education Policy (NEP). Sharing this ecosystem with faculties of engineering, management, health sciences, commerce, and computer science itself is a boon for us. The synergy we draw from our sponsor, the SRM Group, which has a legacy of more than 50 glorious years, inculcates the value of service to the higher education sector. We are uniquely placed at the Rajiv Gandhi Education City near Delhi-NCR which allows our students to engage with the legal sector very closely through internships and industry exposure. A sprawling campus of 47+ acres has modern infrastructure with all facilities, including sports, hostel and recreation facilities. It is a home away from home for our students. We have our own in-house Learning Management System, which keeps our students connected with learning 24x7. We have a library with modern facilities, moot courts, a drafting lab, and a mediation lab for practising the craft of the legal profession. We are also blessed to have Prof. (Dr.) Paramjit Jaswal as our Vice Chancellor is also from a legal background and his mentorship makes a lot of difference to us.

How do you try to bring in practical approach towards subjects and how students get practical experience from studying the subject?

A practical approach to the law curriculum is a must. Other than the mandatory Bar Council clinical papers, we at the Faculty of Law at SRMUH incorporate a practical approach into our core assessments for most of the papers. Drafting skills and advocacy skills form important components of our course learning outcomes. A special focus is on skill enhancement courses like legal research, mooting, handling data visualisation, teamwork and interpersonal skills. Students undergo internships and many practical workshops by industry experts to get the latest practical exposure. Our placement and internship department makes sure that the students are provided with practical counselling for their career goals and periodic assessments nurture them to be industry-ready.

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How is your relationship with the students of your college?

Students are the primary stakeholders in any educational institution. I consider myself one of them and share a very cordial relationship with my students. The most enjoyable moments for me are when I am with my students in the classroom. They bring unique insights to the issues and problems, proposing solutions and alternatives. I make it a point to interact with them often, even when I do not have a class with them. Every interaction is full of learning. We follow an open-door policy for our students and they can meet me whenever they want during office hours at the university or else through e-mail.

How do you help your student to cope up with the competition being so high in the outside world?

Our students take competition as a challenge and prepare themselves accordingly. Exposure to new developments, including technological developments, makes them ready for the highly competitive world outside. Through value-added courses and programmes, we bridge any gap in the curriculum and exposure to practical skills makes them confident enough to face the competition with ease and confidence.

What are the most important functions in the role that you play in your university?

My role at the university is multifarious. As a Dean of the Faculty of Law, I lead and drive the academic curriculum along with my HOD. I am also part of the university’s Board of Management and the Academic Council, which allows me to partake in decision-making at the highest level in the university. Being a member of IQAC, contributions to the quality initiatives of the university are also undertaken. With the efforts of our team, our university has recently been accredited with NAAC A+ grades. Having expertise in law makes me useful to the university many times in reviewing university policies and consultation on any legal matter/issue.

What valuable advice would you like to the students for them to have a prosperous career ahead?

I consider this generation very ambitious and forward-looking. No doubt they will have a prosperous career ahead with determination and grit. I would only advise them to be conscious of the realities of life and not get swayed away by social media. Concentrate on the core understanding of their curriculum and practise the skills of the profession fully. While they should always have their goal in sight, they should inculcate value systems and emerge as lifelong learners. I am sure our students, or, I may say, the youth of this country, will make all of us proud.