Report No. 266

A. Historic perspective

12.3 Legal education plays an important role in promoting social justice. Education or awareness of laws, characterises the lawyers as Social Engineers. Legal education was formally introduced in 1855 when it was started in Government Hindu College, Calcutta, Elphinstone College, Madras and Government Law College, Bombay.

12.4 Felix Frankfurter observed, "In the last analysis, the law is what the lawyers are. And the law and the lawyers are what the law schools make them.36"

12.5 The University Education Commission was appointed by Government of India under the chairmanship of Dr. S Radhakrishnan, "to report on Indian University Education and suggest improvements and extensions that might be desirable to suit the present and future requirements of the country37." The Commission in its report submitted in August 1949 inter alia recommended substantial improvement in legal education.