As you step out of high school, it is time for you to get into a completely new world where you can put your best foot forward in the degree you opt for and make a mark in that field. But often, as there are so many higher education degrees in today’s day and age that you feel lost in the maze of options.
However, if you have a knack for debating and love reading about social, political, and economic issues, then Law is the best career option for you. Now, this article will further talk about the course overview, admission procedure, and career opportunities available for you in case you choose this course.
COURSE OVERVIEW
So, you can pursue this degree right after stepping out of high school or after your graduation in any recognized course. If you want to pursue right after your 12th Board examinations, you have to opt for the five-year LLB program and if you want to pursue this course after graduation, you can opt for the 3-Year LLB program.
You can opt for either BA LLB, BCOM LLB, or BSC LLB (Honours) program, whichever suits your interest. In the first year of your law school, you will have mostly non-law papers and as you move to the second year and onwards, you will have more and more law papers.
You have around 5 years to explore in which area of law your interest primarily lies and accordingly, you can proceed with your plans. If you are opting for a three-year LLB program, you will be reading several law papers like Contract Law, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Family Law and so on. After exploring this vast domain, you can then choose which field you would like to specialize in.
ADMISSION PROCEDURE
The national level examination, which is the Common Law Admission Test is conducted every year to select students for the 5-year BA LLB program in the National Law Universities, which are the best institutions for Law in the country.
The National Law University Bangalore and National Law University Delhi conduct their entrance examinations- NLSAT and AILET respectively. Apart from CLAT, law students can also opt for the law entrance exam conducted by Symbiosis to get admission to their institutions in Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Noida. Some of the reputed colleges for the 3-year BA LLB courses are Banaras Hindu University and Faculty of law, University of Delhi.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
There is a common myth in the legal fraternity that career options in law are only limited to practicing as an advocate in a court of law or becoming a judge. However, standing in today’s day and age, the possibilities in this area are completely endless. Here are some opportunities one can look for as a law student.
Career in the Public Sector
If you want the perks and stability of a government job, then there are multiple career options available for you. Firstly, you can go for the most sought-after examination, which is the judicial services examination. This examination is one of the hardest government examinations but once you crack it, you are a civil judge and there is no looking back. Apart from the Judicial Services examinations, there are other government examinations as well.
If you want to work in several public sector undertakings like ONGC, you need to be one of the top rankers in the CLAT PG examination post, for which you will be called for an interview. If you are interested in Banking Law, then you can opt for the IBPS SO Law Officer Examination, where there are three stages- Prelim I, Prelim II, and the Interview Round. If you clear all the rounds, you will be appointed as a Law Officer in any public sector bank all over India.
You can even work as a Law Officer in the Reserve Bank of India, the regulator of all banks. In that case, you need to have two years of work experience as a practicing advocate, a Law Firm Associate, an In-House Counsel in any company, or as a Law Teacher, after which you can sit for the national level examination as well as for the interview. If you are interested in laws related to sock exchange and Security Law in General, then the SEBI Grade A Law Officer exam is the best fit for you. In this examination, you will have to clear three stages- Prelim I, Prelim II, and the Interview Round.
Career in the Private Sector
If you want to join the private sector, you can join any law firm right after your graduation. Law firms hire through campus placements where several law firms come to your college to shortlist students for hiring. If your campus does not have an effective placement cell, then you can opt for internships in Tier 1 Law firms, and if you do satisfactory work during your internship, you might be given a pre-placement offer to join the firm.
Now, it is always advisable not to solely aim only for Tier-1 Law Firms and to keep Tier-2 Law Firms as well for consideration. The reason is, that there are many Tier-2 Law Firms as well as some Tier 3 who are doing extremely well and will offer you a good package in case you are deserving enough.
The next career option in the private sector is to work in any multinational company. Let’s say that you are extremely interested in Media Law, then you can easily join the legal team of Netflix or Hotstar. If you are interested in Technology Law, you can join tech giants like Google and Microsoft.
Normally, Multi-National Companies do not hire freshers, except a few of them who only hire from the best colleges during campus placement. If you have two or three years of experience working in a Law firm, then you can easily opt for an In-House Counsel Role in any multinational Company.
CONCLUSION
Apart from the options above, you can even choose to have a career as an academician by opting for a masters and PhD. in many reputed institutions in India and abroad. The possibilities in the field of law are endless, the only thing you need is passion and dedication towards the subject.
If you give your cent percent during your internship days, you are bound to be rewarded in the long run after your graduate. Apart from persevering, it is equally important for you to discover where your strength lies so that you are aware of the destination towards which you need to put your best foot forward.
By: Somdatta Ghosh
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