Career As A Lawyer: An Overview

If you aspire for a career in law in India, you would want to know all details regarding this career field. What it entails, which law course you would have to pursue, what the career scope is, the growth opportunities in this field and many more such questions would be on your mind. In this article, we bring to you an overview of career as a lawyer and brief answers to all these questions. In the last few years, the image of lawyers in India has undergone a change for the positive and many youngsters aspire to become high-profile lawyers today.

Earlier, law courses from colleges in India could be pursued only after graduation. However, the integrated five-year courses have now made it possible to pursue law straight after 12th class. Most of the reputed law colleges in India offer integrated five-year law courses. The degree is called BA LLB or Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law and Legislature. During these five years of study right after 12th, the subjects covered include psychology, history, sociology, language other than the specific law subjects such as civil procedure, torts, criminal and constitutional law, Indian Penal Code etc. The course also includes submission of projects, writing papers, internships etc. The three-year LLB degree can be pursued only after graduation and is offered by many state universities across the country.

The eligibility for BA LLB is a pass in Class 12 in any stream while for LLB; it is a pass in graduation in any stream. All institutes hold entrance exams to judge the aptitude of students and conduct admissions accordingly. All law schools conduct their own separate entrance exams before the admission season.

As a lawyer, there would be various career options in front of you. We are discussing the main ones here. You can work as Corporate Counsels. These are lawyers who work in corporate organizations and their responsibilities are drafting, vetting and negotiating contracts for the company. It is the duty of a corporate counsel to ensure that the company abides by the law in all matters. They also settle down any legal disputes that the company might be embroiled in. Litigators are the law practitioners in the courts of justice. They file cases over various issues on behalf of people and fight cases in the court. This is the most traditional career option for a lawyer.

One can also practice as a social advocate after the completion of the law course. Social advocates take up cases that are socially relevant such as gender issues, women empowerment, child development issues, environmental problems and various other such issues. Lawyers also develop skills that are very useful while setting up businesses. So, that is also a good career option for them to become consultants. There are ample growth opportunities for lawyers. There is linear growth for those who join law firms. Those lawyers who practice on their own
can reach any heights depending on the quality of their work and their popularity. Thus, there are bright career opportunities for lawyers who have pursued law courses from institutes of repute.