Para legal volunteers play a very vital role in upliftment of the society, in this presentation, which I presented in Bishop Cotton College for Women, I have proposed a university social credit system through which students can be motivated to contribute some of their time in social works...

1. “Role of Law Students as
Para-legal Volunteers”
Ananya Gupta
BA LLB, KLE Society’s Law College
Executive Member, Indian National Bar Association

2. “ If advocacy is an art...
...then creativity must be appreciated”
- Anonymous

3. Para-Legal
“A paralegal, generally speaking, is a professional who has
the required education and experience to perform
substantive legal work for which a law firm or supervising
attorney is ultimately responsible.” [1]
_______________________________________________________________
1. "ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistants Home Page". Abanet.org.
Retrieved 2011-11-23.

4. Volunteer
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity and is
intended to promote goodness or improve human quality of life. In
return, this activity can produce a feeling of self-worth and respect
There is no financial gain involved for the individual. Volunteering is
also renowned for skill development, socialization, and fun.
Volunteering may have positive benefits for the volunteer as well as
for the person or community served.[2]
It is also intended to make contacts for possible employment. It is
helping, assisting, or serving another person or persons without pay.
_______________________________________________________________
2. http://www.nationalservice.gov/serve-your-community/benefits-volunteering

5. Ways to do Para- Legal
Volunteering

6. Internships
• Try pro bono cases if working in corporate
offices.
• Opt for unconventional internships.
– Apne Aap Women World Wide. (ITP Act)
– Central Himalayan Environment Association.
– MC Mehta Environmental Foundation.
• Social Sector Internship.
(A must for 1st
year students)

7. Legal Aids Cell
• Try to be interrogators.
• Seek the problems which are left out by the
common voice.
• Make rules for working and organization of Gram
Panchayats and keep a check on its
implementation.
• Tell people about their rights.
“If there are no rights, there is no need for justice”
- Justice Katju

8. Association with NGOs
• Work for a NGO in your spare time.
• Try starting a college based NGO.
• Re draft their policies and duties and
support it with laws.
• Work with their lawyer and contribute your
research.
• Help them in getting their registration and
tax exemption done.

9. Pro Bono Researching
• Conduct surveys.
• Form Issues and present them to
competent authority. Ex: Broken Roads or
foul water supply.
• Contribute your research to a lawyer who
is fighting for a social cause.
• “Criticize”

10. Publishing
• Publish what’s your view.
• Use any thing or everything; Facebook,
Blogs, Wordpress, Journals, Newspaper,
TV, Radio just anything.
• Make your voice be heard *Conditions Apply
• Lobby for causes
• Join Legal clubs or legal portals.

11. Role and Benefits
• Be updated. (Laws and General Knowledge)
• Increase your logical and reasoning skills.
• Learn team leadership and management.
• Be recognized and let your voice
resonate.
• Learn to compare and contradict.
• Self Realization, Self Actualization and
MOKSHA.

12. Changes demanded through the
research paper.

13. University Credit System
Present Scenario;
A course credit (often credit hour, or just credit or "unit")
is a unit that gives weight to the value, level or time
requirements of an academic course taken at a school or
other educational institution.
In high schools, where all courses are usually the same
number of hours, often meeting every day, students earn
one credit for a course that lasts all year, or a half credit
per course per semester. This credit is formally known
as a Carnegie Unit

14. What should be changed?
• Adoption of Social Credit System.
• Minimum quantum of social credits required for course
completion.
• Credits may be given on a scale of 1 to 5 by the
institution.
• Letter of recommendations and internships will account
for credits.
• Credits might be deducted pertaining to involvent in an
anti social activity. Example: Throwing trash.
• NSS or NCC camps included.

15. QUESTION
HOUR

16. Thank You