The year 1987 saw the beginnings of the tectonic shift in perceptions about law as a career from one of the least attractive careers, to one of the most sought after, with the establishment of the National Law School, Bangalore. It was a time of hope for the legal fraternity. The concept of a national institution to act as a pace-setter and a testing ground for bold experiments in legal education came up before the Bar Council of India in the context of the Council's statutory responsibility for maintaining standards in professional legal education (under the Advocates Act).