The dearth of legal academic texts in Pakistan is often a consequence of the absence of legal research and writing carried out by students and practitioners. This has resulted in a plethora of problems for the legal system of the country.
Primarily, there exists little practice of arguing technical points of law in court. A significant amount of litigation is conducted through arguments based on fundamental rights, often denying existing legislation’s clarification and interpretation through judicial jurisprudence.
Additionally, there exists little practice of resolving social or legal issues through their research and proper documentation to present solutions tailored to the problems particular to Pakistan. Legal research and writing are not emphasised enough which fails to make students of law understand their worth.
These skills are not only deficient in students who often struggle in articulating clear arguments in exams, but also inevitably manifest when they end up pleading cases in court. Judgements in response to these pleadings are also poorly drafted, which is perilous for an entity whose value lies in the words which phrase it.
All this may eventually stall the development of law as an institution and lawyers as professionals.
In furtherance of this discussion, the Pakistan Center of Legal Research and Publication (PCLRP) has organised a seminar to stress on the value of Legal Research and Writing in Pakistan and to share with the audience some experience on essential research and writing skills.
At the end of the seminar, latest issue of the Pakistan Law Review, Volume 9 (2018), and the authors who have contributed articles to it, will be officially presented to the audience.
This is to highlight the fact that the Pakistan Law Review represents a platform where the ideas and concepts shared in the Seminar find visibility.
Schedule of the event
Item | Speaker |
Presentation of PCLRP | PCLRP Team |
Importance of Legal Research and Writing Skills in Legal Education. | Barrister Shabnam Ishaque |
Relevance of Legal Research and Writing skills in the Legal Profession. | Adv. Mujtaba Jamal.
Adv. Hassan Niazi. |
Teaching Legal Research and Writing Skills: a Critical Evaluation of the Pakistani Curriculum. | Prof. Umar Khan |
Improving Legal Writing and Research Skills. | Prof. Seher Bandyal |
Q/A Session with the audience | |
Presentation of Pakistan Law Review, Volume 9, and Authors | PCLRP Team |
Tea |
Deadline for registration: Saturday, 1 December 2018.
For Pakistan College of Law’s students only: Registration with Miss Fatima Khalid Gill.