Every year, thousands of youngsters walk out of the hallowed precincts of law schools with prestigious law degrees in their hands. But, how many of these law graduates possess the skills required for the industry? Not many. The theoretical knowledge they possess is almost useless if not applied intelligently.

This is where the need for a finishing school arises. A school that provides cutting-edge legal education, a school that sharpens students’ skills in a manner that prepares them to enter the workforce with confidence. Thus was born the Academy of Advanced Legal Education (AALE).

“With an unprecedented boom in the economy, the legal sector is poised for a huge take off. Increasing awareness of the legal aspects of every issue has led to a great demand for qualified law professionals. Sadly, most graduates who pass out of law colleges are not industry-ready for want of required skills. With the need to bridge the widening gap between industry requirements and the knowledge base of law professionals was AALE given shape to,” says Priya Pillai, director, AALE.

In fact, the need for trained law personnel has increased significantly over the last few years and it is estimated that the demand for such trained personnel will rise far more exponentially in the years to come. The very fact that many big law firms from other cities have moved in to Bangalore is proof enough.

AALE offers a bouquet of short duration diploma programs to train personnel for legal jobs in the legal process outsourcing (LPO) industry, as well as in multinational companies and law firms. This is not all. AALE also trains personnel in corporate houses on various aspects of corporate law, intellectual property, IT law, corporate social responsibility, and the like.

“We are also involved in capacity building and research projects in these various areas of legal regulation,” says Ms Pillai.

Like every other discipline, legal education too is an ongoing process where professionals need to constantly upgrade their skills. Hence, AALE has designed programmes to suit the needs of professionals already working in reputed law firms too.

According to Ms Pillai, AALE is a one-of-its-kind institute in the country offering a wide range of diploma programmes for everyone from law students to qualified professionals. While most courses are tailor-made for industry requirements, the Academy has scope enough to create customised courses to suit the needs of particular groups too.

The best part of these programme is that both students and professionals can pursue them as the classes, of two-hour duration, are mostly held in the evenings, twice or thrice a week.

“At AALE, our goal is to equip students with the skills necessary for them to perform at a higher level in their legal work. This, in turn, will boost their job prospects,” says Ms Pillai.

The Academy also boasts of highly qualified instructors from India and the United States, including faculty from the National Law School of India University, Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, the University of California, Berkeley Law School, and other top US law schools.

While faculty members bring real world experience into the classroom, care will be taken to provide students with easy accessibility to net facility and the legal database online, says Ms Pillai.

The Academy has tied up with the Christ College of Law in Bangalore and will be offering its courses from the college premises from January. For details, contact: 9886189118; Email: coordinator@theaale.com.
Chethana Dinesh


COURSES OFFERED

*Certificate in Legal Foundations
*Certificate in Securities Regulation
*Certificate in Corporate Law
*Certificate in Intellectual Property Law
*Certificate in Information Technology Law
*Certificate in WTO Law
*Certificate in Competition Law
*Certificate in International Litigation
*Certificate in Transitional Justice



WHO CAN APPLY

*LLB/LLM/MBL students.
*Those seeking a fulfilling career in law firms, MNC’s and LPOs.
*Those wanting to take up LLM and other higher studies either in the US or UK.
*Legal professionals intending to polish their skills.
*Students pursuing BA/BSc/BCom, but interested in learning more about legal systems.