AICLET

Great lawyers are not made by the knowledge they possess, but by the key qualities that define their work, approach, and commitment to serving justice. Legal knowledge is just a small part of becoming a great lawyer. In today’s world, where everything, every information, is just a click away, top lawyers have certain traits that set them apart from normal lawyers or people practising law. Whether you are a law aspirant, budding attorney or someone seeking to become a great lawyer like Late Ram Jethmalani, there are 5 traits that are must-haves.

Boldness in the Advocacy

Ram Jethmalani was renowned for never giving up, even in the toughest cases. He also picked up contentious clients and political cases because he was confident that everyone is entitled to a robust defence.

A great lawyer is one who is courageous and fearless. Never compromising in hard cases of defending the correct thing, even in a case that is not popular, is critical to justice.

Holistic Knowledge of the Law

Late Ram Jethmalani achieved success because of his enormous and meticulous understanding of various laws such as criminal law, constitutional law, financial law and many more.

A lawyer needs to be highly knowledgeable in the area of law and always on the learning curve. Laws evolve, and keeping up with the change ensures the best advice and representation for the clients.

Effective and Clear Communication

Ram Jethmalani was an expert speaker. His court appearances or his speeches at any forums were always followed by triumphs as he could simplify deep, strong legal arguments and use easily understandable words.

A good attorney should be able to present concepts well, when talking and in writing. Effective communication enables the clients to comprehend their case and persuade judges and juries well.

Dedication to Fairness and Equity

Jethmalani was a believer in justice and never compromised with his values, upholding human rights and humane treatment of every person. 

Integrity matters; a good attorney will focus on ethical and fair practice as the top-most priority and will not discriminate between two cases.

Hard work and tenacity

As a lawyer, Ram Jethmalani spent more than 80 years toiling in preparation, sweat-breaking in the fight put up by him on behalf of his clients. Law requires tenacity and effort. A good lawyer does not give up but always pushes to deliver the best representation ever.

The career of the late Ram Jethmalani has taught us that great lawyers are those who are courageous in their actions, knowledgeable in the field, communicative, ethical and hardworking. These are not just qualities to make a successful legal career; the practices safeguard justice and are useful to society.

In conclusion, all the law aspirants seeking to be great lawyers must have these 5 traits. Because these traits serve as a roadmap for excellence and trustworthiness, the lawyers possessing these qualities grow drastically in their careers, contributing rightly to the Indian legal system.

The Rajasthan government Wednesday told the high court that student union polls will not be conducted this year, citing the planned implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) and suggestions from university heads all over the state. In a formal response to the court, the government stated that the prevailing academic situation makes it impossible to hold the polls.

Authorities invoked the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, according to which student union elections must be held within eight weeks of the beginning of the academic session. They pointed out that the continuous academic calendar, reconfigured in the wake of NEP implementation, doesn't allow following this schedule.

The govt further informed the court that nine universities' vice-chancellors have recommended that the polls not be held this year. The officials, as per the submission, have cited disruption in class timetables and an uncertain academic structure as the reasons behind holding up the polls.

The issue was raised in the high court by Jai Rao, a first-year student of the MA course of Rajasthan University, who approached the court through a petition on July 24. Rao, in his appeal, claimed that the right to elect student representatives is inherent and asserted that elections never took place in Rajasthan for three consecutive academic sessions.

The court had heard the case for the last time on July 29 and asked the state to submit a detailed reply. In the meantime, student leaders from all over the state have organized several demonstrations in recent weeks demanding that the elections be conducted at the earliest.

There will be no additional new law colleges or law schools in the nation for three years, as the regulatory Bar Council of India (BCI) has declared a three-year moratorium on new centres of legal education.

"During the period of the moratorium, no new centre of legal education shall be opened or granted permission anywhere in India.". Additionally, no current centre of legal study can add any new section, course, or batch without prior written and express approval from the BCI. Outstanding applications that have not been given final approval as on the date of commencement will not be touched and will be dealt with according to law," Srimanto Sen, principal secretary of the BCI, said on Wednesday.

Justifying the decision, the council described it as compelled "to stop the deterioration in quality across legal education segments, demonstrated by the uncontrolled mushrooming of sub-standard institutions, frequent issuance of NOCs by state govt and affiliations by universities without checks, and to avoid commercialisation of legal education, indiscriminate academic malpractice, and continuing shortages of quality faculty."

With a proposed number of some 2,000 such centres of legal education already functioning in the country, the BCI feels that institutional capacity of the country is sufficient, the release stated, and the focus has to now turn towards consolidation, quality improvement, and systemic strengthening in public interest and in furtherance of constitutional obligations.

The rule, to be issued shortly for an uninterrupted period of three years, derives its power from the Advocates Act, 1961, and depicts the council's responsibility to uphold and maintain standards of legal education, preserve the integrity of the profession, and protect public interest in the administration of justice, it said.

Referring to a resolution passed in 2019 establishing a temporary moratorium of new law schools, and the later order of the Punjab and Haryana high court dated Dec 4, 2020, the BCI averred it also brought out a comprehensive press release of June 16, 2021 calling for strict diligence by state govts and universities.

"The current rule fulfills the direction of the court by implementing the steps through regulation rules and complements the Council's historic strength in quality," Sen added in the statement.

But there are a few exceptions. 

The rules exempt proposals exclusive to socially and educationally backward classes, SC/STs and economically weaker sections, proposals in remote, tribal or aspirational districts notified by concerned authorities and courses exclusive to individuals with disabilities.

"Such proposals have to meet tight requirements, such as valid NOCs, previous university associations, evidence of infrastructure and faculty capabilities, and meet need-based establishment under the Rules of Legal Education," the statement added.

A former Intel engineer, Varun Gupta, was making news throughout the tech world after being convicted of pilfering confidential documents from Intel, a world leader in chip manufacturing. Though his offense (the theft of "thousands of files") was serious, Gupta will not face jail time, but will not be able to escape public scrutiny or financial punishment.

What happened?  

Varun Gupta, a former Intel engineer, left the firm earlier in 2020. Shortly thereafter, he showed up at Microsoft, a top competitor (sometimes), partner of Intel in the world of technology. In investigating Gupta's resignation, prosecutors found out that he had downloaded and taken with him a significant amount of sensitive Intel documents. They contained confidential business information, proprietary design materials, and strategic negotiation insights, according to reports.

Gupta is accused of employing this pilfered information, not only to secure his new position at Microsoft but also to provide his new firm with an advantage in critical negotiations with Intel, a charge that has tipped the balance of the case heavily in its direction.

Information about the Sentence

The court's decision? Though everyone had expected a jail term for the magnitude and gravity of the cyber-plundering, Varun Gupta was given two years of probation instead of a prison term. In addition to probation, he also had to pay a fine of $34,472, about Rs30,21,510, both for the magnitude of the offense and possible damage done to Intel.

Why No Jail Time?

Legal observers say that a recommendation of probation over imprisonment may be a result of cooperation with the investigators, lack of a prior criminal conviction, and continued reform in sentencing for some white-collar crime crimes. The relatively soft sentence has, however, provoked skepticism and debate on social media regarding the effectiveness of current laws in addressing intellectual property high-value theft.

What Were the Stolen Files? Although the contents of the pilfered materials are not disclosed, prosecutors have identified the documents to include:

• Product roadmaps and chip design files
• Engineering and business strategy reports
• Critical information that may be useful in competitive bargaining

Such information can offer vast leverage in the tech world, where intellectual property and trade secrets are the cornerstones of innovation and valuations of companies.

Contribution to Microsoft and Intel

1. For Microsoft: No public record or public complaint exists that Microsoft benefited from Gupta's actions. But the company will likely review internal security and hiring practices to avoid any future occurrences and regulatory issues.
2. For Intel: The security incident reflects ongoing threats for major technology companies when employees depart for industry competitors. Intel has since strengthened internal data security and confidentiality protocols.

Responses and Industry Response

The case has reignited discussions on:

• The need for stronger cybersecurity and employee offboarding protocols
• Stricter enforcement and harsher penalties for trade secret theft
• The fine line companies walk when hiring talent from competitors

As the case of Varun Gupta gained the spotlight throughout the tech industry, it is a harsh reminder of the threats companies can face from within, and how information stealing can impact individual careers as well as significant corporate partnerships. Gupta's high-profile case is also a call to action for professionals and organizations to put data ethics at the forefront and protect valuable intellectual property from within and outside.

Higher Education department on Monday ordered all the state universities and colleges to report compliance on the internal committees (IC) as per Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, within 24 hours.

In a communication to all the registrars of the public and private universities and principals of the aided, unaided and government degree colleges, the department asked for compliance immediately for strict enforcement of Section 4 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.

Under this sub-section, all workplaces that employ more than 10 employees are mandated to set up an internal complaints committee whose role is to address the problem of sexual harassment as well as maintain a secure working environment.

The committee must be well represented by women members and external members. The institutions must display the names and phone numbers of all the members of the IC at public points on the campus within the reach of students and display committee members' information in the departmental HIMS portal. The department has also requested the institutions to display photos of geo-tagged campus locations where the information of ICs is displayed

Varsities & colleges ordered to file compliance reports

In a step towards raising awareness among the students and teaching staff, the HEIs have also been ordered to organize workshops on the Act at the earliest. The department also ordered the adoption of the UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in the Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015, by the institutions.

The move follows the revelation that FM College defaulted on the UGC regulation's requirements to provide ICCs compulsorily. The college had no operational internal complaints committee in place when the Integrated BEd 20-year-old student filed a complaint of sexual harassment by her department HoD on June 30. It was formed one day later.

Likewise, the UGC has also recently issued a call to all the HEIs to submit reports attesting to compliance with guidelines on not engaging in sexual harassment within campuses. The HEIs are required to upload the compliance data for the year 2024-25 on the SAKSHAM portal and the University Activity Monitoring portal.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) just announced a significant decision: no new law schools or law colleges will be permitted to open in India over the next three years. The decision, made on August 13, 2025, is aimed at preventing the saturation of low-quality legal education and providing improved quality for future attorneys.

Why Did BCI Impose the Moratorium?

BCI noted that many new law schools were opening up without inspections or verification, leading to poor instruction, absence of qualified instructors, and even education commercialization. The council also mentioned that these led to a decrease in the standard of legal education. With already nearly 2,000 legal education centers in India, BCI believes the moment now should be utilized in enhancing existing ones, and not in opening up new ones.

Key Points of the Moratorium

• There will be no law schools or law colleges opened within the next three years.
• Existing law schools are not allowed to introduce new courses, batches, or sections without prior, written approval from BCI.
• Non-finalized pending applications will continue to be addressed according to law.
• BCI will conduct further inspections of current colleges. Those that fail quality tests can be closed down or derecognized.
• It has serious consequences, including withdrawal or revocation of degree recognition, and the students of such institutions may not be qualified to be enrolled as advocates.

Who Qualifies for an Exemption? 

Yes, there are few exceptions:

• Institutions for socially and educationally backward classes, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Economically Weaker Sections.
• Colleges recommended in remote, tribal, or aspirational areas.
• Courses specifically for individuals with disabilities.
• State or central university proposals created by statute or proposed by the government.

But: All exemptions are subject to strict criteria. Institutions must submit genuine No Objection Certificates (NOCs), constitute faculty and infrastructure, and must comply with existing Rules of Legal Education.

What's the Impact?

• For Students: You can be assured that your degree in law will be from a better college, and hence it will offer you better job prospects and professional standing.
• For Colleges: It is the time to focus on increasing your strength of faculty, quality of education, and infrastructure.
• For Parents: A stricter screening results in your kids getting admission to reliable law schools with credible degrees.

What Comes Next? BCI will be keeping a close watch on the colleges over this three-year period and will be enforcing compliance with rules. The council is calling upon cooperation from everyone—state governments and universities—to work for the good of the legal profession and society at large. In Brief: Three-year ban on new law colleges is aimed at improving legal education in India. Parents, students, and institutions should be informed of stricter controls and make the right choices regarding law colleges. If you need information regarding exemption or quality levels, always consult the Bar Council of India or your favorite university