Careers in Law --- Job Prospects and Colleges

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/02/2012 - 10:22

There are more practicing lawyers with fewer cases; therefore, many are looking at salaried jobs as an option.

 

 

Practicing law has become highly competitive as more lawyers chase fewer cases. Yet legal practice continues to attract some of the best and brightest minds. Law schools, particularly the reputed ones, have been attracting talented young people.

Legal practice is becoming more specialized by the day. New specializations like Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) have been becoming popular. Corporate and tax laws are seen to be lucrative. Those with idealism are taking up human rights and environmental laws. The traditional classification of civil, criminal and family law practice continues to be the mainstay for the legal fraternity.

 

 

Courses
There are number of institutions and universities conducting various courses in law.

  • LLB is the bachelor degree.
  • LLM is the post-graduate degree.
  • LLD is the Doctorate degree

Also,   many universities  and  institutes  offer diploma courses in several disciplines of law, including Administrative Law, International Law, Labour Laws, Tax Laws and Corporate Laws.

 

The Under-Graduate Programme Offered by the National Law Universities 5 year integrated * BA/B.Sc /B Psc/ BBA/ BCom LL.B (Hons) Degree Course

 

Eligibility
To be eligible to appear for CLAT-2011, a candidate should have passed his/her Higher Secondary School/Intermediate Examination (10+2) or its equivalent examination with not less than 50% marks in aggregate (45% in case of SC/ST/ OBC and persons with Disability).~ Candidates who have appeared in the 10+2 examination and are awaiting results are also eligible to appear in the test. The candidate must have passed the qualifying examination at the time of his/her admission and be able to submit its proof.
Age of candidate should not be more than 20 years in case of General/OBC candidates (22 years in case of SC/ST and persons with Disability), Subject to State reservation at the University concerned , as on 1st July, 2011.
* BA/B.Sc Offered by NWS, NLU Jodhpur and GNLU.
** B Psc Bachelor in Political Science, offered by NLU Jodhpur.
A BBA/ BCom Offered by GNLU, a new course, BSL (Bachelor of Social Welfare and Policy is under consideration to be introduced).

 

Eligibility: Those who have passed 10+2 or an equivalent examination with at least 50 per cent marks are eligible to apply for undergraduate programmes. The eligibility for candidates who belong to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes and differently-abled candidates is 45 per cent marks.
For postgraduate programmes (except for NLU, Jodhpur), candidates should have secured at least 55 per cent marks in aggregate for L.L.B., or B.L. (50 per cent for candidates belonging to the SC, ST and OBC and differently-abled candidates).

 

Duration
LLB -5 years and is sponsored by the Bar Council Of India LLM- 2 years

 

Admission
Most of the Universities and Law colleges hold a written test for the admission. The entrance examination is objective type in nature. The questions invariably cover areas like reasoning, general awareness, numerical aptitude, legal aptitude and preliminary political science.

 

 

Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is an all India entrance examination conducted by 11 National Law Universities for admissions to their under-graduate and post-graduate degree programmes (LL.B & LL.M).

The 11 participating NLUs in the order of their establishment are:

  • National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU).
  • NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad (NALSAR).
  • National Law Institute University, Bhopal (NLIU).
  • The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (WBNUJS).
  • National Law University, Jodhpur(NLU).
  • Hidayatullah    National    Law    University,    Raipur (HNLU).
  • Gujarat   National    Law   University,    Gandhinagar (GNLU).
  • Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow (RMLNLU).
  • Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala (RGNUL).
  • Chanakya National Law University, Patna (CNLU).
  • National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi (NUALS).

 

CLAT was conceptualized and implemented pursuant to a case filed at the Supreme Court of India highlighting the hardships of students who would have to appear for several separate entrance examinations. Prior to the case being decided, the Ministry of Human Resource Development brokered a settlement between the various law schools to conduct a common, all India entrance examination which was labeled as CLAT.
As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the first CLAT Committee (consisting of Vice-Chancellors of the participating NLUs) decided that the test should be conducted by rotation in the order of their establishment. CLAT-2008 (NLSIU, Bangalore), CLAT-2009 (NALSAR, Hyderabad) and CLAT-2010 (NLIU, Bhopal) were conducted accordingly. CLAT 2011 is being conducted by The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (WBNUJS).
For more details: www.clat.ac.in/about_clat.php

 

All India Bar Examination (AIBE)
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has started conducting mandatory examinations to determine whether law school graduates are eligible to practice law in India or not. The exam are being conducted across 27 centers and in 10 languages and will be in an open book written format.
According to BCI, around 71 per cent of about 22,000 candidates who took the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) held on March 6, 2011 have passed the examination. The BCI Chairman described the AIBE as a historic landmark for the legal profession and added that it was only the first step.
The entry-level examination was being held for the first time in the country to assess a candidate's capabilities as lawyer at the basic level and to set a minimum standard for admission to the practice of law. Only a pass in this examination will enable the advocate to practise the legal profession.
The candidates can also apply online for the AIBE through BCI website [www.barcouncilofindia.org].
The BCI is the country's apex statutory body to regulate legal education and profession and having disciplinary jurisdiction over lawyers. The BCI would be providing preparatory materials in nine languages for this examination to all candidates. The application forms, along with an instruction sheet for this examination, would be available at all state Bar Associations offices, besides the BCI.

 

 

Job Prospects
After gaining in experience from a senior, one lawyer can either start private practice or join the legal department of public sector or private sector organisations. There will be a great demand for lawyers who specialize in corporate law, arbitration, tax laws, patent laws, information technology or cyber laws and intellectual property laws. Experts predict opportunities for young lawyers in legal process outsourcing (LPO) as global legal firms outsource their legal services to India.

 

 

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