In my fifth chapter, I was giving up on my dream of becoming a lawyer. The reason was that I was intimidated by the sudden changes in my plans, those plans which I set when I was fourteen years old. When I saw that the crowd around me wasn't of my type, when the law school wasn't what I thought it would be, when I witnessed the struggle one was supposed to put in to get things their way, I decided to back out.
After all, we are all looking for easy ways out, aren't we? What you think of doing is one thing, and when you do it is, another. I had thought of backing out, but did I? Had I backed out, 'Law school Shenanigans' wouldn't have existed. So here it is. I did not back out. I have no idea why, but a part of me wasn't ready to let that dream go! The goal of becoming a lawyer.
At times you are supposed to make the best out of what you have. I did that! Amidst the chaos of people still quarreling over 'branded' colleges, I decided to do the best from here. I made a lot of friends who cleared my inhibitions about this college I was studying in. "We are all in this together" is what we all preached, and despite a few negatives that we felt in our law school, we studied together.
I always followed rules but a few of my friends helped me break a few rules here and there. I skipped a few classes, started sleeping in between classes because who can say no to sleep? I had fun studying the subjects because I had studied these subjects in my Junior College. It felt easy like a flowing breeze and hostel life added more experiences, I had never thought I would get to be a part of.
So the first year of law school passed in a jiffy. I remember when I attended one of the proceedings at the National Green Tribunal, and I met Mr. M.C. Mehta in my formals that I had worn for the first time. I felt like I belonged here. After meeting him, I met a few other prominent lawyers, and I knew I wanted to be there. I was all prepped up to wear the advocates' band after four years since one year was down.
So after the first two semesters, we had two whole months of summer vacations, and that is when I thought I should do an internship. But was it that easy? Not at all! Not when you have a lot of opinions to listen to, whether to start interning in the District Courts or an NGO. Or should you even intern as a fresher in Law?
A lot of people suggested me to intern in an NGO since. As a fresher in law school, legal knowledge is zero; hence a litigation internship wouldn't make sense. As much as I thought I could intern at an NGO, I was keen to witness what it was in the courts, so I applied to a law firm in Bangalore about which I got to know from a friend.
The advocate I talked to asked me to send him my CV, and that's when my excitement crashed because I did not have a CV. I did not have anything to put in my CV! The majority of us only had class 12 and class 10 marks in it, along with a few school-level achievements that stopped making sense the moment I decided to put them in my CV.
With a lot of thinking into it, I somehow managed to create a one-page document called my Curriculum Vitae. I couldn't believe my eyes when I got an email from the firm stating that I could intern there for a month. I called up all my friends and family and shared this fantastic news that I thought it was back then!
Going back to Bangalore after one whole year seemed so exciting, I still get goosebumps when I think of it. Meeting old friends after so long was such a surreal moment, but more than that, I remember the feeling on the first day of my internship. I entered the office with nervousness and excitement at the same time. My black blazer crippled when I clenched my fists due to nervousness, but that was the only time when something crippled.
The advocate whose firm it was greeted me with the sweetest words. I was asked a few questions about my law school, about where I came from, about my legal interests, which I remember answering with the little confidence that I mustered in between my pauses. I don't know whether sir was impressed or not, but I was! (Not sure why though).
My first day was a tad relaxed because I was only getting used to the office and its people, but it was the second day that changed my definition of expectations.
I thought since I was just a fresher, I would be given menial tasks. However, a huge 700-page file was coming my way! I was told to read it in its entirety. My mind was blown when I heard my task. He told me I had ten days to prepare the case brief, a timeline of events, and for proofreading the entire file of this case. If need be, I was also supposed to read the judgments that favored our case.
I nodded and opened the file and started reading. I had no idea what I was reading because everything was going above my tiny head. I also fell asleep in between the rigorous reading sessions, but I realized this was going to be my life! The sooner, the better, so I started getting serious towards my tasks.
This task was one of the things that I did when I interned here because I also attended court proceedings, ran to the courts to get the order or the next date of hearing, etc., that too all alone and it was one exhausting experience.
We are all so caught up in what the television shows us; we fail to understand that not everything that the TV shows is real. It holds for the court setting that I thought I would see, but it was nothing that I imagined. Advocates were sweating in the heat yet running from court to court; the common people flooded all the courtrooms, the judges were probably exhausted from all the decision making, the court seemed nothing like the peaceful 'sessions courts' that we see in the TV!
So yeah, my first time in the court was a mess. I did not understand what was going on in the courtroom, credits to also the excessive noise in there! After hours of roaming around, completing the tasks when I sat down on a seat once, I was made to stand up and leave in the next five minutes because interns cannot sit apparently (that is what I heard a female advocate say to me in Kannada). I felt pretty daunted then, to be honest!
My first time in the court all alone, asking where I could get the court register to find out about a case was also chaotic because everyone was conversing in Kannada, and the Kannada I knew was not helpful at all. I struggled big-time, but in the end, I was successful in completing the tasks. When I asked him why he sent me to the court alone, he said he wanted me to learn and figure out things on my own because not every time you are lucky enough to find a guiding light.
Well, that worked. I found the light even when I had language barriers! So, these words stuck to me like the glitter sticks to the glue for the entire internship. With getting to do so many things here, I loved this internship. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do litigation since it was just the beginning, but I knew I could complete the tasks before the deadlines. I had no idea what was in store for me in the next internship, but I surely was determined to work extra hard because Law seemed fun.
The head of this firm was sweet enough to teach me the basics of CPC and CrPC, the little that I understood or attempted at understanding every day after he got done with his practice. He also taught me some basics of research and I cannot be more thankful for his efforts to make sure that I learned something from my first internship!
I had a lot of firsts in my first year, and to top it all, my best first was the first stipend that I received after this internship. Sir said this was a token of the efforts that I put in, and again, that was a feeling that I never felt before.
The first year of law school was surreal. My first friends in Delhi, the first time I entered the court, my first time wearing the black formals, the first time I read a Judgement, my first ever legal research, my first CV, my first stipend – these were many of my firsts, that made it very exciting for me to look forward to the second year!
When I look back to it now, I cannot believe what path I've come through, but the memories of this are as fresh as the early morning dew in the leaves!
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