“So why law? What’s your story? Do you have an inspiration for becoming a lawyer? Or a mentor? Someone you look upto? Or do you want someone like that? And what if you had a chance to say something to them? Or ask them something. What would that be?
Think and come for today’s 5pm class. We have a special activity for you!”Last month, we got an interesting invitation from Career Launcher Coaching Centre in Allahabad who wanted their CLAT students to write letters. After speaking with various legal professionals for insights and ideas, understanding the student’s level of knowledge, potential, and how they can benefit from and contribute via letters, we curated a special activity for this young bunch of law school aspirants.
Who would they write to? A Mentor.
Why would they write? To be inspired!
But who would these mentors be and what would they be writing about?
Like we always believe, letters are nothing if not posted. And we surely didn’t want them writing essays to hypothetical people. The aim was to give them real mentors – real people that they could look up to.
So, we spoke to legal professionals from different backgrounds and in various fields of work, some from ivy league colleges and others in well acclaimed companies, each with a unique character that the students may relate to or look up to. Through this, we found people who also believed in the cause of writing and were willing to participate!
At the end of the day, (in a small class as it was) we had 9 letters written to Corporate lawyers with different specialisations, in companies like Khaitan & Co., Platinum Partners and Indigo Airlines, 12 to those practising in one of the High Courts or the Supreme Court, and 6 to Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi ji, the current Governor of West Bengal, who used to practice as a Senior Advocate in Allahabad High Court.
We don’t hurry up the time takers.. We love it when people put more thought and love into their letters!
“There’s absolutely no guarantee of them replying back to your letters,” we told them, “but there’s a big chance that they might!” So, we advised them to make their letters as interesting as they could and be kind and respectful. And, of course, take this chance to impress these professionals and see if they can build a relationship with them, as we believe letters are one of the most powerful forms of communication, and can have a very strong impact!
The students were absolutely thrilled to be writing to such professionals, especially when some of them had told us that they’ll reply back, perhaps even by hand!
The beautiful part was that, in the process, the students automatically introspected on their choice of profession and vision, and tried to evaluate why they want to pursue law. They got a unique chance to seek advice and practical guidance from accomplished professionals, a valuable opportunity in the typically confusing stage in life when one is to choose a profession.
While weak communication skills and command on language was a barrier for some, the depth of intention and sincerity was not hard to find in the enthusiastic bunch! All kinds of simple, genuine questions, concerns, requests and wishes came out on paper.
