By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 8, 2015 : Law is the very foundation of a democratic society and legal education is of great significance in furthering the idea of a civilized nation-state rooted in the Rule of Law, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said at All India Seminar on ‘Global Legal Education’, organized by Confederation of Indian Bar in association with KIIT University,

Chief Justice of India, H L Dattu read out the President’s address in his absence. Mukherjee was scheduled to inaugurate the seminar, but he cut short his two-day visit to Odisha and left for Delhi on Friday to attend his ailing wife, who was hospitalized.

“The skill sets that the legal profession and the lawyers require in today’s time are very different from those earlier. Our future lawyers must now be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skill to think and act globally”, he remarked.

The concept of global legal education goes beyond international legal themes, Mukherjee stressed asking law schools to focus on research.

The Seminar was inaugurated by Justice Dattu in the presence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Justice Dipak Misra of Supreme Court and a host of legal luminaries at KIIT University, here.

“In the times we live, society continues to grow more and more complex. Changes in legal system reflect these changes”, the Chief Justice of India said in his inaugural address.

India must produce world-class professionals and academicians to compete globally, he stated, while highlighting the need to have an international perspective in legal education..

Extending a warm welcome to the legal luminaries in Odisha, the chief minister said that impact of globalization has necessitated changes in the existing laws. Globalization has posed challenges as well as created opportunities in the legal education in India, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Justice Dipak Misra stated that such academic events are very beneficial for the law makers. As the world is becoming a ‘global village’, there is a need for a global legal education system, he said.

Shri Pravin H. Parekh, President, Confederation of Indian Bar delivered the opening address, while Prof. N. L. Mitra, Chancellor, KIIT University made the closing remarks.

Legal luminaries, academicians and practitioners from all over the country will continue deliberation on different aspects of the topic in 12 working sessions and valedictory session tomorrow. Each working session will be chaired by a judge of Supreme Court of India and co-chaired by Chief Justice or a senior judge of a High Court. Hon’ble Chief Justices of High Courts of Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Sikkim, Madras, Jharkhand, Punjab & Haryana, Telangana & Andhra Pradesh and Gauhati will co-chair these sessions.

More than 1100 advocate-delegates from all parts of the country, including 700 from Odisha, are participating in this mega law meet.