THE VIRTUAL VERDICT
“Digital applications are set to transform the legal profession in a big way” —PROF. (DR) SUDHIR KRISHNASWAMY, Vice Chancellor, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
The Indian court system has adapted to the Covid pandemic quite remarkably. After the initial few months of delays and uncertainty, the higher courts adopted web-based platforms and applications and litigation went virtual for the first time in the history of India. Lawyers, clients and judges all were acutely aware of the importance of taking their work online. A long-awaited transformation had finally happened. However, the lower courts still need to be brought online. We don’t need videos in all rooms; we can manage with audio. For example, the audio hearings work very well for the US Supreme Court. Appropriate technology will help the lower courts become highly functional not just for now, but also in the post-Covid environment. Going online will also help make the court customer-oriented. For instance, it would help those who may not always be able to come to court in person.
The legal profession is broadly divided into two parts— litigation in courts and transactional law. Both these areas have undergone a digital transformation thanks to tools of video and audio communication enabling virtual collaboration and distributed workspaces. One must now self-organise their work day to allow teams to work online towards a deadline.
One aspect of the digital shift is related to technology, but the other aspect has to do with the changing work culture. At NLSIU, students have been learning in online classrooms for almost 16 months. This virtual education will serve them well in the years to come. In addition to the regular classroom, we have put in place an online method to simulate moot courts and online clinical courses that allow students to prepare for how their workplaces will actually operate. NLSIU students are very privileged to have this opportunity.
Another area that we have been looking into over the past 14 months has been the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. At NLSIU, we aim to become not just knowledge leaders with the ability to use both computer science and legal knowledge to develop new applications that will seamlessly combine legal knowledge and tech, but we also aim to equip our students with the knowhow of using these applications in new ways so that they are ready for what is likely one of the biggest transformations the legal profession will undergo in the years to come. Another element of change in legal education is the blurring of the line between online off-campus education