What Even Is A Placitum? Review Of Talha Abdul Rahman's 'In Chambers: A Young Lawyer's Guide To Practice, Ethics, And Advocacy'

Litigation can be defined quite simply as the 'practice of law'. And therein lies the problem one faces when entering the profession – it is a 'practice', and hence, usually not learnable from within the pages of a book ordinarily available. The reason for the lack of books on the subject is twofold. First, the diversity of topics required to be covered. And second, the nuance that only a busy litigator can bring out with enough clarity and experience to write such a book. Mr. Gopal Subramanium, in his usual erudition, aptly captured this difficulty in his Foreword when he says “The legal profession, despite being a field inherently centred on judgment, seldom provides formal training in decision-making.” It was delightful, then, when we discovered Talha Abdul Rahman's new book, 'In Chambers: A Young Lawyer's Guide to Practice, Ethics, and Advocacy'. The book covers significantly large sections of practical knowledge that one needs to learn beginning in their law school, all the way into the first few years of their practice.The title of the book, as well as the foregoing part of this review, have primarily addressed the usage of this book as a guide for someone entering litigation. However, while reading it, we think it makes for an equally valuable, if not more, to law students - does not matter whether they intend to litigate or not. More than half of the chapters provide information that, when entering law school, is usually pieced together over years and often, causes much angst. We obtained much of this knowledge by speaking to our seniors and professors, or during an internship (if we were lucky) or experiencing it ourselves. A few times, we have also been self-conscious at lack of our knowledge about something basic, only exacerbating self-doubt. One such example is the lack of understanding of what a “placitum” is in a judgment, which was unknown to one of the authors (cannot be revealed who), till they eventually had the courage to ask a senior during their internship in the fourth year of law school.As recent graduates, we remember how difficult it is to get clarity on how to go about working in Chambers. Along with this, one is always seeped in self-doubt regarding what one is expected to do (and equally, to not do). One of the major roadblocks that faces an individual entering the profession is the pedantic nature of things. To then have 21 chapters dedicated to everything from breaking down the profession's structure, usage of resources, to note-taking and court etiquettes, is undeniably helpful. Equipping oneself with the information provided in the book will not catapult your career. It will bring one to the starting line from which they may commence their legal career on a grounded footing. A fundamental yet often overlooked decision for graduating law students is choosing the right senior to train under. Strikingly, this consideration rarely occupies their minds at the outset and is only appreciated much later in a litigator's journey. The book commendably foregrounds this issue, examining the multiple factors involved and underscoring its critical importance. Talha emphasizes this point by invoking Fali S. Nariman's memorable analogy likening litigators and their chambers to racehorses, shaped by their stable, lineage, and breed. His central reasoning is clear: selecting the right chamber provides the most solid foundation for a litigation career – and eventually shapes one's professional identity within the legal fraternity, a factor of particular significance for first-generation lawyers.We found the chapters of the book on professional ethics and decision making to be instructive for practical application. However, it is the short penultimate chapter on “mental fortitude and ethical practice” that often escapes the discussions in the litigation life. It talks about why and how to create a one-arm-distance from the outcome of a case and avoid emotional investment into a relationship with one's client. It is a seldom talked about dimension of the practice, conveyed through confessional anecdotes.Ironically, by comprehensively presenting the immense challenges that law students and fresh graduates must confront in the race of litigation, the book may inadvertently prompt some of them to reconsider their choices—often steering them instead toward an alternative and a career in law which also needs to be appreciated as a welcome outcome.To summarise, then, and for the benefit of the readers who may be equally clueless as the authors, this book is similar to a placitum in a judgment. The book defines placitum as “a small alphabetical characters along the inner margins of the pages that aid in further pin-pointing the location of the text or a case on a page. Placita are handy while relying on certain portion of the judgement in arguments before the court.” In the same manner, the book serves as a placitum to the larger judgment that is life in litigation - not the ruling itself, but a...

What Even Is A Placitum? Review Of Talha Abdul Rahman's 'In Chambers: A Young Lawyer's Guide To Practice, Ethics, And Advocacy'

Sreekar Aechuri & Aniket Chauhaan

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