Inside NLS- Hear from Its Own

The courses are divided into four courses every trimester. We have exams at the end of the trimester. The courses are well structured to help the student know every aspect of that area of law. The same also includes topics and discussions on recent issues that have arisen in that area of law. The class is pushed towards critical thinking of the law i.e. to think the 'why' question and not just the 'what' question. This way when we go out for internships, we are able to produce better results and work in a better manner as compared to others.

Internships range from working with advocates at trial courts or high courts to working at law firms. All top-tier firms offer internships to the students as mentioned before who also come for placements. Students can also individually approach top lawyers for internships in their chambers. Not every firm and lawyer offers a stipend. Law firms mostly provide stipends ranging from 4k to 15k per month. The tasks in internships mostly are research based i.e., to research on an area of law or a legal question. It also involves drafting documents, due diligence, checking compliances, drafting opinions, etc. Visit courts with lawyers gives you hands-on experience at how courts function and working at law firms gives you an idea about how life and corporate work culture exist at law firms.

The placements of our batch are going to take place next month. Till now, about 45% of the batch have received PPOs from law firms and companies. In the past, the placement record at NLS has been excellent with almost everyone who sits for placements receiving an offer from law firms or companies. Top law firms such as CAM, SAM, Trilegal, AZB, Khaitan, Saraf, Indus, ICUL, Veritas Legal, Touchstone, etc. visit NLS for placements and also offer PPOs to those interning with them. The median package offered is Rs. 17 lakh and the highest goes till 24 lakhs. I myself have received a PPO from Trilegal and is to join the firm in its corporate practice from 2025.

The total fees for the year are 2,52,000 for the batch of 2025. Now the fees have been increased to around 4 lakh for the batch of 2029. The tuition fees for the batch of 2025 amount to around 1.92 lakh while the rest go towards the hostel and mess facilities. Other than this, the lunch in the hostel mess is charged separately @4500 per trimester. The college provides financial aid to the students and also helps them to get the national scholarships. There is also the Aditya Birla Scholarship that is given to one student from the top 20 students in the batch as per their CLAT rank.

The campus life is chill. A lot of activities and events take place throughout the year. Several student committees organize events such as Mooting rounds, Negotiation rounds, Debates, Quizzes, Singing and Dancing events, and other similar competitions. There is a big football and cricket field on the campus. The college also has a band that performs sometimes throughout the year. Every year in May, there is Univ Week where there are competitions held with every batch against each other such as 1st to 5th years, LLB, LLM, and MPP. On the infrastructure side, the classrooms have ACs, several plug points, projectors, and microphones. The library is state of the art where several books ranging from each domain of law to social sciences. Case Law Journals are also kept in the library with a copy of the original Constitution of India.

There are 5 boys' hostels, three of which are triple sharing and 2 are double sharing. There are 4 girls' hostels, mostly double-sharing and some triple sharing. The college also has to tie up with a PG outside to accommodate students from new incoming batches due to a larger intake of students but a shortage of residential buildings. This is one of the drawbacks of the residential life. Students have to travel back and forth to the PG located around 4km from the campus every day. There are 2 messes, one for the girls and one for the boys. The quality of the food is okay but not so great. On some days, the food is decent but on some days, the menu has combinations of food that nobody likes. Feedback is taken every now and then for the menu and is revised to an extent. Improvements could be made to the infrastructure of hostels and more spaces for residential life. In the hostels, we have a bed, mattress, table, and chair provided. We also have a common induction and fridge for residents of each hostel.

The admission was through the CLAT examination. It was conducted online for us due to COVID-19 and was a 150-mark test covering English, GK, legal aptitude, logical reasoning, and maths. The cut-off for NLS was around 90 for the general category students. The eligibility for the exam is 12th. The application form is available on the CLAT consortium website and for us, the fee was 4000 in 2020. After the announcement of results, there are lists of published college-wise and then you have to fulfill the requirements of that particular college such as submission of documents, and filing of some forms and undertaking. The pattern and conduct of the admission exam were good. There were no discrepancies or issues with the same.

The faculties at NLS are really good. They are highly trained in their process of teaching and push students to think critically of the law. Most of the professors have completed their PhD or have done LLM. The faculty-to-student ratio is also decent being 1:60. The lower size of the class and division into sections allows professors to engage with every student and know them well. It allows for more interactive teaching and makes class discussions thoughtful. The professors also have slots for office hours wherein we can go and speak to them about the course, any issues we face, project consultations, and even suggest ideas and give feedback related to the course.