The Unwritten Script: From Blockbusters to Developmental Lawyering By Johnson Gomez, President Project Complete Lawyer (PCL) Foundation

I have always been a chronic movie-goer. Throughout my stay in Kochi, spanning over 25 years of legal practice before the High Court, late-night movies in theaters were an unavoidable routine. My "partner in crime" was my younger colleague, Adv. S. Biju, with whom I shared an apartment. Eventually, life moved on; following our family reunions, Biju moved to an independent setup and established his own practice, carrying forward the legacy of our earlier firm, L Expertians Associates LLP. I went on to establish my own law firm and promote the Foundation. While the routine has since shifted and the medium has changed to OTT platforms, watching movies in the theaters remains my first love.

During my recent Christmas vacation, I watched Eko and Sarwam Maya, and I absolutely loved them. But what fascinated me even more were the promotional interviews. The writer-cinematographer of Eko, Bahul Ramesh, and the writer-director of Sarwam Maya, Akhil Sathyan, gave detailed interviews about their making process. I understand that both films have entered the "100 Crore Club"—an astounding amount of revenue raised from the relatively small Malayalam movie-going market. This success is a testament to the filmmaking culture of these young creators, both of whom are in their 30s, with the maker of Eko being just 32. This surprised me and sparked a thought. Around the same time, I read about the huge potential of the legal service industry, where it is reported that 60% of Indian citizens have no access to justice. I found myself wondering: shouldn't lawyers in India introspect and innovate to tap into this huge legal service market, much like these young filmmakers have?

I truly believe that the legal service industry in this country is a huge mine of precious metal—vast and valuable, yet largely untapped. Unfortunately, except for the usual "blame game," nothing creative is happening to realize this true potential. It was against this backdrop that my co-authored book, “The Unwritten Conundrum: Cracking an Implicit Code,” was published. At the insistence of my friend, Mr. Vijayamnand Reddy, I recently met with Dr. G.B. Reddy, the Honorable Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi. During our meeting, I handed over the author's copy of the book and submitted a proposal for the development of their legal aid clinic. I believe the Vice-Chancellor has since read the book and reviewed my proposal to support a program on "Community Lawyering"—a concept discussed in the book that was originally designed for the Indian legal structure by the late Dr. N.R. Madhava Menon.

Promoting a legal aid clinic is not merely the business of law students, faculty, or the functionaries of legal service authorities under the relevant statute. It is, in fact, a "mining process"—a strategic effort to tap into the huge, dormant potential of the legal service market. For rights to translate into actual legal work, citizens must first be aware of them. More importantly, they must have the confidence to approach members of the legal profession. "Currently, due to a lack of outreach from the profession—compounded by horrifying stories of delays in grievance redressal and the exorbitant legal expenses—many simply avoid lawyers altogether." We need a better script. We need to enact a narrative that attracts citizens to justice just as powerfully as a blockbuster movie attracts an audience to a theater. This is precisely why the filmmaking process of young creators like Bahul and Akhil fascinated me so much.

The script we need is something akin to a Bahubali or a massive multi-starrer. To succeed, we must create a vast network of trained lawyers and willing seniors to tap into this market. While I may not have the complete screenplay just yet, I can share some pivotal thoughts ignited by Dr. Menon during my interactions with him. We need to redefine the legal aid clinics established under the NALSA regulations of 2010 and 2011, particularly those in local bodies and professional colleges. Reports indicate that these exercises have largely failed—despite funding opportunities from legal service authorities—simply because they lacked consistent professional support.

Professional support is absent primarily because the legal community has not been sensitized to its importance or urgency. The standard excuse is always the same: "Do lawyers have the time for such non-remunerative voluntary activity?" This attitude requires a paradigm shift. In Part II of my book, I describe a condition I call "Promotion Syndrome"—an affliction I too experienced. One of its main symptoms is an overpowering urge to become a High Court Judge or a Senior Advocate, which typically manifests once the age of 40 is crossed and about 15 years of practice have been gained. I overcame this syndrome by realizing early on that I might not be fit for those specific roles, and I redirected my path before it could consume me. However, for most, the journey under Section 16 of the Advocates Act, 1961, is a singular quest to transition from an "other advocate" to a "Senior Advocate." To achieve this, one must demonstrate "special knowledge and expertise." Herein lies the opportunity: Pro bono work is a powerful, demonstrable tool to showcase this expertise to the screening panel. Therefore, providing mentorship to legal aid centers should be officially recognized by the authorities as qualifying pro bono work for senior designation.

With the Vice-Chancellor’s positive response, I am now in the process of drafting the detailed "script" for this initiative: the NUALS Developmental Law Clinic. The core strategy relies on networking beneficiaries directly to professionals through the medium of this clinic. Crucially, this program cannot be ad-hoc; it requires a permanent institutional format to succeed. In democratic India, politicians—our elected representatives—are often the most blamed lot. They make offers to the electorate but frequently fail to deliver. Even lawyer-turned-politicians, who are often in high demand, struggle to replicate their individual successes on a larger scale. The reason is structural: India is governed by a Constitution and the Rule of Law. The benefits offered by successive governments often never reach the real stakeholders simply because the beneficiaries lack the legal capacity to claim them.

In this new script, the elected representative becomes the face of the program. Every day, they are inundated with representations from their constituents. Tragically, most of these end up in the waste bin or are merely forwarded with a standard covering letter to some office, where a simple rejection order often seals their fate. This is where the Developmental Law Clinic becomes a game-changer. If these representations are instead handed to student volunteers who ensure rigorous follow-up, the outcome changes completely. For the students, this is a golden opportunity to practice "Administrative Law" in the real world. A dedicated team can research and build a comprehensive database of schemes offered by the Central and State governments, as well as local self-government institutions. When elected representatives refer these beneficiaries to the clinic, students get the invaluable experience of conducting client interviews. Based on these interactions, they can provide a detailed diagnosis and identify the precise schemes for which the constituent is eligible.

This is precisely where professional support and mentorship become indispensable. While the students do the heavy lifting, they need guidance from both academic faculty and practicing lawyers. However, the demand on the legal professional's time is minimal; their role is primarily to vet the student's approach or review the draft representation. Furthermore, by integrating suitable software and technology, we can bridge the physical distance. A mentor need not be present in the field or at the clinic; they can review documents and provide guidance remotely, making the pro bono contribution seamless, efficient, and accessible.

For this model to survive, it cannot be a fleeting, ad-hoc mechanism; it must be institutionalized. Fortunately, the financial and structural architecture already exists. By converging the development funds of elected representatives with the grants available from Legal Services Authorities under the NALSA regulations of 2010 and 2011, we can secure the necessary capital. When this is supported by the physical infrastructure of a premier institution like NUALS, we have a self-sustaining ecosystem ready to drive this initiative forward.

Many government schemes operate on a partial funding model, requiring the beneficiary to bear a certain percentage of the cost. Finding the source for this "beneficiary contribution" often becomes an insurmountable hurdle, causing many to abandon their claims. This is where the student volunteers, backed by mentors and elected representatives, can intervene. The students can assist in creating suitable legal entities—such as societies or cooperatives—and establishing the necessary regulatory mechanisms for these groups. By doing so, they make these beneficiaries bankable, enabling them to secure project funding. This entire exercise serves as a rigorous, real-world training ground in Corporate Law—a field the new generation of lawyers is eager to pursue. To close the loop, the Developmental Law Clinic should actively rope in the District Lead Bank and other relevant government agencies to facilitate this financial linkage.

Finally, we must recognize that this is not merely an act of benevolence; it is market creation. As student volunteers help form these institutions, they are birthing new legal entities. Through this process, the real work of litigation gets opened up. As more and more institutions are created, advanced legal service needs inevitably arise—needs that lie far outside the limited realm of the clinics. This creates a fresh, sophisticated market for the professional to work upon, proving that by bridging the gap for the poor, we are simultaneously building the future of the profession.