Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi underlines importance of training for lawyers

Hyderabad: Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi on Saturday said in order to deliver justice lawyers should have three important aspects, education, excellence and empathy.

The Chief Secretary inaugurated a five-day training programme for advocates from Telangana here on Saturday. Addressing the gathering, he said training programmes are needed to enhance the quality of services being rendered by lawyers.

Joshi said education devoid of excellence and empathy would render no benefit to the Society. Lawyers must not see a case as a mere case file, but they should see the emotions and rights of the citizen entwined with the said case file, he added.

Charging hefty fee just to showcase the status of an established lawyer would also render the profession not useful to the needy and poor and those deprived of justice.

A successful lawyer shall dedicate part of his time for working for the cause of common good of the society, he said.

Joshi said lawyer shall particularly focus on enhancing their communication skills like reading, writing and articulation and the best way to acquire these skills would be through constant training such as the training programme being organised at NALSAR.

Though a lawyer may have the art of articulation, his articulation bereft of legal knowledge would be of no use for the clients who seek his services, he pointed out.

He appreciated the Advocates Welfare Trust, the Department of Law, and NALSAR University of Law for taking up the cause for providing a refresher training programme to advocates within the State and assured the support of the State government for such programmes.

Prof Dr Faizan Mustafa, Vice-Chancellor, NALSAR highlighted the recent achievement of the NALSAR University of Law including the placement of students, achievements in moot courts, NIRF and NAAC ranking scores etc.

He said five-day advocate training programme is the first of its kind in India and that NALSAR would continue to organise such training programmes under the aegis of the State government.

V Niranjan Rao, Secretary to government of Telangana, Legislative Affairs, Legal Affairs and Justice, and Trustee, Telangana State Advocates Welfare Trust highlighted various activities taken-up by the trust which includes insurance scheme, financial assistance to various Bar Associations.

Further, he also assured that the on-going advocate training programme will continue to be extended to several other advocates from the State.

Prof Dr V Balakista Reddy, Registrar and Programme Coordinator, NALSAR said the five-day refresher training programme is to improve further advocacy skills for handling litigation matters, research skills to carry out legal research, improvisation of skill-set to render legal advisory services, resolve pre-litigation issues, drafting of legal documents, contracts and agreements, court pleadings etc.

The training topics will be covered by judges, senior advocates and renowned academicians, he said.