School of Excellence in Law, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University BA+LLB Review By Vikashini

The School of Excellence in Law [SOEL] is a public state university affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University. It is situated in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This university has been established in the year 2002 by the government of Tamil Nadu through the state legislature. It has been recognized under the Bar Council of India (BCI) and the University Grants Commission (UGC). The main reason for me to join the college was its strong reputation and excellent courses that they offer. SOEL does not only provide legal education but also a platform to many learning opportunities such as moots courts, MUNs, workshops and seminars. The institution focuses on practical learning and provides internships at the Madras High Court Judicature.

This institution provides three-year (LLB) and five-year undergraduate courses such as BA LLB (Hons.), B.com LLB (Hons.), BBA LLB (Hons.) and BCA LLB (Hons.) as well as postgraduate studies (LLM). It also offers Master of Law degrees in eight specializations by supporting doctoral programs and by conducting research across various areas of Law. The admission criteria are purely based on the Merit. Students who had completed their 12th board exams can apply for the 5-year courses offered by the university, where as the students who have completed their graduation shall apply for the 3-year course program. Students who are yet to pursue their masters can enroll for the LLM course.

The faculties of SOEL are friendly and easily approachable, which in return creates a good student-faculty community. The standard of teaching of the staff is not to be considered the best. Some faculty members try to do their best while others don’t. The real issue is that the faculty member’s strength is too low when compared to the student’s strength. They are making efforts in recruiting more staffs as per the need, in order to maintain a good faculty community. Before the staff starts the syllabus or topics, they always make sure to give an outline about the subject which is a highly appreciated practice. The faculty members also helps us in various competitions like moot courts, MUNs, research articles, paper presentations, crime scene investigation competitions, etc.

This university has a separate cell for providing placements to the students in various esteemed corporate companies. They are highly paid and a few also work in abroad companies as Legal Advisors, Legal Consultants, Company Secretaries, etc. The students pursuing their final year, in their 9th and 10th semesters are eligible for placements. The number of companies that intent to recruit students from SOEL is extremely high, there is a great scope for it. When selected, the average salary package lies between 1.5- 3.5 lakhs per month. But each company provides different salary packages.

The hostel life at SOEL is quite enjoyable but with a few challenges. The hostel facility is given only to the girls inside the campus. For the boys, the hostel is situated in Greenways road which is at a distance from the university but can be commuted by the train facility. The hostels provided by the college are not up to the standard. Overall, I would say the hostel facility is decent.

The infrastructure of this university is comparatively small when compared to the other huge NLUs. But the infrastructure is decent. There is an Administrative block separately constructed to supervise the administrative works. The infrastructure includes a library building, UG block, UG additional block, sports gallery, PG block, a canteen and amenities block having a legal aid clinic, Indian bank and post office.

The campus life at SOEL is so enjoyable. Students tend to gain exposure in both academics and practical learning. There are various committees like the Moot Court Association, National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), SOEL MUN Society, SOEL Legal Aid Clinic, Excellence E-journal Committee, Excellence Cultural Association (ECA) and various platforms that help in connecting with many students and developing ones network.