Bhubaneswar: The subject of law has become attractive today because its field and scope has become very wide, Mr. Justice Aditya Kumar Mohapatra, Judge of the High Court of Orissa, has said.
“The legal profession provides you the opportunity to pursue justice and be the voice for the voiceless,” Mr. Justice Mohapatra said while addressing the new batch of students at the 16th Orientation Program of the SOA National Institute of Law (SNIL), faculty of legal studies of the SOA Deemed to be University here, on Sunday.
“Welcome to the wonderland of law,” Mr. Justice Mohapatra said while listing down five principles for the students for attaining success in the field.
Mr. Justice Mohapatra said students of law should have passion, patience and perseverance in ample measure while focusing on practice and performance to succeed as practitioners of law.
Referring to eminent legal expert Fali S. Nariman’s words, he said the students should remember that once they become students of law they would always remain students of law.
“Passion is needed to succeed in any field and the legal profession is no different,” he said while pointing out that they would get great opportunities.
Pointing out that the society was governed by rule of law, Mr. Justice Mohapatra said they would have to patiently acquire knowledge.
“Perseverance is needed to grow in the profession while you will have to practice diligently to sharpen your skill,” he said adding they would have to perform sincerely while maintaining professional integrity.
A lawyer has to listen to the client, examine the legal issues and weigh the possibilities before arguing a case before the court, he said.
“Before convincing the court you will have to convince yourself that you have a point and back it up with documents and past rulings. You should have the ability to carry the court with you,” he said.
SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda presided over the program. He welcomed the new students while stating that the university focused on high quality education and research.
Prof. S.A.K. Azad, Dean of SNIL, who welcomed the chief guest, said that law was a profession which demanded intellectual honesty, constitutional commitment, ethical responsibility and empathy for those seeking justice.
SNIL, he said, wanted its students to develop the ability to read critically, reason logically, argue responsibly, communicate effectively and above all, uphold the dignity of the constitution and rule of law.
Dr. Akash Trikha, Assistant Professor, SNIL, proposed the vote of thanks.