The Manual and the Mission: Why We Are Taking ‘The Unwritten Conundrum’ to the Classroom By Adv. Johnson Gomez President, Project Complete Lawyer Foundation

 

Tomorrow is a defining day for the Project Complete Lawyer Foundation, with two major programs scheduled back-to-back. Yet, I must make a confession. The absolute confidence I felt while conceiving and co-authoring The Unwritten Conundrum—and even during its high-profile launch—suddenly began to waver. Doubt crept in when I looked at the logistics: a price tag of Rs. 350 for a slim volume of just 152 pages. With the Foundation not only organizing a Book Review but also launching an entire academic course using this text as the basic protocol, the weight of responsibility felt heavy. Seeking reassurance, I decided to sit down last night and read the book again—from cover to cover.

As I turned the pages, my anxiety began to settle. I realized that measuring this book by its page count was a mistake; it is a protocol, not a novel. Reading the chapters written by Naomi and Abhinav, I saw the High Court not through the tired eyes of a senior advocate, but through the sharp, confused, and curious eyes of a beginner. They didn't just describe the Registry or the Roster; they captured the very 'conundrums' that paralyze young lawyers. When I read my own 'Mentor’s Reflections' that followed their chapters, the synergy struck me. The book offers something rare: the questions of the novice answered immediately by the experience of the veteran. By the time I closed the book, I knew we were right. This isn't just a book; it is a survival kit. And that is exactly why it must be the foundation of the Certificate Course we are inaugurating at Government Law College, Ernakulam.

This confidence is crucial because our profession is currently navigating a perilous storm. The judiciary is under constant, often reckless, attack. Today, a single mobile camera or a Facebook page is enough to manufacture an overnight celebrity, and as the number of these digital courtrooms multiplies, we are reaching a dangerous tipping point. It is becoming increasingly difficult for courts to deliver judgments in high-profile cases without the shadow of a media trial, while unsubstantiated allegations circulate in society with zero accountability. We desperately need a system of checks and balances. However, the solution to these maladies cannot be imposed from the outside; it must emerge from within the profession itself.

At the heart of this institutional decay lies a simple, uncomfortable truth: the right people are not occupying the right positions. While our law schools churn out thousands of graduates annually, only a fraction truly manage to enter the profession. This is due to a brutal bottleneck at the opening phase—a 'Golden Hour' that crushes the unprepared. Consequently, those who bypass this struggle are often those with a lineage—second or third-generation lawyers who inherit the 'code'—or, at the other end of the spectrum, those who drift in out of desperation, having no other options. The brilliant, first-generation talent often gets left behind. What struck me most upon re-reading The Unwritten Conundrum is that it offers a blueprint for a 'democratic entry' into the profession. It provides the same 'insider information' to the 'nepo-kid' and the struggling first-generation lawyer alike, ensuring that success is determined by competence, not connection.

This brings me back to the question of value. Is Rs. 350 too much for a slim volume? If we measure it by the weight of the paper, perhaps. But if we measure it by the weight of the struggle it removes, the equation changes entirely. It sells the most expensive commodity in a lawyer's life: Time. For a junior lawyer, the cost of not knowing these protocols is not Rs. 350; it is the potential loss of their first two years to confusion and frustration.

Finally, I must speak to the nature of this venture. The Project Complete Lawyer Foundation harbors no illusions that a handful of us, with our limited financial and academic resources, can single-handedly transform the system. This book makes no claim to be a work of high scholarship. Rather, it is a compilation of thoughts, refined by the legacy of those who walked with the Master—Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon. I had the privilege of walking with him for 1,218 days, and this project is the manifestation of his wish. Therefore, the financials are transparent: after printing and logistics, the Foundation retains Rs. 175 per copy. We do not view this as 'profit,' but as a donation from every reader toward the cause of refining the system. We do not pretend to have all the answers; there are still many 'codes' left to crack. But we are certain that the necessary wisdom and resources exist within this profession. Our mission is simply to channelize them.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the best talent reaches the right position—not merely within the judiciary, but across every vertical of the justice delivery system. After all, the quality of any institution is defined by the people who man it. By empowering them, we hope to build a system capable of truly addressing the justice needs of 1.4 billion people.

Tomorrow, when Justice Jayasankaran Nambiar, Judge High Court of Kerala lights the lamp at the Government Law College, I will be thinking of the man who started it all. Prof. Menon often spoke of the lawyer not as a mere practitioner, but as a 'Social Engineer.' He dreamed of a profession where the senior did not exploit the junior, but elevated them. He asked us to create 'Institutional Guardian Angels' to protect the young from the harshness of the system. This course, and this book, are our modest offerings to that dream. We are trying to operationalize his vision. When Naomi and Abhinav share their story, it will be a signal that the Master’s legacy is safe. It is no longer just a memory; it is a movement.

I invite you all to join us in this journey."

You can buy the book here: The Unwritten Conundrum - Cracking an Implicit Code | Practical Guide for Law Students & Young Lawyers Asipiring to Practice in the High Court https://amzn.in/d/ixWoSvP