Interview with Mr. Stalin Arnold Professor at School of Law Christ University

1. A Brief Introduction of yourself.

My name is Stalin Arnold. I am originally from Delhi and I finished my early education in Delhi. After which, I moved to Bangalore where I did my undergraduate course (BA LLB) at Christ University, Bangalore. I did my postgraduate (LLM) as well at Christ University. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD also at Christ University. My areas of interest include Constitutional law and feminism.

2. What led you to choose law?

I never chose law voluntarily. I always wanted to pursue something in English and literature. I always thought law was only about going to courts and I would always look at the field of law in a very negative manner. Moreover, I am a first generation lawyer and hence, I had no exposure with respect to this field. However, once I got into law school, although the initial few months were hard later, I started exploring and I understood that there were many interesting options like entertainment law, trademark law, animal law, etc.

3. What inspired and motivate you to become a legal academician?

It was since the beginning that I wanted to become a school teacher. After entering law school, when I was in my 3rd and 4th year of law school, I realized that I wanted to become a professor and I was also aware that an LLM degree was a must for becoming a professor in a university. Once I finished law school, I tried my hands at becoming a legal advisor and I worked as a legal advisor for quite some, but the job didn’t give me the satisfaction that I wanted. Hence, I jumped into becoming a legal academician because it gives me an opportunity to learn new things from new people every day.

4. An insight into your LLM journey

I did my LLM in constitutional and administrative law from Christ University, Bangalore. I believe that my 5 years of law school were much easier than my 1 year of LLM, mainly because the LLM course is completely research-oriented and the teaching methodology is advanced and quite different from that of the undergraduate law course and you cannot afford to miss a lecture. In your LLM course, you are required to be more conscious of what you are saying because technically you are a lawyer!

5. A few tips to ace law school

I believe that all the law students right from their first year should be very participative and try to volunteer in all the activities happening in the university. The second most important thing to ace law school is to do numerous internships because, at the end of 5 years, when you are sitting in front of a recruiter, your skills and internships will be given more weight than your marks. Internships are also important because they will help you learn life skills like being a team player, being confident and improving your communication skills which are equally important in the real world. It is also important that you participate in as many conferences as possible and also have publications. An important tip from my side would be that try and find your area of interest and your passion while in law school.

Thank You!

Interviewer: Ms. Aanchala K Golecha