National Law University, Cuttack

About College:

The group of institutions collectively known as the National Law Universities (NLUs) now number over twenty. Most of them recruit students using the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) scores. This is considered the flagship exam, which gives entry to some of the finest Law colleges in the country. The competition for this is immense. The test includes 200 objective type multiple choice questions to be answered within a maximum time limit of 120 minutes. These 200 questions are divided into Legal Aptitude and GK hogging half the total share with 50 questions each. English and Reasoning are worth 40 each while math which is quite elementary is worth 20. For every wrong answer, a fourth of negative marks gets deducted. Success in this exam opens the door towards some of the best national law colleges (NLUs). In spite of the ‘national’ tag associated with the NLUs, they remain state universities. CLAT is also one of the few law entrances that were conducted on online mode but has now reverted to the offline avatar. 

For long, law lagged behind several other professional and degree courses when it came to prestige and career opportunities, but now, thanks to the NLUs, it is considered a top career choice. With the opening up of the economy, law grads can now take up careers in corporate law, international agencies, NGOs, Legal Process Outsourcing (LPOs) firms and academics, besides the conventional careers centres around litigation and the judiciary. This was the reason for the launch of the five- year integrated programmes by the NLUs which can be taken up by students immediately after completion of their school. 

The National Law University Odisha (NLUO) in Cuttack was established in the year 2008, welcoming its first batch from a year later. It is built on a total area of 50 acres worth land. Courses are available here at the NLUO at both the UG and PG levels. At the UG level, the flagship five- year integrated programme BA LLB is offered. In addition, the BBA LLB is also provided as an option. This was developed due to the realization that students wanted a study theme which could combine the legal and business aspects. The LLB, of course, is the standard degree offered to Common Law countries’ legal study graduates. There is a third UG programme here, known as the Bachelor of Vocation (B. Voc.). This programme is offered at the Community College attached to the main campus. It has been introduced to implement the virtues of social justice. 

At the master’s level, the one- year LLM is offered here. In addition, there exists the Advanced Vocational Diploma in Paralegal Studies. The M. Phil and PhD. programmes are also available. These are research-based and practice-oriented programmes. Some distance learning and certificate programmes may also be pursued from here. Some of these optional certificate programmes are in the areas of- Security Laws, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Advanced Commercial Contracts, Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility, Criminal Law Practice, European Business Law, Human Trafficking & Child Rights, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and for International Law among others. 

The institute is also a leader when it comes to legal research. For this purpose, specific centres of excellence have been created to facilitate the same. There are centres here for the areas of – Child Rights, Disability Rights, Access to Justice, Natural Resource Management, Human Rights & Criminal Justice, Women & Law, International Trade Law, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Corporate Law, Consumer Law, Tribal Rights Advocacy, Industrial Relations & Labour Laws and one for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Due to Cuttack being one of the most important port cities in India, there is also a Centre for Maritime Law. There is also a Centre for Public Rights, Law and Good Governance (CPRLGG). A lot of the research that takes place at the NLUO gets published in their own in-house journals. The best known of them is the NLUO Law Journal. Another is the NLUO Student Law Journal, which as the name suggests, is the student version of the former. The other two are- Human Rights Law Journal and the Child Rights Law Journal. The institute is also connected to the GIAN (Global Initiative of Academic Networks) which offers a method for the academicians to keep updating their academic portfolios consistently. 

There is a thriving student community here at the NLUO Cuttack. There are several societies and committees here looking into student life. The Societies are here for Moot Court and Literary & Debating. The Committees are here for – Cultural, Sports, Legal Aid, Student Development, Tech and for Internship & Placement. There is also a Colloquium Opus. The institute has been accredited by the NAAC (National Assessments and Accreditation Council). The university also brings out an annual quality assurance report. A separate AQAR (Annual Quality Assurance Report) has been created to this end, to ensure that all the terms of the NAAC are complied with. All this quality compliance has massively boosted up the NLUO’s status among recruiters. Some of the key recruiters in recent seasons to the NLUO have been the likes of – IOCL, SAIL, Biocon, HKJ Associates, AZB & Partners, Capstone Legal, IC Legal, Law Desk, Lexport, Law Hive Associates and MCO Legals among others.