Despite recession, PU law dept sees good placements

Chandigarh: Amid economic gloom spread all around, students of the law department in Panjab University have reason to cheer. While the economic meltdown has led to a grim placement scene in colleges across the country, it has been a complete contrast in the law department. From only three students shortlisted last year to 14 this time, law students are happy with the way things have shaped up for them.

For a department in which placements have never been the norm, the number of students selected this time is a fete in itself. This is the second time that the department has held a placement drive.

Mindcrest, a Pune-based legal firm, visited the university last year for the first time and selected three students. The company has chosen 14 students this year. “Students prefer to practice in the court due to which we never focused on placements. We invited Mindcrest last year as we wanted our students to explore opportunities beyond the legal practice,” said Professor P S Jaswal, chairperson of the department. “The firm outsources legal aid to various companies and has offices based in metro cities in the country. So, our students will be exposed to hands-on experience,” added Jaswal.

Of the 14 students who have been selected by the firm, 10 are from the maiden batch of University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), the five-year law department. “Due to recession, we were worried about placements and being the first batch to pass out from the department, the anxiety was all the more. Though students can always fall back upon practicing in courts, placements offer a different and vast opportunity,” said Saurabh Gupta, final semester student of UILS and placement coordinator.

Of a total of 250 students from both the three-year and five-year course, fifty had appeared for the written examination during the placement. The final selection was made on the basis of a group discussion and personal interview conducted by the firm.