Connecting law to the fourth estate!

Law and journalism are two fields which demand up-to-date knowledge in this proliferating world. Neither of them is stagnant and obsolete. As a first year law student,I used to think that legal profession only meant to argue in courts. It was later that it dawned upon me that legal field has no periphery. It is as vast as any field could possibly be.Legal Journalism is one of the possibility. Legal Journalism is worth a try for those media freaks who breathe law and never give news a miss. It does not only include court room reportings.

It is a vast arena where legal issues are talked about, reported criticized and appraised. With the increase in the audience of television channels and in the readership of newspapers and magazines, people have found it extremely dificult to keep themselves away from the fourth estate, the media. People have become media hungry and to feed them is the job of a journalist.

There are reasons to which a law student with a media craving is the apt person to be a legal journalist. When students enroll themselves in a law college, they are taught how to write extensively and are tried to be made proficient in the legal skills. legal research and knowledge. Such a person when turns himself to legal journalism will know the exact way of potraying the news to the people. Legal field is technical and it is the job of a legal journalist to point out the important points and simplify them to put it out in front of the public. Plus its full of fun and excitement. You never know what is going to happen the very next day.I don't think any legal job will provide such a ride of adventure.

If you think you are good at legal research, best in legal writing and the greatest in covering and reporting stories, this is the job to look out for.Yes, pay scales for now would not be as high as litigating lawyer or a firm lawyer but eventually, I don't think that this comparison will even be considered. For a smooth transition from a law school to the field of journalism, social networking is very important. It is the very platform where information spreads like wildfire. Read anything and everything from Gandhi to Gaiman. It makes the vocabulary fathom into you. Volunteer as reporters in legal websites. It will give a practical view of how this field works. Legal Journalism in India is in a nascent stage but with the increasing exposure, it might just turn out to be one of the mainstream professions later. Who knows, one might just land up as an Editor in some leading legal publishing house.( Actually right now, thats too much to ask for).