This is how senior lawyers are adapting to the new normal: Using webinars to ensure knowledge flow during Covid-19 lockdown
Representative photo New Delhi: Senior lawyers, who usually immerse themselves in case files and ca..
Representative photo
New Delhi: Senior lawyers, who usually immerse themselves in case files and can be found dashing through court corridors, have some free time owing to the Covid-19 lockdown. In the given situation, some top lawyers in the city are turning creative to utilise the time productively and are using webinars to impart their expertise and knowledge to budding lawyers, law students and enthusiasts. They say it is essential to share the knowledge given “extremely frustrating situation” for younger lawyers.
Organised by Women in Law and Litigation on April 16, senior advocate Rebecca John spoke on the “art of cross-examination and criminal trials”. She says that the idea behind these online seminars or webinars is to motivate the younger lawyers.
She had to ensure that the topic was engaging and had some educational value. The idea was to share the skills inculcated by someone such as her who has spent considerable time in the field of law. “The idea was also to motivate them because a lot of the young lawyers are finding this extremely frustrating. Many are staying in a rented accommodation, away from families,” says John.
After a “thumping success”,” John has been getting calls and messages from various quarters to have a few more of such sessions, especially when the uncertainty over the duration of the lockdown looms large. She has committed to one such session titled “Arrest to Cognisance” – a slightly more technical subject.
John, however, touches upon the need to monetarily support young lawyers, especially the one from outside Delhi. “There are young lawyers paying house rent. There are also those who have just broken out from offices and taken offices on rent. Junior and mid-level lawyers are definitely going through a financial crunch and it needs to be recognised. Bar associations are creating corpuses of funds, which could help in providing them with some aid,” she says.
Advocate Vrinda Grover feels such sessions provide for engaging with ideas beyond the confines of litigation. Grover spoke on a rather relatable topic titled “Justice in a Pandemic” during current times. “Many lawyers today have time on their hands, unlike other times when they are either handling cases or are pre-occupied with other issues. At this juncture, they are free to be able to think about law beyond the case,” she says.
Generally, when the likes of Grover handle cases, the discussions and deliberations are limited only to the length and breadth of a particular case depending on which side the lawyer is representing. “Right now is a good opportunity for broader conversations. Law can be discussed through a socio-political context and not necessarily through the prism of the case,” she adds.
Grover will be talking on civil liberties and Covid-19 lockdown in the country next.
Unlike the police, doctors, civic bodies and other agencies, the legal fraternity is sRead More – Source
