Career in Legal Academia: Interview of Ms.Preety Anand (Asst. Professor, CNLU Patna)

1) Ma'am, please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello everyone. Thank you for the opportunity.

My name is Preety Anand. I am from Patna, Bihar. Currently, I am working as an Assistant Professor of Law at Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna which happens to be my alma mater. Prior to this, I worked at Ramaiah College of Law, Bengaluru for a year in the same capacity. I have earned my BA-LLB (Hons) from CNLU in 2017 and LLM with a specialisation in Criminal Law from Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, IIT Kharagpur in 2019.

2) Please tell us about your law school experience and what are certain things which one learn during law school which helps him/her in their professional career?

Well, it took me quite some time to adjust in the setup of the school. However, once I did, it was a smooth journey for 5 years. To be honest, I didn’t really know back then what exactly would help me prosper in my career. Unlike me, my parents believed that good scores pave the way for a bright career.  At the end of the course, I realised how important grades were, apart from the knowledge of the subject especially, for pursuing higher education from a good law school in India. 

My experience at IIT Kharagpur law school was a wonderful one. It helped me develop multiple perspectives. For example, my association with AMBAR, the gender and sexual diversity resource group of IIT KGP as an ally member, helped me develop a sense of inclusivity.  This really is helpful for me now when I have to deal with diversity amongst my students. 

By this, I wish to convey that we don't really have to look out for opportunities  rigorously for our personal development  which in turn  shapes our professional skills. 

3) After completing your graduation in 2017, what was the reason behind you opting for higher studies? 

I didn’t have a plan. Yes, you read it right. Recently, I have been often asked how I planned things so well that I never really had to stop. Let me take this opportunity to tell them all that till date I have had my share of failures too; I had to step back and rethink my career choices at many junctions. But gradually things started to fall into place. 

To answer the question, I decided to go for post-graduation primarily because I didn’t have a job or a solid plan B and hence, applied for LLM in several colleges including IIT Kharagpur.

4) Why you chose Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Intellectual Property Law, IIT Kharagpur for pursuing your LLM? 

There was no one to guide me taking my choices and preferences into consideration. However, I was strongly inclined to go for a two-year PG programme on the basis of my judgement drawn from the experiences shared by people on the internet. In addition to that, I took it as an opportunity to study something that interests me - Criminology and Female Criminality. These criterias didn’t really leave a lot of options then. However, IIT Kharagpur has certainly been one of the best decisions I have made so far.

5) How did you made it to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Intellectual Property Law in 2017, the very same year you graduated? 

A separate online entrance exam is conducted every year by IIT Kharagpur at national level for admission to its law school. Back then, there was an eligibility criteria of minimum 65% marks in graduation and that bothered me for some time. Later, I received a consolidated mark sheet from CNLU and realised I had “just qualified”. I took the exam and successfully bagged a seat. I was an average student who worked hard and never took a short-cut. But there I was wondering what would happen if the last semester’s result would make my total percentage any less than 65 per cent! Well, destiny has some role to play too!

6) You have qualified for NET, please tell our viewers the details regarding NET, how to make it through NET and the prospects after clearing NET?

I qualified UGC NET in 2018, even before I completed LLM. During the college winter break in December 2018, I planned and designed a meticulous schedule to study for the competitive exam which was just 15 days away!

Back then I had not been reading all the areas of law considering my specialisation was in criminal law, so in my opinion I wasn’t really prepared. Fortunately, I could get through with a pretty good score. I would say that such  exams call for smart study and not something demanding months of efforts.

7) What are the things which a law student should do in college, if he/she aims to enter into academics and lectureship? Please share your experience regarding your academic performance along with other co-curricular activities and internships which you did during your law school and how it helped in achieving such a remarkable feat.

I developed interest in this area only during my post-graduation under the guidance of my supervisor. All the research assignments and teaching assistance programmes helped me discover my ability to take up teaching as a career option.

Although I learned a lot during my internships but none of those experiences helped me in achieving this position. It was all because I did not have a certain career plan. So, I would definitely mention that if you really are certain with what exactly you want to pursue, do not wander.

To all of those who wish to make a career in this field, I would recommend you to advance skills related to public speaking, legal research, and legal writing by all the means available. Most importantly, one must develop academic integrity since the very moment one enters a law school or precisely, right when one decides to work in academics.

8) Thank you so much Ma'am for talking with us, please end it with an adage which will motivate our viewers in the legal arena.

"Build expectations from yourself and strive to fulfil those more than fulfilling anyone else’s."

Thank you