Writing doesn’t seem engrossing to some, while some welcome it with full breathing space. A writer is never made in a day; they emerge with exploration of one’s self, by discovering all the skills of observation, presentation and researching. Being a student of law, one has to get mentally prepared for grinding oneself so as to pace up with the developing world. Writing articles or blogs does not only add to your curriculum vitae, but also enlarges one’s knowledge and hones the research skills. A good legal content draws attention of the readers who can then also cite the article in their respective assignments. Writing an article or other content bring the writer as well as the reader plenty of information related to a particular topic. Legal writing or article writing does not only creates an impression on others but also develops self confidence and competitive spirit by increasing one’s command over English, fluency and makes one grammatically sound and develops astounding vocabulary.
Words are the ornament of an erudite lawyer and the success of a lawyer lies in effectively using it. Whether it’s simply writing a draft or a response to an injury, a lawyer needs to be clear, precise and unambiguous which will gradually come if the person has the habit of article writing from their tender age of getting into a law school. A lawyer can only deliver all of the major points of his or her argument, in an eloquent manner if he/she has an excellent skill of writing. If a lawyer can express all of their arguments in a precise and incisive way, it escalates the probability of convincing the judge or the jury in one’s favour. This signifies that having the ability and skill to convincingly express legal arguments, through the constant process of writing, is vital for being a good and successful lawyer. Apart from the preparation of a courtroom speech, legal writing also helps in instituting a strong online presence by writing marvelous content for websites and also by blog writing.
Writing articles, blogs or research papers worthy of publication might seem arduous as well as difficult initially. Some also find it wastage of time, but for a lawyer, writing plays a key role in being a lawyer. Going through the process of writing a proper legal article often makes students wonder about their competence to fulfill the mentioned criteria for a certain journal publication. However, the entire process involves a prior stage which includes deciding the topic and areas of article to be prepared and covered, finding an eye-catchy title, jotting down the legal provisions involved in the topic one chooses, and proper interaction with the faculty members for requisite guidance and knowledge. Presenting the content, with meaningful words that are effective, logically, legally and grammatically sound is a major challenge for a writer of any age, may it be a fresher or a PhD scholar. The process of writing, editing, finding a suitable journal and publishing provides insights to one’s capability and comfort in going through different phases of life and identifying the world from different perspectives. Article writing and publication does not only helps a student digging his or her well of knowledge deeper but also helps in meticulous critical thinking, decision making, conscientious research skills and dispute resolution which is indeed accommodating for the student to become a successful and commanding future lawyer. It not only helps the students of law, but also the faculties, PhD scholars, and other researchers by providing ocean of opportunities for interacting and collaborating which also provides them a platform to showcase their unexplored and undiscovered talent. Not every law student desires to be a practicing lawyer, or prepares for judiciary, some pass out with an aspiration of becoming a part of the governance system by joining the civil services, while some desire to get into academics for guiding others in showing the path of law. One thing that remains constant till the end is one’s creative thinking and ability to present variegated topics in mere words.
Before writing an article or any content, there is one major step which almost everyone leaves behind. Usually, when the topic for the article is decided, one Googles the same and gets related articles to refer and write, but that is when the work gets fouled up. Before starting any research or article, one must frame the research questions, subtopics of the assignment and the areas to be covered in the entire process. Googling or referring to a previously published article limits the parameters for the desired topic leading one to shrunken creativity as well as originality. Getting an article published in a reputed indexed journal involving an independent perusal of quality by persons of repute would not only require quality of presentation but also acquiescence with the format specified by the journal. Publishing articles, on top of achieving a far ranging development, will also enhance the value of the student in a competitive environment by boosting the resume thereby opening up versatile career options.
Author Debashrita Manik, A Law Student From
KIIT School of Law, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
