Requirement for fresh talent capable of handling crypto, AI and climate-related arbitration is on the rise, and private law colleges have stepped up efforts to cater to the growing demand, they added.

“Demand for lawyers in 2022 was 30% more than in 2021. Both Indian and overseas companies and law firms are in need of talent,” Ritambara Vasudeva, director at recruitment firm Michael Page, said.

Demand is especially for legal experts in AI, crypto, data privacy and competition law, Vasudeva added.

Mumbai-based BITS Law School, for instance, has launched courses including air and space law, forensic science, and criminal investigation, besides Metaverse, AI and cyber crime blockchain for its courses in technology and media law among others.

“We spoke to law firm partners as well as judges to understand skill sets that students must learn now. Many judges today graduated from law schools a few decades ago, so we needed to figure out what to teach to be relevant in 30-40 years from now,” said Ashish Bharadwaj, dean, BITS Law School.

Some current topics may soon become obsolete, he added. “But subjects such as corporate and financial law will always remain relevant.”

Some of the new age topics in law schools are part of elective courses which students opt for over a five-year programme. These courses were designed following detailed feedback from all industry stakeholders.

“Subjects such as data protection, or AI, and international arbitration, should be specifically taught to equip students with skills required in the professional world,” said Sameer Jain, managing partner, PSL Advocates and Solicitors. “Some colleges and universities do teach these subjects as electives, but the need is for the Bar Council of India to update the mandatory curricula (to include such courses),” he said.

India’s management colleges are also designing courses to make students more industry-ready, such as lessons on the latest promotion strategies, and using artificial intelligence, Chat GPT, and X Culture to further their career goals.

Business projects are being incorporated by the Indian Institutes of Management to ensure students are prepared to work on global projects, and understand the challenges of working across time zones and cultures.“Law is not cloistered, but has to operate in the real world. In a globalizing 21st century, professionals are expected to deal with uncertainty, ambiguity and stress,” Shashikala Gurpur, director, Symbiosis Law School, said. Symbiosis has introduced mental health law as part of its health law courses, and is also set to launch specialized classes on telecom media technology, in line with the increasing demand from the industry following the rollout of 5G, which is expected to overhaul the medical, agricultural, retail and auto industries.