Kerala High Court Suggests Mandatory Mentoring, Training Classes For Young Lawyers During First 5 Yrs Of Practice

A Division Bench of Justice A.K.Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Easwaran S enquired with Advocate Yeshwanth Shenoy, President of Kerala High Court Advocates Association (KHCAA) whether mentoring can be provided to the younger members of the Bar by the Association.

The Court suggested that KHCAA can make it mandatory for junior lawyers to attend training sessions to continue their membership in the Association. The Court also suggested that KHCAA can implement a credit based system, where junior lawyers are required to get credits for attending training sessions by senior lawyers and other legal experts.

Justice Nambiar orally said, “Can you evolve a policy where junior members, if they have to continue membership must mandatorily undergo training sessions which are given. Make this a condition for continuing membership…As a condition for maintaining standards in the Profession, you can make it a condition for the junior Bar for the first five years. To expect it beyond that will be unreasonable. But at least for the first five years, let them undergo some kind of mentoring. You organize these training sessions periodically and make it like earning credits for attending those. Junior member of the Bar for the first five years, he or she must get so many credit points every year for continued membership of the Association or you don't get the membership. Think of something like that because ultimately the object is noble.”

The Court observed that while junior advocates may possess adequate knowledge, they lack experience. It noted that they sometimes appear before the Courts without being fully aware of the contents of the case files, making them unable to assist the Court properly.

President of KHCAA lamented that juniors are not continuing with a senior even for a period of three months, and rather rely on information that is available digitally.