Law not sprint but long journey, rewards those who treat it as craft to be learned carefully: CJI

Law not sprint but long journey, rewards those who treat it as craft to be learned carefully: CJI

Chandigarh, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday said law rewards those who treat it not a shortcut to success, but as a craft to be learned carefully and practised with integrity.

Law not sprint but long journey, rewards those who treat it as craft to be learned carefully: CJI

Law is not a sprint, but a long and deliberate journey, he said.

CJI Kant was delivering his address during the first convocation ceremony of Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Law University, Sonipat.

Stating that young lawyers were entering the profession at a time when its relevance was unquestioned, he said, but its expectations are demanding because of technological disruption, economic complexity, expanding rights discourse and heightened public scrutiny.

Lawyers were expected not only to argue effectively but to advise responsibly, he said.

"The profession looks to its youngest members not merely to adapt, but to elevate standards. It looks to you to restore confidence where it has weakened, to introduce innovation without eroding principles, and to practise law with both competence and conscience," he said.

This expectation is not a burden; it is a vote of confidence, he said.

"Every generation of lawyers inherits a profession shaped by those before it, but it also carries the responsibility of renewal. Your generation will be judged not merely by how effectively it navigates change, but by how thoughtfully, it anchors that change in enduring legal values.

"In moments of pressure, the profession will rely on you to remember that efficiency must never come at the cost of fairness, and innovation must never dilute accountability," he asserted.

The CJI noted that in a profession that values patience and temperament, young lawyers may spend more time observing than arguing, and learning more than earning.

"It tests not only ability, but temperament, the capacity to remain steady when progress is not immediately visible," he said.

However, the CJI said, many of the finest lawyers and judges did not begin with certainty or advantage.

"Their growth was gradual, often unnoticed, shaped by patient preparation and composed perseverance. What distinguished them was not early acclaim, but consistency, the discipline to show up, to prepare thoroughly, and to improve incrementally, even when no one seemed to be watching," he said.

If you allow these years to teach you resilience rather than resentment, perspective rather than impatience, they will serve you well for decades to come.

The law, in time, recognises those who respect its pace. It rewards those who treat it not as a shortcut to success, but as a craft to be learned carefully and practised with integrity, said the CJI.

"Law is not a sprint. It is a long, deliberate journey. Those who remain committed, curious, and sincere often find that the profession rewards them, sometimes a bit later than expected, but in ways that are enduring," he said.

Telling the young lawyers that there is one quality that will sustain them through the uncertainties ahead, was integrity, he said.

Integrity does not announce itself. It reveals itself silently, in how you present facts, in how you advise clients, how you treat opponents, and how you respond when the easier option tempts you.

"Over the years, I have seen lawyers of exceptional intellect falter when trust was compromised, and others, who began with modest credentials, rise steadily because their word was dependable; the courts, the institutions and colleagues take note of honesty, fairness and character. Remember, long before you enter a courtroom, your reputation arrives ahead of you, calmly announcing who you are," he told the young lawyers.

The CJI reminded the students that they studied statutes, judgments, doctrines, and legal principles in the last few years and learned how arguments are framed and how conclusions are reasoned.

"As you leave this campus, and those who have already left, remember that the law will still continue to teach you, but now it will do so in sterner ways '” through clients, institutions, conflicts, and consequences," he said.

On the meaning of success, the CJI said it will mean different things to different people.

"For some, it will be professional standing; for others, financial stability; for many, public service. None of these are unworthy goals. But I hope you will also seek a deeper measure of success, the satisfaction of having done your work honestly; of having contributed to fairness; of having stood by principle even when it was inconvenient," he noted.

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