The concept of dharma in the Vedic period, can be seen as the concept of the legal education in India. Although there is no record of formal training in law, the dispensation of justice was to be done by the king on the basis of acquired training. Justice was also administered by the King through his appointees who in turn were persons of known integrity and reputation of being fair and impartial. The guiding force for the King or his appointee was the upholding of the Dharma.

In modern India legal education came in to existence in 1885. Numerous committees were foamed to consider and propose reforms in legal education. Constitution of India basically laid down the duty of imparting legal education. Advocates’ Act, of 1961, which brought uniformity in legal system. In the changed scenario the additional roles envisaged are that of policy planner, business advisor, negotiator of any interested groups etc. In the Era of Globalisation legal system in India include catering the needs of new brand consumers or clients namely foreign companies, collaborators etc. Strengthening our legal education system is need to face the new challenges. Imparting of legal education has always been considered as one to the noblest profession. Legal education which is part of general education cannot be viewed in isolation. Today, legal education derives its impetus from the economic, social and economic and political set up of the society.

Importance of Legal Education

Globalization has called upon the law to execute numerous responsibilities in society and lawyers are expected to act as change agents and social engineers in governance and development. If law is a tool for social engineering and social control, it should be studied in the social content. This means integrating law subjects with social and behavioural sciences. This would enable the lawyer to solve problems in socially acceptable ways and assist in developing public. The following objects of legal education can be cited for consideration:

1.The legal education should be able to meet ever-growing demands of the society and should be thoroughly equipped to cater to the complexities of the different situations.

2.Legal education has an important role in directing and moderating social change. In this regard it has to operate as conscience-keeper of society.

3. Legal communication shall manifest higher moral values; shall maintain high degree of competence discipline and ensure that no section of society is denied of access to its services because of poverty or social status.

4. Legal education seeks to impart appropriate training, which should be made available through professionals.

5. Legal education is expected to inculcate law students with the operative legal rules both substantive and procedural.

6. The prime object of the legal education is to produce efficient lawyers.

7. Legal education must equip the student with the necessary theoretical and practical skills to deal with the diverse and expanding world of legal practice.

Lacunae in Present Legal Education :

There are various lacunae in present system of imparting legal education which considerably impaired movement of building new generation of efficient lawyers, teachers for India. These are:

1. There is no separate law university in all the states to govern the educational institutions.
2. The law institutions are presently affiliated to general universities which already have loads of burden of different faculties like Art, Science and Commerce colleges. This caused adverse impact on the curriculum, syllabi etc. and of course, on the development of legal education.
3. Mushroom growth of private non-granted law colleges is seen everywhere and they are ill equipped. Only part-time teachers are manned in such institutions.
4. The vacancies of permanent teachers are not filled up perhaps due to lack of qualified candidates and of course, due to mal-practices in recruitment process.
5. If a person has nothing to do, they join law course this is the situation of admission in legal education today.
6. The students of present generation are having ambition to become doctor or engineer, but they do not want to be a lawyer or law teacher. It means legal education is unable to attract these students. This deficiency can be worked out by offering job opportunity to students.
7. Some colleges adopted regional language as medium of instruction and examination. There will be conveyance of regional language to students but there will not be uniformity in legal education. Diversified legal education may cause deficiency.
8. As traditional teaching methods are still used in class-rooms, legal education does not attract students to come and sit in class-rooms.
9. Attendance ratio is considerably poor in some educational institutions.
10. Traditional talk and chalk method of teaching is still adopted in majority of law colleges for teaching. The teachers are not still motivated to use modern technologies like computer, projector, discussion method etc while teaching. The product of such traditional system of education will not be able to cope-up the problems of present IT age. Therefore students learn traditional skills and knowledge. But the modern IT age needs a lawyer with diversified skills and multi-tasking abilities which the traditional curriculum and syllabi do not provide.
11. There is no proper clinical (practical) knowledge to students of rural law colleges. They are getting the theoretical knowledge of advocacy.
12. The student of some reputed law school use to assist judges, leading practitioners as their curriculum provides for such assistance. Therefore those students acquire all the potentials of advocacy which the rural student is not acquiring.
13. No internship in law profession as it is in medical profession. It was in India for three years then it was withdrawn after Hon. Supreme Court decision.