Valedictory function of Project Complete Lawyer (PCL) held in Kochi, Kerala on 8th October

The Valedictory function of Project Complete Lawyer (PCL) was held at The Renai Cochin, Palarivattom on 8th October 2022 from 11am-1pm. The inaugural address was given by Hon’ble Justice Muhamed Mustaque, Judge of High court of Kerala.

The welcome speech was delivered by Mr Sandeep C, Convener of Project Complete Lawyer. Ms Renju P, PCL member presented the report of the programme. Mr. Johnson Gomez, Chairman of PCL programme gave the presidential address. In the function, Certificates were distributed to the members of the PCL programme. Mr K Kamanees, [Spl Court (SPE/ CBI)- II ( Judge NIA Court) , Mr C Unnikrishnan ( Managing Trustee CIIA) and Mr Suresh Vaidyan ( Managing partner Assa Study Abroad) gave felicitation to the programme. The valedictory session came to an end with the Vote of Thanks delivered by Ms Asseniya , PCL member. This was followed by a technical session on the topic “Preparing of Practice Ready Lawyers” handled by an expert panel. The session was moderated by Mr M R Rajendran Nair, Senior Advocate of the High Court of Kerala. The panel consisted of Mr Ajit Joy [Advocate, High Court of Kerala], Ms. Alexy Joy [PCL Member] and Mr. Aravind Prakash [ PCL Member]. Later, the function concluded with a general discussion.

About Project Complete Lawyer (PCL)

The complete lawyer is a project that intends to reduce the period of incubation to less than 2 years from graduation. The expectation is to enable the fresh graduate to venture into the profession with confidence and to become independent practitioners within this period. This project is developed by Cochin Institute of International Arbitration and Law and Justice Research Foundation, drawing inspiration from the teaching of Prof. Dr N R Madhava Menon.

The project works on the fundamental understanding that all the institutions created under law, operate on the principle of ‘Rule of Law’.The higher judiciary, including the Supreme Court and the various High Courts, are governed by provisions of the Constitution, statutes and various rules formulated under them. Similar is the case of courts under the District Judiciary and the Tribunals established under various laws. The project believes that a study of the jurisdiction of the institutions, including the practice and procedure followed by them, would help the students venture into the law practice with confidence.

The Project focuses on procedure for filing, case management study, basic research, settling pleadings, formulation of submissions during different stages of a case. Every case has a journey from the conference room of a lawyer’s chamber, where the grievance of a client is identified, pleading settled and filed before the appropriate court having jurisdiction and finally rests in its record room. A study of this journey is an integral part of the project.

Project Complete Lawyer is a small, big step towards achieving the constitutional goal of ensuring justice, social, economic, and political, to all the citizens of this country. The implementation of the project could, by and large, overcome the current bottlenecks in attracting young talents into the legal profession. A standardized framework operating as a guardian angel for the law students during the course and afterwards, and throughout their career, is the future envisioned by the project.