St. Joseph’s College of Law, Bengaluru

Name

Anonymous

Full name of your college

St. Joseph’s College of Law, Bengaluru, Karnataka

Full address of the college

Field Marshal Cariappa Road, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560025

Tell us about the infrastructure of your law college

As older Josephite alumni are wont to tell you, the campus that currently houses St. Joseph’s College of Law on Residency Road was once where now-St. Joseph’s University hung its hat prior to being deemed a University and its shift to Langford Road. Now, the campus is made up of two buildings, the Admin Block and the New Block.

The Admin Block, as can be inferred from its name, comprises the college office, the Director’s office, the Principal’s office, and the Vice-Principal’s Office. Additionally, it also holds the college library, the 3-year LL.B. classrooms, the 2-year LL.M. classrooms, a staff room, and other unoccupied classrooms.

Across from it, the ground and first floor of the New Block are taken up by the multi-purpose hall that hosts all college events and basketball matches. From the second floor upwards, it is taken up by classrooms for the 5-year integrated courses, staff rooms, a Moot Court Hall, and a Conference Hall.

The washrooms on each floor are alternated by gender, which does make it a challenge to answer nature’s call in time to return to class if one is unlucky enough. The New Block has two lifts and two sets of stairs to move between floors, whereas the Admin Block has not been fitted with a lift and has only one set of stairs that reaches the top floor.

The classrooms of the New Block are bright and airy, with an entire wall dedicated to large windows with horizontal grills. They are also equipped with a whiteboard, a pull-down screen, a projector, and a speaker system.

The seating is arranged into four groups, with three students to a desk bench, and can accommodate up to 60 students. The classrooms are also provided with some storage by way of wall cupboards and electrical outlets for student needs along the walls.

On the other hand, the classrooms in the Old Block follow the older architecture of the building, have multiple smaller windows, and are a bit darker. The seating is made up of single-seater combination chair-tables, but they are equipped with the same projector facilities as the New Block. All classrooms are also fitted with a sprinkler system in case of a fire.

Students are permitted to bring and park their two-wheelers in the basements under the New Block. The college library is well supplied, stocking AIR reports, Privy Council Reports, Federal Court Reports, and Supreme Court, High Court, and Criminal Law Journals. Students can access various leading publications, national journals, and newspapers.

They are also able to refer to a wide variety of Bare Acts, course textbooks, commentaries, and books for general reading. Texts for law and non-law courses are present, and as long as they are not strictly reference books, they may be issued for a week.

The students may make use of the library copying and printing resources too, for a fee. The library also contains computers through which anyone can access college-bound resources such as SCC Online or HeinOnline.

The college does not, however, have its own canteen for students and instead shares it with the Pre-University College next door. In the years that I have been in this college, I have witnessed the additions and changes made, and I can honestly say that they were for the better.

Though it is a campus that could benefit from having a little bit more open space, it has made the most of the available space and facilities, and I would rate it at 4/5.

Rating: 4/5

How are the academic culture and faculty in your college?

St. Joseph’s College of Law currently has over 30 regular teaching faculty members, in addition to various guest faculty. The faculty are made up of both non-law and law faculty and have a Master’s degree at a minimum in their respective disciplines.

Many of them are also in the process of pursuing PhDs. Most faculty members are very supportive of students whom they see going the extra mile during their degree and are open to mentoring them. However, it is left up to the students to utilise this opportunity. Students are frequently encouraged to make use of the college facilities.

The college follows the Karnataka State Law University rule on attendance, and any student unable to maintain an overall 70% attendance by the end of the semester will not be permitted to write their semester exams, and this rule is strictly implemented. There is a minute degree of leeway that may be granted in cases of serious illness, but it is not a given.

The college timings are from 8:00 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. from Monday to Friday, with senior years finishing their classes by 12:00 p.m. There are five class periods in the day, and each class is 50 minutes long, with a 10-minute break in between.

There are two longer breaks built into the schedule after every two periods—20 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon. All the subjects of each course are dealt with daily for one period each.

Depending on the discretion of the subject teacher, students may be granted up to a 10-minute grace period to arrive for the first period, after which they will be denied entry.

Rating: 4/5

How’s the peer quality in your college? Rate it on a scale of 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.

The students of St. Joseph’s College of Law cannot be said to fall into one category of individuals. Each class is made up of students from different regions, social strata, and family backgrounds.

It is an interesting opportunity to learn from and view life from the perspectives of different people, which can be both informative and frustrating, sometimes at the same time.

However, most students are helpful and ready to give advice to anyone who asks them for it (or those who decidedly did not ask). I would rate the peer quality to be 4/5, with perhaps some scope for improvement in regard to being more open-minded.

Rating: 4/5

Tell us about the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities

St. Joseph’s College of Law divides its committees into Law Committees and Non-Law Committees. There are currently around 20 committees and societies in total, headed by various faculty and student coordinators. These committees host activities, film screenings, inter-class competitions, and even inter-college events.

Some committees operate on a larger scale, such as the Moot Court Society, Research Cell, AICUF, Sports Committee, ADR Committee, and the Cultural Committee, as compared to smaller ones like the Film and Documentary Club.

There are certain staples of SJCL academic years, such as Ethnic Day (Malang), the Cultural Event (Manthana), the Annual Play, the inter-class Sports Tournament (Kairos), and Constitution Week. These events are eagerly awaited as breaks from the grind and foster class spirit and healthy competition.

The participation of students not only in the events themselves but also in the audience is part of the college experience. I would rate these activities as 5/5, due to the sheer number of events and workshops taking place at any given time, allowing for everyone to find something that fits their niche.

Even after taking part in multiple events, it does not have to distract from your studies, because the committees make sure to avoid scheduling conflicts.

How are the placements in your college?

As a college affiliated with the Karnataka State Law University, St. Joseph’s College of Law heavily encourages students to seek out at least a month-long internship every academic year during the semester breaks, and it is mandatory for students to complete one of these internships with a non-profit organisation. The college does have an Internship Cell, which sends occasional notices of internship offers as well as approves the internships that students choose to pursue.

Students are, however, discouraged from taking up full-time internships during the semesters, which has become an issue with the shortened semesters and disorganised exam schedules.

If students do choose to intern outside of the semester breaks, they have to make sure not to let their attendance drop below the mandated 70%, as no exemptions will be made for an attendance shortage due to internships.

It is very common for students to pursue part-time internships after classes, for which the college timings are a definite bonus over other colleges that tend to end later in the day.

Most graduates from the college choose to become advocates right away and work on passing the Bar Exam. Those who do not usually end up in corporate law, while a minority of students choose to pursue higher academics or additional degrees.

As a newer college with lesser renown than, say, an NLU or Symbiosis, placement opportunities are currently not the most extensive, and most final-year students are not guaranteed placements by the college. However, efforts are being made to improve career prospects for students, and so, in its current form.

Rating: 3.5/5

How are the hostels in your college?

To the best of my knowledge, St. Joseph’s College of Law does not have its own hostels for students. However, due to its central location in the city, there are many options for hostels and PGs for students within walking distance from the college.

By the second or third year, many out-of-state students move into shared apartments with their classmates in nearby areas.

Rating: 4/5

What are the best things you like about your college?

The faculty is made up of academics who are all very knowledgeable in their chosen fields, and one can always be assured that there will be a teacher available to help and advise them.

There is also always some event taking place, small or large, and at least some are bound to fit into your niche. The college is centrally located, making it easy to travel to and from the campus, whether by public or private transport. Most people are friendly and willing to help out in any situation if asked.

In your opinion, what are bad things about your college?

I would say that there are definite issues with the college, as is normal for every institution. Most of the weak points, in my view, stem from it being recently established and bound by the rules of an external body.

There are some faculty members who seem better suited to research fields than to handling classes, and the college does operate on a mildly chaotic foundation.

Anything else you want to share?

I believe that, where St. Joseph’s College of Law can sometimes fall short in its infrastructure or in its lack of repute, it shines in the efforts being made to evolve and make the most of all its available resources.

I do believe that it is likely to become a well-respected law college in due time, and even now, it is capable of holding its own in many ways.

How would you rate your college overall on a scale of 10?

8/10

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