The legal profession has been attracting many bright students as it is offering multiple career opportunities to students while being accepted as the best vocation in the world, Mr. Justice Sibo Sankar Mishra, Judge of the Orissa High Court, has said.

“The first requirement to be a legal practitioner is to be a gentleman as it is a noble profession,” Mr. Justice Mishra said while addressing the 14th Orientation Program of the new batch of law students admitted for the 2024-25 session into the SOA National Institute of Law (SNIL), faculty of legal studies of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) here, on Sunday.

In the early days, the stress was on serving the society and providing justice to the downtrodden as the legal profession was never thought of as a means to earn a livelihood, he said adding “the focus then was on honesty and dedication for the rule of law.”

Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor of SOA, presided over the event while Prof. S.A.K. Azad, Dean of SNIL, presented the welcome address.

Mr. Justice Mishra told the students that they were fortunate to have eminent teachers in the institute who had shaped the careers of many distinguished jurists. Besides, availability of internet and technological tools now had made the learning process much easier compared to the past, he said.

He also had an interaction with the new students whom he advised to concentrate in their studies for the next couple of years. “You will have a clear idea about the opportunities available in the legal profession after that,” he said adding that those graduating in law now have multiple career opportunities which included joining the bar or working in the corporate world.

Mr. Justice Mishra said the program had provided him the opportunity to meet and interact with young minds. Some of the graduate’s from SOA’s law school had worked with him as interns, he said.

Prof. Nanda said the lawyers and judges were accepted as the epitome of wisdom in the society. He advised the students to interact, argue and think critically to develop their legal acumen and to borrow from other subjects so that their domain knowledge could become stronger.

Prof. Azad said the orientation program marked the beginning of an exciting journey for the students as it provided them an opportunity to not merely study law but understand the justice system. The institution would try to inculcate critical thinking in the students, he said.

Mr. Akash Trikha, Associate Professor in the institute, proposed the vote of thanks.