Daily Times

It is a common misconception that legal studies are only for those seeking a career in the legal profession. I personally believe otherwise. As in the current times (due to the complexity of the social structures) to survive gracefully, one should have a thorough knowledge of the law.

While being on roads in traffic jams or waiting on the signals to go green, I have myself witnessed people helplessly standing in front of the uniformed offices. Since the ordinary citizens hardly know about their rights and duties, they turn into the pleading mode and try their best to please the officers dealing with them. At times they use a bribe to get out of the situation. Officers, on the other hand, often take the advantage of the situation by threatening arrest. But if one knows a little bit about the legal rights, one should know that no one can be arrested without a valid reason and proper justification of the crime committed, the situation can be reversed.

Law, if applied correctly, strengthens the moral fabric that holds the society intact. Unfortunately, in countries like ours, the law is a misused weapon. Common people hardly know anything about the legal system, and those who know it use it to manipulate and trap others.

Sometimes students prefer to study engineering, medicine and art. But after graduating from their respective disciplines, if they believe law school would help them survive in their society and they get enrolled in it, I guess it’s the best use of their time and intellectual faculties if the finances aren’t tight.

Those who see unjust dealings and cannot cope up with the lawlessness around them should not miss their calling of serving the law.

It gives the potential students multiple opportunities, at some stage in university and beyond in their professional life. An individual with a law degree can be a profitable part of some government sectors, NGOs and environmental agencies, as they all want clever individuals with knowledge of the law.

General awareness about legal procedures and cultures provides everyone with a standard guideline for survival in a twisted society like ours. At least one would know what to do and how to behave if they are stopped from doing anything. Legal education develops self-confidence in students. As debating competitions in law schools are followed like recurring rituals and students are encouraged to work in groups, these activities enhance their oratory skills and leadership.

Leaders who changed the face of the modern world like Mahatma Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Nelson Mandela, Vladimir Putin, Barak Obama and Muhammad Ali Jinnah are all connected by the profundity in legal knowledge.

Often people ask why should they spend five long years acquiring a law degree and how does it benefit an individual if he/she has read law. Yes, I would love to answer such questions as a long list of the professions that demand a law degree include the obvious such as lawyers, judges, magistrates to the likes of journalists, analysts and even administrators.

Those who see unjust dealings and cannot cope up with the lawlessness around them should not miss their calling of serving the law. Legal studies educate about several spheres of life, from the protection of one’s rights to the dealings on an international level. Law graduates are capable of performing more than what is expected of them.

Let me relate to my own experiences where my students left me in an utterly amazing situation because of their approach and knowledge of the law. A few weeks back, I developed the worst kind of skin rash on my neck after I used a newly purchased body spray. As the modern ritual of posting your misery on WhatsApp status goes, I also vented out about my issues in a brief note. To my surprise, so many of my former law college students commented their valuable suggestions like, “I should sue the brand,” or “I should sue the supermarket owner for keeping the expired products,” or how “after taking a medical certificate I should demand the damages from the product manufacturing company.” I might have gone for any one of the suggested points if I had been willing. I on the other hand tried to find a homemade remedy which was a weak person’s approach, but I was relieved to know that if the situation worsened how many tracks are there to lead me further on the path seeking justice.

While preparing for a ritualistic debating competition, some students came up with amazing presentations, portraying crimes committed in a month. The presentation left the audience in a state of shock as the number of the crimes committed was is high and the dealing of the state with such crimes was poor and uselessly time taking which at a certain level surprisingly ended up facilitating the criminal.

I assume that to strengthen the law and order condition in our country we should have more people practising law. And legal studies should be introduced as an essential part of the senior levels of local schools so that every individual gets thorough awareness about one’s rights and duties.

The writer is a lecturer at University of the Punjab.