Name of the Legal Stalwart: Adv. Shri Bansidhar Prasad
Designation: Advocate at District Court Motihari (Bihar)
Interviewed by: Shreya Shreeja, a 3rd Year student at NMIMS School of Law, Bangalore.
About: Adv. Shri Bansidhar Prasad has been enrolled in the District Court at Motihari Bihar, and has been in the legal profession since the past 54 years. His main area of practice is criminal matters, and he has been felicitated on multiple occasions for his invaluable contributions in the field of law.
Q1. Please tell us your journey of being an advocate.
Ans: I started pursuing my LL.B. degree in 1966, and passed out in 1969 from Munshi Singh College in Motihari itself.
Q2. Are you a first-generation lawyer?
Ans: Yes, I became the first lawyer in my family.
Q3. Litigation is a full-time profession, so how do you balance both personal and professional life?
Ans: So back in the day, when I freshly became a lawyer, I used to rush to the court to deal with the cases assigned to me, and then I would run back home in the afternoon to make lunch for me and my wife, who was then pregnant with my son, and once I was done with the lunch, I would immediately return to the court to get done with the pending matters.
It is definitely challenging to establish yourself in the starting years but gets easier once you get the hang of it. Anyways, litigation requires you to be on your toes the whole time, after all it’s the survival of the fittest in this profession.
Q4. How do you think that Law School education has changed/evolved over the years?
Ans: Back in the day, when I commenced my study of law, people mostly used to pursue the 3-year LL.B. course. However, now I have seen a rise in the number of people going for the 5-year B.A. LL.B. course, which in a way is better as it also provides the student with an undergraduate degree along with that of law. Also, the legal field was a lot less competitive back in my day. There was no “craze” about getting admitted into the NLUs like it is today. My own granddaughter is also currently pursuing a B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) from a reputed college.
Also, I have seen the rise of technology in the legal field. Even CJI Chandrachud encouraged the use of technology in the courtrooms to reduce paperwork. However, I still believe that the knowledge which you could get from the books is irreplaceable.
Q5. The underlying principles and values that you preach and apply to excel in professional life?
Ans: I believe that one must always give their best, no matter what the outcome turns out to be. If you don’t believe in your own strengths and capabilities, nobody else will.
Q6. What excites you about the law?
Ans: I consider law to be an excellent field. You are not only giving to society as a social engineer, but it is also very fulfilling. On multiple occasions, my son has been asked, “How is it like being the son of an advocate?” during his job interviews. This shows how respectable this field is. Even after so many years, my day still feels incomplete if I don’t go to court.
Q7. What will be your parting advice for law students and the younger generation of lawyers?
Ans: First and foremost, I would urge them to read a lot. Reading cannot be replaced, and in a profession like law, where you need to stay updated with the news all the time, reading can take you a long way.
I honestly believe that Indian Courts are a paradise for lawyers, so the more experience they can gain by running to different courts, the better they will be able to cope with this fast-paced legal world. Also, it is essential for the law students and even lawyers to have certain statutes like CrPC and CPC on their fingertips, as they are procedural laws and would be required at every stage during the whole trial or suit.
I would like to part by saying that it is of utmost importance to be disciplined and consistent when it comes to education, but one should not compromise their health over anything, because you won’t be able to give your best if you are not in your best health.
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