Lawyers must reorientate their identity as facilitators of justice: Ex-CJI

Former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has said lawyers should reorientate their identity as "facilitators of justice before everything", and also stressed that ethics should be prioritised.

There is no shortcut for success, and the students of law should be lifelong learners and independent thinkers, he said addressing law students here on Saturday during the Vishnupant Advant lecture series on the topic 'The Present and Future of Law Business: Opportunities and Challenges'.

The former CJI asked students to keep upgrading themselves.

"There is a need for lawyers to reorientate their identity as facilitators of justice before everything. The students should be lifelong learners. Guidance should be taken but the thinking should remain independent," he said.

"The ethics should be at the topmost and there should be sympathy for the deprived in our minds. If the new generation takes efforts to learn and deliver honest service, there are huge opportunities in the field of law," Justice Chandrachud said.

He also underlined the need of more women to join the field of law.

"Women are joining the sectors of superspeciality and technical branches today. This change should also take place in the field of law," he said.

"There are students who have come from small cities, rural areas and are successful and the contribution of the law colleges is important in this," Justice Chandrachud said.

The students should get advanced facilities like libraries, database. At the same time, seniors should think of supporting the new lawyers financially in their initial days, he added.