Career in Law in India:
Law is one of the most prestigious and popular career choices in our Country. People whose family generations have been into this profession for years usually choose this career.
However, to choose this career it is not compulsory that the student must be from Law or its related background.
There are different types of branches available in the Law courses. They are civil law, criminal law, Intellectual Property Right, Patent law and corporate law, etc.,
A degree of law not only allows you to practice as a lawyer in courts but also to work in various sectors such as corporate management, legal services and administrative services.
Students who wish to choose this career must check the following points:
- Is this the right career for me?
Before choosing up this career, please ask this question to yourself. The career in law requires more patience and logical thinking. Think twice whether you are suitable for this profession. Also, the Law profession is a difficult and a challenging one when compared to other professions. It requires more hard work and intelligence to become a successful lawyer. Even for a successful lawyer the starting stage is not that easy. They must be trained under an experienced senior lawyer or advocate to become successful.
Those who are choosing this career must have excellent communication skills, critical thinking and intelligence.
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Start preparing for Law entrance examination:
If you have decided to choose this career, then start preparing for the national level Law entrance examinations as soon as you complete the senior secondary education. The national entrance examination like CLAT generally tests the candidate’s ability of thinking, general English, legal aptitude, general awareness and logical skills. The other competitive Law exams are AILET, LSAT, SET, etc.,
- What type of course can I choose for?
Any students who decide to choose their career in Law can either do 3 years LLB course or 5 years BA LLB course in this field. 3 years course can be done after any graduation in any discipline whereas 5 years course can be done directly after your 12th standard.
Nowadays, 3 years degree in law is considered less important when compared to the 5 years course in Law. This is because 5 years law course is treated as professional degree in Law and students who really aspire to become an advocate take up this course. 3 years law course is just treated as additional degree nowadays.
- What is the cost of these courses?
The cost of pursuing these courses depending on the type and reputation of the institution. A 3 years LLB course usually less expensive where as the five years BA LLB course is little more expensive. There will also be hostel for students opting hostel.
- What is my salary after I complete the degree?
This is actually one of the highest paying professions but depends upon the Lawyer’s caliber, popularity and success. The lawyer who has just started practicing can get a stipend of Rs.5000 to Rs.40,000 depending upon the performance, caliber, senior advocate he is associated with, etc.,
Outsourcing receives an attractive salary package of Rs.20000 to Rs.200000 per month.
- International focus:
The Law education in India is similar to that of Britain. Thus, many Universities in Britain offer Law education to many students from India. As a recent trend, students from India study in this these foreign universities by enjoying attractive salary package while studying.
- Demand and supply:
An acute shortage of well qualified lawyers is a major problem in India. Among ten Lakh lawyers in India only 20 percent of them are said to be fit enough to practice law in courts. Several Law schools like NLSU, NALSAR are established to improve the level of legal education in India and to produce skilled lawyers to meet the requirements.
Also, those who decide to take up this career must sincerely work hard in this profession. Also, they must have an intention to serve their own country through this valuable and respected profession.
- Job prospects:
There are huge numbers of jobs in Law career. The person taking up Law as a profession can either practice as a Lawyer in the court or can work for the corporate firms. By clearing exams like Public service commission the Law graduate will get a chance to become a Judge. After good and considerable experience a Law graduate can also become a solicitor general or public prosecutor or work for any Government or public firms.
The other opportunities for a Law graduate is that he/she can also work as a legal adviser to any private/public firms, work with NGO’s or work as a reporter in News paper or television channel.
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What are the different designations possible in this field?
There are different roles available for a Law graduate to choose for: They are
Civil Litigation Lawyer:
The Lawyer who solely concentrates only one civil cases such as corporate, family, probate, intellectual property tax, personal injury law, real estate and so on.
Criminal Lawyer:
Criminal lawyers who are otherwise called as criminal defense lawyers who are responsible for defending individuals, organizations and entities that have been charged with crime.
They handle diverse types of criminal cases such as domestic violence crime, sex crimes, theft, drug crimes, fraudulent act, etc.,
Legal Analyst:
Legal analyst who works for corporate or law firms and analyses laws related to the company and its operation. He/she deals with all legal problems faced by the concern they are working for.
Document Drafting Lawyer:
The creation of legal documents is an integral part of Law profession. But those who specialize in this field are called as document drafting Lawyers. Such persons are responsible for drafting legal agreements, documents and all related legal papers for the company or the firm they work for.
Legal Journalist:
Legal journalism is a specialization within journalism. Legal journalist research and report every information pertaining to the Law. These people can be very successful when they work as “news reporters” since they will be able to perform well than a journalist without legal knowledge.
Government Lawyer:
Government Lawyers are the qualified Lawyers or Solicitors who work on behalf of government and give legal advice to the Government ministers and administrative staffs.
Judge:
Judge plays main role in the court room. They interpret law, deal with the evidence presented and offer judgment for all cases.
Different types of Law Exam:
The candidates those who are interested in the Law profession have to qualify any entrance examination below:
CLAT: (Common Law Admission Test)
This is national level entrance test for the admission to any 14 top National Law Universities of India. They are NLUs, TNNLS, Tiruchirappalli, DSNLU Visakhapatnam, Nirma Ahemedabad etc.,
LSAT: (Law School Admission Test)
This is a common test which tests the candidate’s verbal and logical ability skills. This test is conducted by USA based Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for use by Law schools in India.
DU LLB/LLM:
Faculty of Law, University of Delhi conducts a separate entrance exam for the admission to the courses like LLB and LLM.
SET Symbiosis:
Symbiosis International University conducts this exam for the admission to the various UG courses in the Symbiosis University.
ULSAT-UPES Law Studies Aptitude Test:
ULSAT is conducted by University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES). This is a common entrance test conducted for the admission to the courses like BA LLB and LLB in corporate Laws, cyber laws and intellectual property rights.
Top Law schools in India:
- Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
- Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
- ILS Law college, Pune
- Government Law college, Mumbai
- Amity Law School, Delhi
- Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
- National Law University, Jodhpur
- Gujarat National Law of University (GNLU)
- NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
- Symbiosis Society’s Law College (SSLC), Pune
Candidates who do 5 years BA LLB from top law schools like NALSAR or NLSUI Bangalore get huge job opportunity from the ITES firms and other law firms. These graduates can also start to practice in courts. But those who wish to practice in the court have to register their name in the bar council of India (BCI) and practice under the senior lawyers.