Judicial Academy organized Seminar on “Role and Responsibilities of Advocates as officers of Court in Civil and Criminal Trials at Jammu

JAMMU : J&K Judicial Academy under the patronage of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, (Patron-in-Chief, J&K Judicial Academy) and guidance of Justice Sindhu Sharma, Chairperson, Governing Committee for J&K Judicial Academy and Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul, Justice Javed Iqbal Wani, Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal Members of Governing Committee for J&K Judicial Academy, organized One Day Seminar for Young Advocates on “Role and Responsibilities of Advocates as officers of Court in Civil and Criminal Trials with special emphasis on Advocates Act” at Judicial Academy, Jammu.

The training programme was inaugurated by Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Judge, High Court of J&K and Ladakh in the presence of Vikram Sharma, Sr. Advocate, High Court of J&K and Ladakh. Kikar Singh Parihar, Former District & Session Judge was the resource person in the programme.

Justice Sanjeev Kumar, in his inaugural address, emphasized the important role of Lawyers and described the lawyer’s profession as tough and challenging. He added that everybody is the student of the law and nobody can claim as the master of law. He described a lawyer should be litigant friendly and work as the agent of clients. He deliberated that the duty of a lawyer towards the court is to present the facts in a fair and dignified way. He also specified that the lawyers should be able to draw a line between aggression and assertion in order to succeed in life.

Justice Sanjeev Kumar remarked that a lawyer must work with perseverance and dedication, which is the key to success in this profession and must learn the art to recognize their weaknesses and convert them into strengths. If a lawyer imbibes the ethics of professional standard, then sky is the limit. He also deprecated the tendency of going on strikes and advised to look for solution by engaging with the stakeholders.

In the inaugural session, Vikram Sharma , in his keynote address said that the legal profession has been placed at the highest pedestal due to its nobility carrying attributes of fairness, honesty, etiquettes, mannerism supplemented by correct aptitude within its ambit. A lawyer being a responsible citizen is under an obligation to set highest standards of professional conduct in his private and public life. He stated that Lawyers must know how to be assertive in the court and not to be aggressive.

Director J&K Judicial Academy Shahzad Azeem presented the welcome address and gave an overview of the programme. He stated that the legal profession is a noble calling to serve and ensure composite justice to various sectors of the society and adherence to norms of professional ethics and performance of duties with sincerity is imperative.

Advocate General, D.C. Raina in the first technical session addressed the young Advocates on the concept of ethics which is integral to the Lawyers profession. He described the duties of advocates in detail while dealing with matters of court. He advised young advocates to follow the procedural codes in letter and spirit and adopt a sensible approach as the officers of the court.

Former District & Session Judge, Kikar Singh Parihar who was the resource person in the technical sessions delved into the concepts of role and responsibilities of Advocates as Officers of Court and stressed upon the vital role of an Advocate in the entire case management. He stressed that the communication & behavioural Skills of the Advocate would be the guiding factor during the entire trial. He stressed upon the duties of advocates towards self development for better service to the clients and society. He advised the participants to inculcate the standards of professional ethics. He also underlined the conduct of Advocates under the Advocates Act, 1961and the rules governing the Advocates under Part VI & VII of Bar Council of India Rules.

Later, an interactive session was held during which the participants deliberated and discussed the various aspects of the subject topic and raised queries which were satisfactorily settled by the resource persons.