Why I Chose the Classroom Over the Courtroom

When I tell people I am a law professor, the first thing they ask me is usually the same: "Why did you not opt for the courtroom?"

- RITIKA GOSWAMI

In a nation where the lawyer's image is linked so closely with compelling arguments, dramatic trials, and high-stakes cases, opting for the classroom instead of the courtroom can appear mystifying. But to me, the answer has always been simple: I found my calling not in arguing before judges, but in engaging with curious minds.

Law, as it happens, is more than about verdicts and legislation. It is about inquiry, analysis, and comprehending the world we inhabit. And I discovered early in my career that where these questions are most intensely brought to life is not in the courtroom, but in the classroom. For most who practice law, the professional route is litigation or practice. The courtroom offers adrenaline, prestige, and the visible outcome of cases won or lost. But there is another road, one that extends to the profession of teaching. It may appear quieter, less glamorous, yet it carries its own profound impact. The classroom, as opposed to the courtroom, is not about one client or one verdict; it's about influencing the thinking of generations.

THE ROAD LESS TAKEN
Like most law school graduates, I had chances to enter litigation. The courtroom has its undeniable excitement, the buzz of arguments, the suspense of cross-examinations, the swift clarity of a verdict. But I felt its limitations as well. Litigation focuses attention on one client, one case, one decision.