Recent Visitors 2

GLS University Hosts Special Interaction with Sudhir Nanavati

GLS University Opens New Academic Year with Conversation on Law, Ethics and Public Life With Sudhir Nanavati

The beginning of the academic year at GLS University took an unusual form for students entering its law programmes this week. Instead of a traditional orientation lecture focused on rules, schedules and examinations, the university organised a special edition of its “Decoded @ GLS” series featuring a conversation with senior lawyer and education leader Shri Sudhir Nanavati.

Students from the Integrated Law, Three-Year LL.B. and LL.M. programmes attended the session held at the Ahmedabad campus on Saturday as part of their introduction to legal education and university life.

GLS University Hosts Special Interaction With Sudhir Nanavati

Shri Sudhir Nanavati serves as President of GLS University, Vice President of Gujarat Law Society and is a Senior Advocate who has practised before the Gujarat High Court and the Supreme Court of India. He was joined in conversation by Dr Chandni Kapadia, Executive Director of GLS University.

The discussion moved through several stages of Shri Nanavati’s personal and professional journey, covering family influences, legal practice, public responsibility and the changing role of lawyers in society.

Legal education in India has expanded rapidly during the past two decades as growing economic activity, technological change and new areas of regulation have created demand for trained professionals in fields ranging from corporate law and intellectual property to arbitration and cyber law. Institutions have increasingly moved beyond classroom teaching and begun exposing students to practitioners and judges at an early stage in their studies.

The interaction at GLS University reflected this wider shift in legal education.

During the conversation, Shri Nanavati spoke about the values that shaped his early years before he entered professional life. He referred to discipline, honesty and public service as principles that guided important decisions throughout his career.

The discussion later moved to courtroom practice and the realities of the legal profession. Students heard about the responsibilities that come with representing clients and advising institutions where decisions may affect businesses, families and public bodies.

The legal profession in India occupies a central position in the country’s democratic structure. Advocates regularly appear in cases involving constitutional rights, commercial disputes, criminal justice and public administration. Senior lawyers often balance legal arguments with wider questions involving ethics, governance and public interest.

These themes formed an important part of the session.

Rather than focusing only on legal procedure or litigation strategy, Shri Nanavati spoke about judgement, responsibility and professional conduct. Students were introduced to the idea that legal work often involves difficult choices that extend beyond written laws and court orders.

The discussion also moved into less formal areas. Cricket, Gujarati culture and food became part of the exchange, creating a more relaxed atmosphere inside the hall and encouraging participation from students who had only recently joined the university.

Questions from the audience gradually turned the programme into an open discussion rather than a one-way address. Students asked about careers in law, personal motivation and the experiences that shaped leadership decisions over the years.

Several responses included memories and experiences from different stages of Shri Nanavati’s professional life, offering students an understanding of the years of preparation that often remain unseen behind senior positions in law and education.

GLS University itself has a long association with legal education in Gujarat through the Gujarat Law Society, one of the state’s oldest educational organisations. Founded in 1927, Gujarat Law Society has played a significant role in establishing institutions across law, commerce, management and professional education in Ahmedabad.

The city has developed into one of western India’s important education centres, attracting students from different parts of Gujarat and neighbouring states. Law programmes have seen steady growth as graduates increasingly seek opportunities in litigation, corporate advisory work, public policy, judicial services and alternative dispute resolution.

As the session approached its conclusion, the conversation turned towards larger questions about professional success and personal fulfilment. Shri Nanavati discussed the importance of continued learning and ethical conduct throughout a career rather than viewing education as something limited to university years.

For many students attending their first day as future lawyers, the programme offered an introduction to the values that accompany legal knowledge.

The event closed without the usual focus on rankings, placements or achievements that often dominate academic ceremonies. Instead, attention remained on the responsibilities attached to the legal profession and the expectations placed upon those who choose to enter it.

For the new batch at GLS University, the first lesson of the academic year centred on a simple idea: studying law involves understanding people and institutions as much as understanding statutes and court decisions.