E.R. Jayaram

Dr. E.R. Jayaram is a seasoned academic leader, legal educator, and institutional builder with over two decades of experience across premier legal institutions in India. As Dean of the School of Law at Mahindra University, he brings a visionary approach to legal education, drawing on his leadership roles at Manipal University Jaipur, GD Goenka University, and other law schools where he has successfully driven curriculum innovation, improved institutional rankings, and fostered international collaborations.

Dr. Jayaram’s academic expertise lies in Intellectual Property Rights, with a Ph.D. focused on Genomic Data Protection and IPR Management through Open-Source Systems. His career has been marked by foundational roles in establishing law schools, setting up institutional centres for arbitration and mediation, and fostering academic ecosystems aligned with andragogical principles, Outcome-Based Education, and assurance of learning.

Before entering academia, he served as an Associate Lawyer at Fox Mandal & Associates, one of India’s most respected corporate law firms. This experience gave him deep exposure to corporate law, commercial litigation, and intellectual property practice, which continue to enrich his academic and pedagogical framework. His transition into higher education has been consistently driven by a vision for learner autonomy, experiential learning, and professional readiness.

As Dean at Manipal University Jaipur, he led the initiative to establish the Manipal International Centre for Conflict Resolution -India’s first institutional arbitration and mediation centre within a law school. This pioneering initiative was recognised with the Best ADR Innovation Award by the Asia-Pacific Centre for Arbitration & Mediation (APCAM). Dr. Jayaram also spearheaded the establishment of Justice Delivery Centres in academic institutions through the Gate to Justice (G2J) initiative, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation (IIAM). These centres advance access to justice, community-based mediation, and the integration of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms into legal education and outreach.

He was also instrumental in establishing Mar Gregorios College of Law (MGCL), where he played a pivotal role in shaping the college’s rise to prominence within Kerala’s legal education landscape. MGCL was honoured with the Institutional Excellence Award by the Society of Indian Law Firms and the Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy and Training (MILAT) in 2017. Dr. Jayaram also led the first National Law Reforms Competition in collaboration with the Law Commission of India, and oversaw the establishment of the Prof. (Dr.) N.R. Madhava Menon Chair on Legal Education.

Dr. Jayaram’s research interests is in the area of IPR, biodiversity law, innovation policy, and technology law. He has authored several impactful publications and contributed to conference proceedings, while actively participating in national and international academic forums. His early research with the Virtual University for Agricultural Trade (VUAT) at Kerala Agricultural University focused on IPR, biodiversity, WTO law, and capacity building for local governance. He also contributed to a UNCTAD-supported study on trade and agriculture.

He currently serves as a Member of the Bar Council of India’s Inspection Committee, contributing to regulatory oversight and quality enhancement in legal education.