INTERVIEW OF DR. SAMREEN HUSSAIN – Assistant Professor of Law at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow.

Dr. Samreen Hussain is currently working as Assistant Professor of Law at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow. She has done her B.A.LL.B from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and LL.M from Indian Law Institute, Delhi with first class specializing in Human Rights Law and Criminal Law. She pursued her Ph. D from Dr. RMLNLU on the topic “Women in the triangle of state, law and religion: with reference to succession rights under different personal laws”.

1. Table of Contents

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   Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?

I am an Assistant Professor at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow. In the past 10 years I have taught a lot papers ranging from Criminal Law to Human Rights to Family Law. I have a keen interest in Gender studies and Human Rights Law. I have my papers published in both international and national journals and currently I have my book pending to be published by Universal Books.

2. What was it that intrigued you to take up legal studies?

It is a funny story actually, my father’s older brother was a very prominent lawyer in Allahabad and he had a home office with lots of big books and big almirah and I used to love books from a very young age, so, I used to be very fascinated by those books. Belonging to a middle class family you do not get to see people conversing in English or having a good command over language and what I found more interesting was that my Bade Papa’s house or the school where my mother taught were the only places where this environment was found. Because this environment was so new for me, I thought that either you become a teacher or a lawyer to be this smart. I used to be very eager and I would ask him about what he did and he was so patient and he would let me sit in his office. I would observe him when his clients came, I would sit there and then when he used to ask what I observed, I would tell him that this could happenor this is how it happens. From there, I think I had this instinct that I wanted to do law.

3. Can please tell us about your law school experience?

I chose to study at Aligarh Muslim University and coming from Delhi to a University which is traditional in every aspect, it was a little shocking for me. There I learnt to study because a lot of accord was given to academics. A very good thing about the time I was studying there was that we were introduced to Gender Studies, I had amazing seniors and in our library we had this entire section on Women studies and there I got the opportunity to express my opinion without judgements. I feel obliged to Aligarh Muslim University because whatever I know, whether good or bad, it is all because of this University.

4. Why did you choose to be a teacher over Litigation or Judiciary?

Teaching was never something I had in mind till my 5^th year, I just used to teach my classmates. I always had practice in my mind but my father was very adamant on judiciary or teaching and he asked me to do my Masters. I did my LL.M from Indian Law Institute, Delhi. I owe a lot to that place because for the first time I felt accepted for my views and opinion by the teachers. One of my dearest teacher introduced me to feminist perspective and she helped me grow in every possible way. I used to see the conduct of my professors and how they used to convey, from there I started finding this profession interesting and I had a shift that this profession can really impact a lot of people.

5. Being a law student, what do you think were your biggest mistakes and your biggest learnings?

I realize that I was a little arrogant at that point of my life. I was never into mugging up sections and for me law was all about my interpretation. I had classmates who would memorise various sections and I was never into it, I blame myself and I do realize that reading sections is equally important. I was young and I could have been moulded and I feel that students as young as 18 or 20 years of age can be moulded. From Aligarh Muslim University to Indian Law Institute, I realized that learning traditional subjects is as important as improving your interpretational skills. We should focus on theory and implication both and that is why we need to find a balance between the two.

6. Having your share of experience at different institutions, do you think being a NLU student gives one an edge over students from other Universities or colleges? 

Yes, definitely without an iota of doubt, the exposure, infrastructure and the culture is amazing for the current lot of students. They are immensely lucky and have an opportunity to do much better for the legal fraternity.

7. What do you think do you think are the shortcomings of Law schools in our country? 

I feel that teachers should be allowed to practice in Courts because when you practice, you can teach better by giving students practical knowledge. At my time, we used to lack practical knowledge but I feel happy that my students are always into internships and other activities so they do get some experience. But yet again, I feel we need to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge because papers like Criminal Law and Family Law are not theoretical papers, they need practical experience.We really need to update our curriculum and pedagogy, we require more quantitative research and we do need to look into the subjects we are studying. We need to add more subjects taking into consideration the developing world. What comes to my mind is emphasis on feminist jurisprudence for achieving an equal and egalitarian society. I have been part of lots of premiere Law schools but I vehemently felt their lack of understanding with respect to gender.

8. Being a research enthusiast yourself, what are the key points that a law student should keep in mind while writing a research paper?

Originality and unbiased attitude should be the two most important aspects which a law student should abide by. We require multidisciplinary reservations like law interacting with ethics, morality, psychology etc. We need to focus on quantitative studies and learning more about the research tools. The ultimate goal of every studentshould be that how their research will the help society in large.

9. Coming to the end, any parting words for our readers?

For everyone who will be reading this, the pandemic period has hit everyone in the worst possible manner but it is important to remember that you have not lost a year but you have gained empathy, resilience and sympathy. So, keep your head high and face the music, it will stop for sure.