Jindal Global Law School: Raising the Bar

IN 2009, THE JINDAL GLOBAL LAW SCHOOL (JGLS) embarked on its journey with just 10 faculty members and 100 students to its name. More than a decade later, the pioneer school of the OP Jindal Global University, surpassed all bench­marks to emerge as a leading law school in India and the world’s 70th best law school by QS World University Rank­ings by Subject 2022.

In the 80-acre lush green campus of the OP Jindal Global University in Sonipat, JGLS is the brainchild of Professor C Raj Kumar, the founding vice chancellor of JGU. He translated the vision of founding Chancellor Naveen Jindal to set up an institution that imparts global legal education.

Today, JGLS has more than 5,000 students and 450 faculty members from different parts of the world, and offers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees in law, legal studies and in liberal disciplines.

In the QS World University Rank­ings by Subject 2022, JGLS jumped six places to rank as the 70th best law school in the world. There is no other Indian law school, including any of the National Law Schools, which have been able to find a place among the top 75 law schools in these prestigious global rankings. Before making it to the global top 70 in 2022, JGLS was ranked 76th in 2021, and in the 101-150 bracket in 2020.

The rise of JGLS to the 70th position among the world’s top law schools in a span of just 13 years bears significance as it marks the emergence of India as an important destination for pursuing legal education of global standards and con­ducting cutting-edge research. One of the major contributors to the success of JGLS is the quality of research produced by its faculty members. During 2020-21, JGLS faculty members produced over 300-plus academic research publications, of which 280-plus publications are indexed in Scopus, which is the largest database of peer-reviewed literature in the world.

To provide global and international education in India, JGLS has recruited the best faculty from across the globe, from countries such as France, Germa­ny, Austria, Belgium, Argentina, the UK, Canada and the US. The faculty-student ratio at JGLS stands at an enviable 1: 8, which is more than double the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) requirement.

Fostering industry-academia col­laboration, JGLS provides honorary professorships to distinguished jurists. Honorary Adjunct Professors teach in Lawyering Excellence for Advocacy Development (LEAD) and Corporate Lawyering Advancement through Immersion and Mentoring (CLAIM) programmes. Currently, 12 senior ad­vocates of the Supreme Court of India, one eminent trial court lawyer, 14 part­ners of leading law firms, two industry leaders, and a senior government offi­cial are working with the school.

Creating opportunities for interna­tional mobility of students, JGLS has established international collabora­tions with over 250 leading law schools/universities in the world for mutual sharing of intellectual resources. Even through the difficult months of the pan­demic, JGLS persevered and remained committed to providing international exposure to its students. In February 2022, JGLS expanded its international partnership by signing 10 new MoUs with top universities in six countries, including Peru and Taiwan, in addition to its many collaborations in Canada, Europe and the UK.

Over the years, JGLS has gained rec­ognition from leading legal profession­als and stalwarts who have been part of exclusive events, lectures and discus­sions. Earlier this year, JGLS hosted an international conference on “Due Process, Rule of Law and Democracy: Comparative Perspectives from India and the United States”, jointly with the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii. As part of the conference, top judges from Hawaii addressed young students on campus.

The school has also been bestowed with several awards and endowments, including the Soli J Sorabjee Endow­ment Award and Scholarship, which has been set up by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association in the memory of the renowned jurist and respected former attorney general of India. The award is presented annually to a deserv­ing student at the university who has excelled in the field of Human Rights Law and Theory.

To give students hands-on experience of courtroom debates, JGLS promotes a vibrant mooting culture as per the stan­dards set by the Bar Council. The JGLS Moot Court Society has won 74 awards and recognitions in various competi­tions. The school also offers a unique course on “Moot Court and Trial Advo­cacy” (as per Schedule II, Para 24, BCI Rules of Legal Education, 2008).

As a community engagement ini­tiative, JGLS also runs a legal aid clinic from its premises in Sonipat. Collabo­rating with Legal Services Authorities, Cause Lawyers, NGOs, and other law schools nationally and internationally, the clinic bridges the gap between what law promises to offer and the reality of law. Since 2009, over 500 students have received clinical legal education and training. The Clinical Legal Aid Society has organised various events to promote awareness and have engaged effectively with rural communities and offer pro bono legal services to those in need.

Since its establishment 13 years ago, JGLS is now an institution of repute, raising the bar for legal educa­tion in the country.

About The Author

C Raj Kumar

C Raj Kumar is Vice chancellor, OP Jindal Global University