Overview

NLSIU Prospectus 

Admission to the B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) Degree Programme is purely on the basis of merit as assessed through a Common Law Admission Test conducted for the purpose. A total of 80 students are ordinarily admitted. Classes begin on 1st July every year.

The teaching methods adopted for the Degree programme are such as to promote multi-disciplinary inquiry and practical appreciation of problems. The method of teaching involves lectures, discussions, case studies, Moot Courts and project work. An innovative feature of the teaching method followed by the NLSIU is cooperative teaching where two or more teachers jointly offer a course and interact with the students in the same class. This is particularly useful for the multidisciplinary analysis of socio-legal problems.

There is a high degree of interaction between the students and the teachers in the classroom. This is largely facilitated by the fact that at the commencement of the Trimester, each student is given a set of reading materials containing the course outline, teaching plan, reading lists and a fairly large volume of study materials in respect of each course. They consist of case studies, judicial decisions, articles and excerpts from reports.

 With this material, the students are expected to come prepared for the classes and actively participate in classroom discussions.

Faculty at the Law School are very accessible. With an excellent faculty-student ratio, the law school provides an exciting opportunity for the students to interact with their teachers.

Beyond exchanges between students and faculty in the classroom, there are more formal means of communication aimed at improving the class experience and student life. At the end of each Trimester, the students are expected to complete an evaluation of the courses undertaken by them in that Trimester. The  extensive comments on the teaching, reading materials, availability for consultation, etc., in these evaluation forms are taken seriously by the faculty so that they can more accurately identify students’ concerns especially in courses that are taught for the first time.

The courses on Clinical Legal Education are taught by integrating classroom teaching with simulation exercises. Efforts are being made to expose students to court realities.

Project assignment is another component of each course that requires both literature survey and field investigations. These methods help in improving research skills, analytical abilities as well as the communication skills of the students.

Another characteristic feature of the Law School is that it has over 210 working days each year devoted for instructional purposes alone. The Trimester system of instruction demands maximum number of working days in each Trimester for completing the course requirements. Accordingly, the Law School schedule provides for instruction extending to not less than seventy (70) days in each Trimester.


B.A. LL.B.(Hons.): A Five year IntegratedCourse


Admission Procedure

Admission to the B.A.,LL.B.(Hons.) Degree programme is purely on merit as assessed through a Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) conducted by the CLAT Committee constituted for the purpose.

APPLICATION FOR THE ADMISSION TEST

Each year, the CLAT will be conducted in the month of May at such centre and on such date as the CLAT Committee may notify. The Test will be consisting of objective type questions of a standard expected of 10+2 students and will be of 2 hours’ duration. The test will carry a maximum of 200 marks. If more than one candidate gets the same rank in the merit list, the order of priority for the selection of the candidate against the available vacancies will be strictly based on the percentage of marks obtained in the qualifying examination.

Applications for CLAT, when called for, can be obtained from the Convenor CLAT Committee by sending a Demand Draft (for a sum which will be notified) drawn on the State Bank of India or any other nationalised bank and made payable to CLAT Committee. Application forms can also be downloaded from the website www.clat.ac.in and submitted with the application fee.

 The filled-in application for the CLAT shall be returned to the Convenor, CLAT Committee on or before the last date specified.

 The intake capacity for the Degree programme at the various Law Universities participating in the CLAT will be notified on the CLAT website and will be as notified, with reservations in favour of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Persons with Disability as prescribed. Reservation in favour of Foreign Nationals will be separately indicated.

 Candidates appearing for the qualifying examination in the year of admission are also permitted to take the Admission Test, but their admission to the course shall be subject to their fulfilling the conditions stipulated in the Regulations and production of supporting documentary evidence at the time of admission.

 All admissions shall ordinarily be completed before 30th June every year.

ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION

A candidate for admission to the B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) Degree Course shall have:

a) passed the Higher Secondary School Examination (10+2) system or an examination equivalent thereto securing in the first attempt, not less than 50% (45% in the case of SC / ST candidates and persons with disability) in the aggregate, and

b) not completed 20 years of age as on 1st July of the year of admission.

In the case of candidates belonging to SC/ST and persons with disability, the maximum age limit shall be 22 years.

Those who do not clear the qualifying examination with the requisite marks are not eligible for admission. Candidates whose Statement of marks of the qualifying examination is not available at the time of formal interviews, are also not eligible for admission.

 The University reserves the right to cancel the admission of any candidate in accordance with the Rules.

 INTAKE AND RESERVATION

At present, the intake capacity of B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) Degree Programme shall be 80 (eighty) with the following break-up:

a) General Category : 55
b) Scheduled Caste : 12 (i.e. 15%)
c) Scheduled Tribe : 6 (i.e. 7.5%)
d) Persons with Disability (PWD) : 2 (i.e. 3%)
e) Foreign Nationals : 5

ADMISSION FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS

Foreign candidates will be admitted directly on the basis of their performance in the qualifying examination, overall academic record and command over English language. The candidate must have studied English language as one of the compulsory subjects in 10+2 or equivalent Higher Secondary School Examination.

The Admissions Committee may organise an English language competence test if found necessary.

Preference will be given to the candidates from SAARC countries and other developing countries. They are exempted from taking the CLAT and the rule concerning age limit.

 They will have to apply directly to the University in the prescribed format available on the NLS Website along with the supporting documents to the Registrar, NLSIU, Nagarbhavi, Bangalore - 560 242, on or before the prescribed date.

 The candidate will be provisionally admitted only on his/her having the required proficiency in the English language.

 DURATION AND ACADEMIC TERMS

The duration of the course shall be for a period of Five Academic Years. Each academic year is divided into three “Trimesters” with an average of not less than 70 working days for each.

The academic terms will be announced in advance each year and will ordinarily be between July-September, October-January and March-June.