Decoding the Next - Gen Legal Professional

The modern legal ecosystem demands a different approach in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Today, legal professionals need to equip themselves to deal with the changing dynamics of economic, technological and financial environments. Lawyers today need new skills to thrive, and law schools must be able to ensure that their graduating students acquire these skills, to the extent possible, during their studies.

BML Munjal University (BMU) and Vahura are undertaking collaborative research with lawyers across the country. A report will be prepared, drawn from the insights gathered through this collaborative survey. The report and key findings will be shared with the media and industry/stakeholders such as parents and children interested in pursuing a legal education. Thank you in advance for contributing your insights, which will help evolve legal education, to meet the needs of the future.

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* 1. City you are based in:

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* 2. Gender:

Male

Female

Prefer not to say

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* 3. Designation:

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* 4. Post Qualification Experience (PQE):

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* 5. Kind of organisation:

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* 6. How do you see the practice of law changing in India over the next 10 years? (select all that apply)

Increasing competitivenes amongst law firms as clients will have more choice

Will see growth of corporate in-house legal teams

Increasing use of digitisation and legal technology

Will become more local - increasing importance of regional languages

Will become more international - increasing importance of international education or qualification

Greater opportunities for independent counsel

Fewer opportunities for independent counsel

No real change - more of the same

Other (please specify)

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* 7. According to you, how important are the following qualities in young lawyers?

	Not at all important	Slightly Important	Important	Fairly Important	Very Important
Research and analytical skills	Research and analytical skills Not at all important	Research and analytical skills Slightly Important	Research and analytical skills Important	Research and analytical skills Fairly Important	Research and analytical skills Very Important
Knowledge of the law	Knowledge of the law Not at all important	Knowledge of the law Slightly Important	Knowledge of the law Important	Knowledge of the law Fairly Important	Knowledge of the law Very Important
Oral and written communication skills	Oral and written communication skills Not at all important	Oral and written communication skills Slightly Important	Oral and written communication skills Important	Oral and written communication skills Fairly Important	Oral and written communication skills Very Important
Teamwork	Teamwork Not at all important	Teamwork Slightly Important	Teamwork Important	Teamwork Fairly Important	Teamwork Very Important
Attention to detail	Attention to detail Not at all important	Attention to detail Slightly Important	Attention to detail Important	Attention to detail Fairly Important	Attention to detail Very Important
Adaptability	Adaptability Not at all important	Adaptability Slightly Important	Adaptability Important	Adaptability Fairly Important	Adaptability Very Important
Ability to Work Hard	Ability to Work Hard Not at all important	Ability to Work Hard Slightly Important	Ability to Work Hard Important	Ability to Work Hard Fairly Important	Ability to Work Hard Very Important
Learnability	Learnability Not at all important	Learnability Slightly Important	Learnability Important	Learnability Fairly Important	Learnability Very Important
Emotional Intelligence	Emotional Intelligence Not at all important	Emotional Intelligence Slightly Important	Emotional Intelligence Important	Emotional Intelligence Fairly Important	Emotional Intelligence Very Important
Ownership Mindset	Ownership Mindset Not at all important	Ownership Mindset Slightly Important	Ownership Mindset Important	Ownership Mindset Fairly Important	Ownership Mindset Very Important
Commercial Acumen	Commercial Acumen Not at all important	Commercial Acumen Slightly Important	Commercial Acumen Important	Commercial Acumen Fairly Important	Commercial Acumen Very Important

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* 8. Will technology disrupt the legal profession?

Yes

Maybe

Disruption is already underway

Technology disruption is yet to impact us

Other (please specify)

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* 9. According to you, what percentage of day to day legal work could be taken over by technology, such as AI (due diligence, smart contracts for example) in the next 3 to 5 years?

10%

20%

50%

More than 50%

Too soon to tell

Other (please specify)

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* 10. Are law schools in India keeping up with the changing environment?

Yes

Maybe

Other (please specify)

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* 11. Does India need more law schools to cater to the market demand for lawyers?

Yes, there is a big gap between demand and supply

No, jobs are difficult to come by

There are enough law schools

There is always a place for top-quality law schools

Other (please specify)

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* 12. Which of the following key focus areas are the most important for a law school? (select all that apply)

The fundamentals of law subjects

Specialised areas of law - securities, taxation

Programs with direct practical application - eg. contract drafting, pleadings and procedure

Skills such as drafting and negotiation

More practitioner-led programs

Interdisciplinary management subjects - economics, finance, business fundamentals, HR

Interdisciplinary social subjects - history, political science, sociology

Interdisciplinary science - technology, programming

International experience and exposure

Enabling internships and jobs

Training on legal tech

Project Management

Other (please specify)

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* 13. How important is it for organisations to spend time training their young lawyers, in the following areas?

	Not at all important	Slightly Important	Important	Fairly Important	Very Important
Specialised areas of law - corporate, securities, taxation	Specialised areas of law - corporate, securities, taxation Not at all important	Specialised areas of law - corporate, securities, taxation Slightly Important	Specialised areas of law - corporate, securities, taxation Important	Specialised areas of law - corporate, securities, taxation Fairly Important	Specialised areas of law - corporate, securities, taxation Very Important
Project management skills	Project management skills Not at all important	Project management skills Slightly Important	Project management skills Important	Project management skills Fairly Important	Project management skills Very Important
Research skills	Research skills Not at all important	Research skills Slightly Important	Research skills Important	Research skills Fairly Important	Research skills Very Important
Time management	Time management Not at all important	Time management Slightly Important	Time management Important	Time management Fairly Important	Time management Very Important
Business Communication	Business Communication Not at all important	Business Communication Slightly Important	Business Communication Important	Business Communication Fairly Important	Business Communication Very Important
Hands-on technology training	Hands-on technology training Not at all important	Hands-on technology training Slightly Important	Hands-on technology training Important	Hands-on technology training Fairly Important	Hands-on technology training Very Important
Knowledge Management	Knowledge Management Not at all important	Knowledge Management Slightly Important	Knowledge Management Important	Knowledge Management Fairly Important	Knowledge Management Very Important
Professional Development - how to work in a corporate setting	Professional Development - how to work in a corporate setting Not at all important	Professional Development - how to work in a corporate setting Slightly Important	Professional Development - how to work in a corporate setting Important	Professional Development - how to work in a corporate setting Fairly Important	Professional Development - how to work in a corporate setting Very Important
People skills	People skills Not at all important	People skills Slightly Important	People skills Important	People skills Fairly Important	People skills Very Important

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* 14. What skills would be most important in the next 3-5 years? (select all that apply)

Project management

Commercial awareness

Teamwork and collaboration

Public speaking

Understanding and anticipating client needs

People skills

Technology proficiency

Time management

Other (please specify)

Decoding the Next - Gen Legal Professional

Question Title

* 1. City you are based in:

Question Title

* 2. Gender:

Question Title

* 3. Designation:

Question Title

* 4. Post Qualification Experience (PQE):

Question Title

* 5. Kind of organisation:

Question Title

* 6. How do you see the practice of law changing in India over the next 10 years? (select all that apply)

Question Title

* 7. According to you, how important are the following qualities in young lawyers?

Question Title

* 8. Will technology disrupt the legal profession?

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* 9. According to you, what percentage of day to day legal work could be taken over by technology, such as AI (due diligence, smart contracts for example) in the next 3 to 5 years?

Question Title

* 10. Are law schools in India keeping up with the changing environment?

Question Title

* 11. Does India need more law schools to cater to the market demand for lawyers?

Question Title

* 12. Which of the following key focus areas are the most important for a law school? (select all that apply)

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* 13. How important is it for organisations to spend time training their young lawyers, in the following areas?

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* 14. What skills would be most important in the next 3-5 years? (select all that apply)

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* 15. What advice would you like to give to a law student about to enter the legal profession? (optional)

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* 16. If you would like us to quote your comment in our report, please leave your name and email address in the space below: