Dr. Faiza Ismail

As a child, I loved arguments and reasoning. Speaking came naturally to me and public speaking used to interest me greatly. Combine it with the yearning to read and write, that would either lead you to become a journalist or lawyer. Although I aspired to be a journalist, my personal circumstances led me to enter the legal profession which then turned into a career in legal academia. I respect legal practice as well as legal academia. However, I believe we have produced great lawyers, but legal scholarship is crucial for Pakistan as we need literature that should examine, analyze and critically engage with legal and socio-legal problems in the country.

There are many challenges associated with legal academia in Pakistan, I would mention two of them. Owing to these challenges legal academics are almost non-existent in the country. First, we do not have primary research on crucial areas of law such as Property law, Commercial law, Corporate law, Legal theory applicable to Pakistan, Islamic Jurisprudence, Medical Jurisprudence, Law of Evidence and Criminal law in Pakistan. In the absence of credible literature on these fundamental fields of law, it becomes very difficult for legal scholars to advance their research into more focused areas of study such as Finance Law, Islamic Finance, IMF and Developing nations, Private International Law and Public International Law.

Second, teaching law must be rethought. The traditional methods of lecture, Socratic techniques and judicial cases do not excite the students anymore. We need to be innovative in our approach towards teaching which should include case studies, regulated use of AI, and cyberspace for teaching purposes. The major challenge is the absence of primary research in the form of textbooks (as discussed above). Mostly, legal academics end up spending an enormous amount of time gathering laws and case laws to create fundamentals of a course, innovation and advance research and inter-disciplinary overlaps therefore remaining unexplored.

As part of my teaching strategy, I encourage the students to get their midterm assignments published in the Dawn (Business and Finance Weekly) section. Most of the assignments get published and are appreciated by the editor. I have also co-authored newspaper articles with my current students (mostly RAs) to train them to write about pressing ongoing issues in the country.

Moreover, it is unconventional at law schools to write case studies. I have written two case studies. First, Pakistan’s grey listing by FATF and the other one is on Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan. I understand, that writing case studies is something which is not prevalent in our law school. It also adds diversity in teaching and understanding of law.

My current research encompasses issues such as the status of the legal profession in their country, legal reforms to eradicate poverty in the country, the IMF bailout packages for Pakistan, and legal comedy. These are the areas in which Pakistan is facing immense challenges. Bailouts have handicapped us, and we need to figure out how a socio-legal approach towards completing IMF bail-outs can help us. Similarly, respect for the law in the country is not possible unless the legal profession is respected and put in high regard. Alleviation of poverty is the key to solving our economic problems. Finally, we as a nation need to be a little open to criticism and reforms which can be achieved through appreciating and inculcating humor through legal academia.

 I believe that students are our future, and we have high hopes for them. They will actually help their country solve the problems that my generation has identified. They deserve our undivided attention and commitment. I have trained many students in legal skills (research, reading, writing, and advocacy). Mentoring the students has been an essential part of my teaching responsibilities, and I have made a point of ensuring extra time and support for those students who struggle academically as well as mentally.