Law’s new frontiers favour women, says SC judge Sundresh

Trichy: Supreme Court judge M M Sundresh on Saturday said the evolving landscape of law is increasingly suited for women, noting that they now form a significant proportion of law students.Addressing the 7th convocation of Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU), he said traditional civil litigation such as partition and declaration suits could decline, while areas like intellectual property rights (IPR), finance and personal law—particularly matrimonial disputes—are set to grow, offering strong prospects for women. "The present trend shows more women enrolling in law. As society evolves and new fields emerge, the profession is becoming more suited for women," he said. Sundresh also urged graduates to adapt to technological changes, even as he expressed caution about the growing role of artificial intelligence. "I am sceptical about this area, but it cannot be avoided. AI is already entering the legal field and beginning to influence the role of lawyers. This is happening in many countries, including the US. The role of lawyers is gradually shrinking, with legal opinions increasingly sourced from AI. The difficult part is that AI-generated opinions may at times be more accurate than those of even the best legal minds. That said, we must learn to embrace technology," he added. At the convocation, 138 students—53 men and 85 women—received degrees. This included 48 from BA LLB (Hons), 43 from BCom LLB (Hons) and 47 from LLM. Degrees were conferred by Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmaadhikari, Chief Justice of the Madras high court and chancellor of TNNLU, and Justice R Suresh Kumar of the Madras high court.