International Legal Essay Writing Competition & Conference On Labour Laws
The Journal Committee at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow (RMLNLU), in collaboration with Khaitan & Co, is organising the 9th edition of the RMLNLU International Legal Essay Writing Competition along with the RMLNLU-Khaitan & Co Conference on Labour Laws.
About the Competition
Every year, the Committee organizes the Competition to promote legal scholarship in contemporary topics. Since its inception in 2013, the Competition has explored diverse issues in topics ranging from international trade laws to financial regulatory laws. Today, it has evolved into a nationally anticipated event. In the last edition, the Committee conducted the Competition on financial regulatory laws in collaboration with Regstreet Law Advisors, a boutique law firm specialising in financial regulation.
This year, the Competition will focus on the field of labour law. In a rapidly changing labour landscape with the advent of artificial intelligence, alternative professional avenues and freelancing along with the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe industrial relations and labour regulation need to be revisited. The Committee aims to initiate deeper discourse on pressing and contemporary issues facing global labour law frameworks, and present novel and innovative solutions to the issues faced by all stakeholders.
About RMLNLU
RMLNLU was established in 2006 to impart quality legal education to students all over the country and to meet emerging challenges in the field of law. RMLNLU is committed to providing excellent infrastructure to its students and facilitating an environment that advances and disseminates knowledge of the law and legal processes. It aims to develop in students and research scholars, a sense of
responsibility to serve the society in the field of law by developing skills in advocacy and legal writing.
About the Journal Committee
The Committee was constituted with the objective of promoting legal research and writing. Apart from conducting RILEC every year, the Committee anually publishes two peer reviewed journals - the RMLNLU Law Review and the RMLNLU Journal on CMET (Communication, Media, Entertainment and Technology) Law. Both these journals publish articles, essays, case notes/comments and book reviews from contributors all over the world. The RMLNLU Law Review also runs a blog which provides a platform for people in the field to express their opinions on contemporary legal issues.
About Khaitan & Co
Founded in 1911, Khaitan & Co is among India’s oldest and most prestigious full-service law firms. It is also one of the largest law firms, with over 600 professionals. The firm has an array of practice areas which include mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, banking and finance, debt capital markets, dispute resolution, white collar crimes, data privacy and protection, and competition/anti-trust law. The firm has strong capabilities and deep industry knowledge across all its practice areas.
Over the years, Khaitan & Co has consolidated its position as a leading law firm in the field of employment and labour law. Its Employment, Labour and Benefits practice provides commercially oriented and practical advice on areas and events around business sale and acquisitions, change of ownership, employee benefits including equity based incentive schemes, employment agreements and policies, workplace diversity and discrimination issues. Additionally, the practice specialises in contract labour and alternate employment arrangements, whistle blower complaints, employee grievance redressal, workforce restructuring, staff re-classification and mobility, workplace health and safety issues as well as immigration advisory. As recognition for the pioneering work of the firm in the field of labour and employment law, recently it was conferred with the IDEX Large Employment Law Firm of the Year award in 2019, the Legal Era Labour & Employment Law Firm of the Year 2020 - 21 award and the InHouse Community Firm of the Year award in 2021.
About the Judges
The panel adjudicating the virtual conference will be chaired by Mr. Anshul Prakash. Mr. Prakash is a Partner at Khaitan & Co's Mumbai office and leads the firm's Employment, Labour and Benefits practice. He advises various prominent domestic and international clients on numerous employment law and related matters concerning workforce management, social security, industrial relations, structuring benefits and incentives, health and safety, workplace harassment and discrimination, internal inquiries and workforce restructuring. He also leads the firm's thought leadership initiative on advocacy and knowledge sharing in the field of employment and labour law and actively shares his insights through publications, print media and public speaking events. Additionally, Mr. Prakash has been recognized as Top Individual Lawyer (Labour & Employment) by Forbes India Legal Powerlist 2020-21 besides being recognized as a Top 40 under 40 Best Lawyer by Business World Legal and being honorably ranked and highly recommended by Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific, Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Asia Law profiles (Client Service Excellence).
Themes & Sub-Themes
This year the Committee is inviting submissions from authors on the topic- “Emerging Challenges in Labour Law”. The list of the indicated sub-themes is given below to aid the participants:
Invisible Labour & Labour Law Frameworks
Invisible labour usually constitutes labour that goes unnoticed, unregulated, and unpaid. This may be in the form of informal sectors of the economy, domestic unpaid labour and sex workers. Lately, there have been attempts to define the term 'invisible labour' in the legal sense. Participants may try exploring whether there is a need to recognize new categories of labour force and if so, may present how the matter can be approached. In addition to scrutinizing existing labour law frameworks, participants may also try conducting comparative studies with other jurisdictions to highlight the best ways to protect the rights of those involved in invisible labour.
The Four New Indian Labour Law Codes
The Indian Government has recently consolidated 44 labour laws into 4 labour codes. These are the Code on Wages, the Code on Social Security, the Industrial Relations Code and the Occupational, Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. These labour codes have already received a mixed response from experts in the field and are likely to have far-reaching implications once implemented. Participants may discuss the potential impact of the new labour codes on the creation of employment and the precarity of selfemployed workers. They may additionally compare the labour codes with labour laws of foreign jurisdictions.
The Status of Gig Economy Workers in Global Labour Law Frameworks
The gig economy refers to a segment of the labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs. The rise of the platform-driven gig economy has resulted in a type of relationship between employers and employees which has not been covered under most labour legislations. Participants may try exploring the nature of the relationship between gig economy workers and the companies that utilise their services. Additionally, participants may analyse the International Labour Organization's ("ILO") norms to determine what social security protections and rights the workers ought to be entitled to. Participants may also try exploring topics such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gig economy at the national and global level.
Accounting for Gender & Vulnerable Communities in the Workplace
Participants may discuss the gender disparities in the labour market, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional research areas that may be explored include workplace harassment laws, maternity benefits, and the pay gap. Labour law regulations affecting vulnerable grups such as children may also serve as areas of interest. Further, participants may explore the unique position of inter-state labourers and transboundary labour to analyse whether a special framework needs to be made to accommodate their interests.
Employment Law - Issues & Concerns
A wide range of matters fall within the ambit of employment law. These include individual employment contracts, the application of contract laws, statutory regulations on issues such as the right to organize and negotiate collective bargaining agreements, protection from discrimination, wages, hours, and health and safety. In addition to these topics, the participants may discuss the legal position regarding employee data protection rights. Other areas of interest may include the legality of wage cuts, withheld salaries, and forced unpaid leaves during COVID-19 induced lockdowns.
Note: The sub-themes are only indicative. Authors are free to deviate and explore other labour law sub-themes of their own choice.
Eligibility
Authors must be pursuing their 5-year integrated LL.B. (Hons.) course / 3-year LL.B. course from any recognised university in India to be eligible to participate in the Competition.
Structure
All entries will be judged and ranked by the Committee and Khaitan & Co. The top three entries will be selected for a virtual conference which shall be adjudged by a bench of 3 judges from Khaitan & Co. The final rankings of the authors will be determined on the basis of the paper presentation in the virtual conference. The participants may adopt any suitable means for presenting the papers including audio-visual aids, such as PowerPoint presentations.
The top three entries selected for the virtual conference will also be considered for publication in the next issue of the RMLNLU Law Review Journal & the RMLNLU Law Review Blog and will be monetarily rewarded by the Committee.
Rewards
Winner - INR 15,000
First Runner-up - INR 10,000
Second Runner-up - INR 5,000
The winning team of the Competition will get an opportunity to intern at Khaitan & Co. Khaitan & Co reserves all rights to determine the office, dates and team under which the internship is granted. The authors placed second and third may also be offered internships at Khaitan & Co’s discretion.
The top three entries will receive a ‘Certificate of Merit’ and a 'Certificate of Presentation'.
The top 3 entries will also get an opportunity to be considered for publication in the next issue of the RMLNLU Law Review.
All participants will receive a ‘Certificate of Participation’.
Participation Guidelines
Co-authorship of entries (maximum two) among individuals from the same or different institutions is allowed. Multiple entries from the same authors are not allowed. Entries should be original, unpublished and non-plagiarised.
Submission Guidelines
Participants are requested to adhere to the following submission guidelines:
Word Limit for the Competition: 4000-5000 words (excluding footnotes).
Individual Attachments: Name; e-mail; contact number; current academic status (year of study, name of university etc.); undertaking as to guarantee of originality.
Formatting specifications: Font and size for the essay: Times New Roman - 12, Font and size for footnotes: Times New Roman - 10, Line spacing: 1.5, Page size: A4, Margin - 1' from all sides, Alignment: Justified
Citation Style: Footnotes must be properly cited strictly in accordance with the latest OSCOLA (4th edition) format. No endnotes or speaking footnotes (descriptive footnotes) are permitted.
Entries should be emailed to rilec.rmlnlu@gmail.com under the subject title “Entry for 9th RILEC - [Name(s) of Author(s)]” in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.
Any queries relating to the Competition should be addressed to rilec.rmlnlu@gmail.com.
Miscellaneous Rules
The copyright for all entries shall vest with the Committee who herewith reserve the right to modify, postpone or defer the Competition and its adjudication indefinitely as and when exigencies of an unforeseen nature may arise.
Any attempt, direct or indirect, to contact the panel of judges will be met with the immediate disqualification of the relevant entry.
Any indication of the author’s name or university in the entry shall lead to immediate disqualification from the Competition. Details about the author may only be specified in the body of the mail and the name of the author must not be mentioned in the name of the file submitted.
Dates and Deadlines
Last date for submission of manuscript: 10th October 2021. Late entries will not be entertained.
The dates of the virtual conference will be announced soon
Contact
Email: rilec.rmlnlu@gmail.com
For more details, visit: www.facebook.com/RMLNLURILEC, You may also reach us through the phone.
Aditya Pattanayak: +91 9818849520
Harsh Agrawal: +91 9399831636
Dharmesh Basedia: +91 6370583783