Kingston Law Conclave 2024

On 21st June 2024, Kingston Law College attained the honour of holding The Kingston Law Conclave 2024 at the Barasat Campus, which essentially aimed at bridging the gap between legal education and professional practice by equipping students with the practical skills necessary to become effective advocates. This year’s conclave necessarily focused on three pivotal themes: Litigation Skills and Courtroom Advocacy, Corporate Law and Commercial Practice, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Mediation. Each theme included discussions on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming and disrupting these areas and endeavoured to prepare the students to navigate and leverage technological advancements in their future careers.

The conclave mainly focused on the following areas:

1. Litigation Skills and Courtroom Advocacy – The concerned session was led by experienced litigators, judges and trial lawyers such as Advocate Achin Jana, Advocate Sarmishtha Ganguly, Advocate Debasish Sarkar, Advocate Subhajit Bal and Advocate Suman Srivastava, who had shared their experiences and wisdom related to the mastering of trial advocacy, courtroom procedures, and effective oral arguments. At the end of the session, a panel discussion was conducted on “The Art of Trial Advocacy: Insights from seasoned litigators on building a compelling case and presenting it effectively in Court.” The session also highlighted how Al tools are used for legal research, predictions relating to case outcomes, and assistance in strategy formulation.
2. Corporate Law and Commercial Practice – The concerned session was led by eminent corporate lawyers, in-house counsel, and business leaders such as Dr Udhav Sambhaji Waghmare, Mr Rajarshi Maity, Mr Rakesh Samantaray who had shared their experiences and wisdom related to the corporate law practice, including contract negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, and compliance. At the end of the session, a panel discussion was conducted on “Contract Drafting and Negotiation: Best practices and common pitfalls in contract law.” The session also highlighted the impact of Al on contract analysis, due diligence processes, and regulatory compliance and how Al can be integrated for efficient document review and risk assessment in corporate transactions.
3. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Mediation – The concerned session was led by eminent mediators, arbitrators, and ADR specialists such as Advocate Prodyut Banerjee, Adv. Debasish Sarkar and Retired District Judge of Murshidabad, Mr. Indranil Adhikary who were kind enough to share their experiences and wisdom related to the training in mediation, arbitration, and other forms of ADR. At the end of the session, a panel discussion was conducted on mediation techniques, arbitration process and drafting of arbitration agreements. The session also highlighted exploring how Al is used in mediation and arbitration for case management, predicting outcomes, and enhancing dispute resolution processes.

The objective of the conclave was to equip law students with the essential skills and knowledge required for successful legal practice by primarily focusing on practical advocacy, corporate law, ADR, and the transformative impact of Al within these areas. The conclave aimed to prepare the students for a practice-ready career in advocacy in an increasingly digital and dynamic legal landscape.