Advocate Upendra Dulal recently completed Master’s degree in international law with distinction from Wuhan University.. He was awarded Bilateral Government Scholarship to China by Nepal government in 2016.
During his study, he participated and represented Nepal and his academic institution in prestigious competitions like the Asia Pacific regional rounds of Manfred Lachs Space Law moot court competition and also worked as a memorial judge and oral judge in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
He was selected to represent as a student ambassador under student exchange program “Bharat Nepal Sikshya Maitri Karyakram” (India Nepal Educational Friendship Program) organized by the Government of India in 2014.
Besides, he was awarded honors for his outstanding performance at Summer School organized by Xiamen Academy of International Law in China. He has also completed his 6 months internship at Asia Regional Office Center for Reproductive Rights in 2014.
Advocate Upendra Dulal recently spoke to Managing Editor Ak Vanprasthi.
AK Vanprasthi: Tell me about yourself.
Upendra Dulal: I am advocate. I have recently earned a LLM degree in International Law from Wuhan University, China with distinction.
AK Vanprasthi: How do you remember your student life ?
Upendra Dulal: Challenging! We were the first batch student of BALLB program of Nepal Law Campus in Kathmandu. The main challenge existed that time was success of the program itself.
Besides that, there were lots of challenges in front of us like no proper books in English medium, no proper library, no proper ways and techniques to study and no destination. We were like part of an experiment. However, we never gave up and this first batch fought against all existing challenges and now this batch is already doing well in the legal field.
I regard myself as a person with strong aptitude and highly dedicated and focused on every works whatsoever assigned.
AK Vanprasthi: In your opinion, what has been your main achievement during your student life ?
Upendra Dulal: Besides my study, I have been involved in different activities like National Administrator of Jessup to the student ambassador for India. However, the most recent and most notable achievement was to be a Judge in the Asia Pacific Regional Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. I got opportunity to visit Adelaide University, Australia, in April 2018 to effectuate that role.
AK Vanprasthi: What are the differences in studying in Nepal and in China ?
Upendra Dulal: Studying in Nepal or any other country is not much different as far as the curriculum is concerned. However, the major differences exist only in techniques and the approaches to teaching/learning. We are very much exam oriented in Nepal. However, studying in China was more research based.
AK Vanprasthi: What are you planning to do now and in future ?
Upendra Dulal: I believe, it is an exciting and noble goal to become a lawyer. I have recently been back to Nepal and selecting work carefully. Because, at the end of every day’s work I just want to feel I have helped someone in need or I did something good in the legal field. That is my kind of job satisfaction I would say.
AK Vanprasthi: In your view, what are the major problems that the legal industry is facing in Nepal ?
Upendra Dulal: Rigid laws and formalities are the universal problem in every judicial system which are not friendly to common man to reach justice easily. However, I would like to highlight three types of problems in the Nepalese legal industry.
First is the lack of client education. It is important to develop educational content so that law firm/lawyers could develop healthy and stable relationships with clients.
Second is networking. In Nepal, those who have better network and connections become successful lawyers. It rather should be content marketing for a substantial period of time, which will shape how clients perceive firms they choose to work with.
Third, the way legal clients are handled is rigid. It appears many lawyers are not that aware of today’s client. Today’s client prefers to compare and search you through search engine like Google. Therefore, lawyers need to act smart.
AK Vanprasthi: What made you study and work with outer space laws?
Upendra Dulal: Since space activity of Nepal is zero so far, I never imagined earlier that I would study space laws. I along with my two other friends took part in Manfred Lachs Space Law moot court competition organized by International Institute of Space Law (IISL) in 2014. I didn’t give brake there. However, it worked as a catalyst and increased my interest in space laws.
Every country has space orbit in the outer space. So, sooner or later Nepal will use that space orbit. I realized that if I study and get proficiency in this field, I might contribute to my country in the future when needed.
AK Vanprasthi: Who would you like to remember for your success or give credit to?
Upendra Dulal: Of course my parents and friends. But, I must take several names like Martha Mejia Kaiser who is always with me since I competed in Manfred in 2014 and opened up international platforms for me. Likewise, Uddhav Dulal, my brother, deserves special mention because without his support I would never have done my higher studies. I cannot forget one name Pabitra Raut who was my teacher during my Bachelor’s degree and more like a guardian/friend now. She is always worried about me and my career from the day I landed in Nepal and even when I was studying. She continues to advise and guide me at every step.
AK Vanprasthi: What do you want to be in the future?
Upendra Dulal: Well honestly, I really want to be a career man. I don’t have big dreams now but I want to work hard every day, socialize with different people with the same or different interest with me, and do research in my chosen field. I want to be a part of this legal system, where I can really apply the knowledge I have acquired so far and keep learning something new every day. More importantly, I want to help others so they don’t face the same obstacles as I did when I started.
AK Vanprasthi: Would you like to offer any advice to law students contemplating the legal profession?
Upendra Dulal : Life is all about hard work and struggle. An individual’s mental alertness is important as well as the ability to simplify. Best lawyers are those who can analyze the issues in simple terms. So, get ready to face all the challenges and lots of it, which I am facing at this moment.
