| N. R. Madhava Menon | |
|---|---|
Dr. Menon at a speech at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences |
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| Born | May 4, 1935 [1] Trivandrum, India |
| Nationality | India |
| Occupation | Legal educator |
| Known for | Founding the National Law School of India University and West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences |
N. R. Madhava Menon (born May 4, 1935) is a legal educator from India. He was instrumental in setting up the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bangalore, and was its founder-director. He was the founder and vice-chancellor of West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) in Calcutta, run on the NLSIU model. He was the founder Director of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, an institute for training judges. Madhava Menon has worked for nearly five decades to improve Indian legal education.
As a member of the Legal Education Committee of the Bar Council of India and later as the first Secretary of the Bar Council Trust, Dr. Menon influenced the shaping of legal education policies.
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When the Bar Council of India proposed building a new law school in early 1980s, Dr. Menon volunteered for the job and set up the Bangalore-based National Law School of India University with a USD $150,000 government grant. The school was the first in India to use the Harvard Law School's case study method, which later became the mainstream form of legal education in India. After a 10-year tenure at the university, he relinquished the job.
Dr. Menon was invited by the West Bengal Government to set up the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) on the lines of the Bangalore initiative. As the first vice-chancellor, he developed its infrastructure, educational curriculum and its reputation within the academic/student community. In particular, he allowed the faculty great creative freedom in teaching, which has resulted in law graduates with a broad knowledge of many disciplines.
Before Dr. Menon could complete his term as the vice-chancellor of NUJS in West Bengal, the Supreme Court of India asked him to take over as the first Director of the newly established National Judicial Academy for training judges.
Dr. Menon has also been:
As of 2008, he was serving on the Board of Governors of the International Organization of Judicial Trainers (IOJT) and is adviser to the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute (Canada).
Appreciating his efforts for founding the National University of Juridical Sciences, the International Bar Association honoured Prof. Menon with the Living Legend of Law Award in 1994. He also received the Rotary Club Award for Vocational Excellence. The Bar Council of India presented a Plaque of Honour to Dr. Menon for his contribution to the legal profession and the Commonwealth Legal Education Association elected him as its President for a four year term (1994–98).
In 2001 the National Law School of India University conferred on Dr. Menon the degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) (Honoris Causa) and praised him:
...Revolutionizing Indian legal education has been the life’s mission of this true Karma Yogi who achieved what was widely considered an impossible task – establishing an institution of excellence in Indian legal education. Dr. N.R. Madhava Menon single handedly wrought fundamental change in Indian legal education and established a model that is today sought to be emulated across our country and in several other countries. It is but rarely that a University has the opportunity not only to honour a great scholar, a great teacher and a great leader, but also the very individual to whom it owes its existence and success; whose vision, courage and sacrifice lie at the core of its identity. We honour today the father of modern Indian legal education; we also record our deepest gratitude to our own Founding Father for his selfless dedication and hard work in the service of our beloved institution.
Recognizing his contribution to public service, the President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, honoured Dr. Menon in 2003, the first such award to a law teacher in India.
Prof. Menon is the author of several books, articles and monographs on a variety of legal subjects.
| Preceded by Post Created |
VC of NUJS 2000–2003 |
Succeeded by B.S. Chimni |