Every July, a new batch walks through our gates nervous, wide-eyed, clutching admission letters, unsure of where the law block even is. And every year, without fail, I’m reminded why I love teaching law. Because what happens to these students over the next few years isn’t just academic growth. It’s a complete transformation, and as faculty, we have a front-row seat to it. Here’s what I’ve observed, year after year, watching students move from fresher to final year at Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth.

First Year: The Deer-in-Headlights Phase

I can always spot the first-years in the corridor. They sit in the front rows, they’re terrified of being cold-called, and they write down literally everything I say.

This is the year where my job is less about teaching black-letter law and more about easing students into a completely new way of thinking. I watch them:

• Struggle with legal language and case citations for the first few months
• Ask questions after class because they’re too shy to ask during it
• Slowly realise that law school rewards curiosity, not just memorisation
• Form the friend groups and study circles that will carry them through the next several years

Honestly, first-year students remind me why foundational teaching matters so much. Whatever confidence they build later starts with how safe they feel making mistakes now.

Second Year: The Spark Appears

By second year, something shifts in the classroom. Hands go up faster, Arguments get sharper, and students start disagreeing with each other and with me during class discussions, which honestly is exactly what I want to see.

As faculty, this is when we start noticing:

• Which students light up during moot court prep versus classroom lectures
• Genuine engagement with subjects like constitutional law or criminal procedure, beyond just exam requirements
• The first signs of specialisation interest: some gravitate toward litigation, others toward corporate or IP law
• A noticeable jump in how they carry themselves during presentations

This is also often when self-doubt creeps in for students, and it’s a year where mentorship matters as much as instruction. A lot of my conversations with second-years happen outside class: in the corridor, over doubts about internships, or before their first moot court round.

Third Year: Watching Them Think Like Lawyers

There’s a specific moment every faculty member waits for when a student stops reciting the law and starts reasoning through it. Third year is usually when that shift happens.

I notice students:

• Bringing real internship experiences into classroom discussions
• Taking ownership of moot court research instead of waiting for spoon-fed guidance
• Starting to mentor juniors themselves, often without recognising they’ve become the “approachable senior”
• Developing their own voice during client counselling or debate competitions

As a teacher, this is genuinely one of the most satisfying years. You start having conversations with students almost as colleagues-in-training rather than as instructor and student.

Fourth Year: Preparing Them for the Real World

By fourth year, my role shifts again: less lecturing, more guiding. Students are drafting real legal documents, handling serious internships, and starting to think seriously about their career direction.

This is the year I spend more time:

• Reviewing dissertation topics and research directions with students
• Connecting them with alumni and practising professionals for internships
• Watching them take on leadership roles in moot court societies and legal committees
• Having honest conversations about litigation versus corporate law versus judiciary preparation

There’s a quiet pride in watching a student who once hesitated to speak in class now confidently arguing a moot court round or leading a legal aid camp.

Final Year: Letting Go

Final year is bittersweet for faculty too. The students I once had to encourage to speak up are now the ones training juniors, leading societies, and walking into placement interviews with genuine confidence.

In their last year, I typically see:

• Polished, independent research in their dissertations
• Confident, well-argued moot court performances
• A clear sense of direction whether it’s litigation, corporate law, further studies, or judiciary exams
• A kind of quiet maturity that wasn’t there in year one

Convocation day is always strange for faculty. You’re proud, but there’s also a sense of loss these students who once needed constant guidance now don’t need us in the same way anymore. And that, honestly, is the entire point of the job.

What Faculty Really Watch For?

Having taught multiple batches at Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth, the thing that strikes me most isn’t grades or rankings. It’s the transformation in how students:

1. Think: from memorising case law to genuinely analysing legal problems
2. Communicate: from hesitant class participation to confident courtroom advocacy
3. Handle pressure: deadlines, moots, and internships build resilience that no textbook can teach
4. Support each other: the informal mentorship between seniors and juniors often teaches more than any classroom

To every fresher walking in nervous this year: know that your professors see this transformation coming, even if you can’t imagine it yet. That’s exactly why we do this work.

Also Read

How to Become a Corporate Lawyer
How to Become a Criminal Lawyer
How to Become a Civil Lawyer
How to Become an Environmental Lawyer

From
Ms. Mohini Taneja
Assistant Professor
School of Law
Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth