In Conversation with Samiksha Gupta, Founder of Leagle Samiksha on her Law School Experience
In this conversation with CLATalogue, Samiksha Gupta from Symbiosis Law School talks about her journey from being a law student to being the Founder of Leagle Samiksha.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m Samiksha Gupta. I was born and brought up in Haryana. I completed my undergraduate degree in law from Symbiosis Law School, Pune, and my LL.M from United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).
I founded Leagle Samiksha in June 2020 and have helped more than 400 students in career development since then. I worked as a visiting faculty with SLS Pune for a while before joining Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur as a Legal Researcher to Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dinesh Mehta.
After having spent more than a year in the High Court, I am currently working as an Assistant Lecturer with Jindal Global Law School, where I teach Human Rights, International Humanitarian and International Criminal Law.
What motivated you to pursue law as a career?
As a child, I wanted to join the judicial services. That is how the idea of taking up law found root in my 10-year old brain and only got stronger with time. My family, despite coming from a non-law background, was very supportive of my decision.
I wrote CLAT, SET, LSAT and a couple more exams in 2015, and finally decided to enroll in Symbiosis Law School, Pune.
How were your initial years in law school?
On the academic side, I had always found law subjects to be very interesting, even during my high school years when I was preparing for entrance exams. Thus, I was genuinely curious to learn more and read more.
I never had any trouble navigating my academics. So far as extra-curricular and co- curricular activities go, being a first-generation lawyer has its advantages. You have no clue what law school is going to be like, thus no biases either.
The first two years of my time really went in exploring what the field of law has to offer. I had entered law school with a narrow vision and got exposed to a universe of opportunities. I experimented with different activities to figure out what suits me and interests me the best.
The initial years allowed me the flexibility of making my own decisions – both right and wrong, and learning firsthand. Thus, I chose ADR and Client Counseling competitions over
mooting. I chose seminars and conferences over MUNs. I chose government internships over litigation internships.
Can you tell us a bit about your time at the University for Peace?
My time at University for Peace was monumentally developmental in all spheres of life. I have been interested in human rights and international law. I got to learn from the experts who were creating, implementing, interpreting and changing the course of these fields day in and day out.
I had some of the most stimulating conversations inside and outside the classroom with my peers, many of whom were seasoned professionals themselves. It is invigorating to meet like-minded passionate individuals and invaluable friendships are fostered over common concerns.
As rigorous as the course was, it was equally rewarding. Most importantly, I learnt that the human rights issues in different parts of the world are all interconnected at deeper levels and if lawyers truly collaborate, we can bring about meaningful, tangible change.
The cherry on the cake for me was being adjudged as the winner of the UNICRI LLM Moot Court Competition as part of a team of brilliant classmates.
Leagle Samiksha is a wonderful initiative. Would you like to tell us a bit about it?
Leagle Samiksha has two fundamental tasks – one is to raise awareness regarding human rights; the other is training young lawyers and law students in this field and providing career support.
My co-founders, Abhayjeet Singh Walia and Parvesh Mourya, and I started Leagle Samiksha as a child rights blog at first in June 2020. We now frequently publish analytical and descriptive blogs on a range of international human rights such as child rights, women’s rights, civil and political rights, etc. I am happy to share that most of the articles we publish are authored by law students interested in these fields.
Apart from this, Leagle Samiksha offers the flagship internship program where we also provide career guidance and research training to our interns. We also offer a specialised 70-day program on Career Development, especially for those interested in building a lucrative international career in the field of human rights.
In terms of legal training, we also teach international criminal law through our online courses. We also collaborate with universities and offer workshops on CV writing, legal research, navigating internships, building a career in the field of human rights, etc. Our last such workshop was conducted in association with Al-Azhar Law College, Thodupuzha.
You’re currently working as an Assistant Lecturer at O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU). What prompted your interest in joining academics?
As I mentioned before, I utilised five years of law school in figuring out what I like the most. I interned in multiple government offices and ministries and in tier-1 law firms as well. While everything was a new learning experience, it wasn’t something I saw myself doing for the rest of my life.
Somewhere inside, I always knew that my heart lies in a classroom. I find exchanging information to be very fulfilling. Conversations with young people are energizing. Besides, a profession like teaching mandates one to be updated and academics allow one to constantly evolve as a professional. I had been doing this since I started Leagle Samiksha. So finally, as a natural progression, I took up academics as my full-time job.
Is there any advice that you’d like to pass on to law school aspirants and law students?
It is perfectly alright to be confused, to not know your calling right-away. The beauty and the bane of a law degree is that it provides you with so many career choices that it can sometimes be overwhelming.
Stick to your strengths and stay true to your conscience. It always falls in place. Build a strong network of friends, take care of your health and cherish your journey.
This interview is a part of our series #MyCLATStory where we interview law students and legal professionals.
Click here to submit your #CLATStory
Subscribe for updates
Join 10,000+ subscribers.
RU
Ruchika Mohapatra
Contributing author
Have a doubt about this?Ask Doubts
