Mobile Menu

FAQ on Law as a career after 12th

2015-10-07

Today Law is one of the best career options after 12th, if we consider the emergence of National Law Schools,their world class education, infrastructure and campus placements.
Student can go for Law courses with any stream (Science stream/ Commerce stream / Arts stream) in 12th. From 2008 onwards, the ten premier National Law Schools admit students into their 5 year BA LL.B programs through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).

You may find more details (eligibility, test pattern, conducting bodies etc.) regarding Law entrance exams after Class 12 their in our blog Law Entrance Exams – Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus

B.A.LL.B vs LL.B

Law is one of the career-oriented courses after 12th. In India, the student can pursue the legal degree after the completion of the graduation in any discipline. There are the following degrees of legal education in India.

Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) – 3 years

LL.B is the most common degree of law education. The LL.B degree takes 3 years.

Integrated undergraduate degrees – B.A. LL.B., B.Sc. LL.B., BBA LL.B, B.Com LL.B – 5 years

One can apply for the integrated course & take the admission in 5 year programme after the completion of 10+2 exams.

Other Law Programs

Master of Laws (LL.M.) – one/two years

LL.M is the master degree in legal education having one or two-year duration.

Master of Business Law

The MBL is the master degree in legal education with the specialization in business law having one or two-year duration.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

There is a good prospect for PhD after the legal education. Most of the highly reputed autonomous institution provides the PhD programmes.

Integrated MBL-LL.M/ MBA-LL.M – 3years

One who wishes to do the integrated course with business specialization can go for the MBL-LL.M or MBA-LL.M. It is a 3 year degree programme after the completion of the LL.B.

Jobs / Careers In Law

Law is a very reputed field to choose as a career. India has great demand for skilled lawyers While the traditional options of joining legal practice or the judiciary as solicitors and advocates remain open, options like joining civil services, academics and working as law officers in the government and public and private sector undertakings are also available to law graduates. However most impressive are the options thrown open by the emerging global economy to a graduate from a top law school. These are as follows:

  • International Law firms
  • Indian Law firms
  • Consulting & Advisory companies
  • MNCs and corporate legal departments
  • Legal Process Outsourcing
  • NGO and Global organisations
  • Big Firms like, E&Y, KPMG, Deloitte and PwC hire lawyers for performing there tax divisions.

Starting Salaries

There is no limit to salaries if you are a good lawyers and practicing individually.
After the completion of the course, while working under the experts, one can earn stipends ranging from Rs. 5000 to Rs. 20000 per month.
By working individually in court one can earn Rs.20,000 to Rs.50,000 per month.

Opportunities Abroad

The last decade saw many Indian lawyers leave India to pursue career with foreign law firms and this trend has snowballed into a situation where foreign law firms are now hiring the best of Indian law school graduates. One of the reasons that foreign firms prefer to hire Indian law school graduates is that India has a Common Law system, under which the law is created and/ or refined by judges and a decision in the case currently pending depends on decisions in previous cases and affects the law to be applied in future cases.

This system is followed by lots of countries that trace their legal heritage to Britain, including the United Kingdom and the United States. Another reason is that Indian students are proficient in English and their legal skills are on par with their counterparts in the west. Also, growing international trade and WTO regulations will lead to the opening up of legal systems across the world and law firms are preparing for it.

Indians are considered an asset to law firms whose clients have business interests in India. An Indian lawyer is considered valuable on any team that is involved in a crossborder deal.

For an Indian to work as a solicitor in the UK, he/she must pass the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) which is conducted by the Law Society. In order to do so they must have two years of training/ experience. Work done in India or any other Common Law jurisdiction counts. It is necessary to first obtain a Certificate of Eligibility from the Law Society before sitting for the exam.

Of course, an aspiring lawyer must beware of several obstacles on the way. While getting a working permit isn't very hard, it isn't a cakewalk either. The trick is to find a law firm that will sponsor you.

The Next Step

Amongst all the course which lawyers choose after LL.B is LL.M. While some other popular courses are: