Career Prospects For Indian Law Graduates
Study of law is unquestionably one of the most gratifying career options considering the job challenges and financial benefits. Over the last few decades India INC has witnessed a steady rise in demand for law graduates in various professional fields.
Study of law is increasingly becoming a career choice for millennials. Earlier students were offered courses in civil, criminal, corporate, taxation, labour and election law. Today the repertoire has included new specialisations including space, cyber, intellectual property, and international laws. The prospect for law students is very good as they are now better armed than those 10-15 years ago.
Law experts feel that a fresher should go for litigation for at least five to 10 years and spend two to three years in trial courts learning cross-examination, pleadings and drafting.
Getting there
Students can choose between a three-year LLB degree after graduation in any discipline or a five-year integrated BA LLB programme after plus two. Those seeking admission to the law programs have to write a test, like the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).
With rising demands that are emerging with the fast changing world, law schools of India introducing more dedicated subjects and programmes in their curricula. Programmes like Aviation law at NALSAR, Public policy at NLSIU, Entrepreneurship administration at NUJS and Labour welfare laws at Symbiosis Society’s Law College, have recently been initiated.
In addition to new courses, the institutes have also started focussing on schooling law students through moot court sessions, competitive legal events, journal writing and mandatory internships.
Institutes for studying law in India
National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar
ILS College, Pune
Bharathi Vidyapeeth Deemed University New Law College
Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia
Hidayatullah National University of Law
Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University
PG College of Law, Osmania University
Amity Law School, Delhi
Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
Symbiosis Law College, Pune
Faculty of Law, Aligarh Muslim University
School of Law, Christ University
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata
Desired qualities
Factors like repute, proficiency and kinds of cases handled play an important role in the career of a lawyer. Other qualities include-
Excellent communication skills
Incisiveness
Exceptional memory
Open mindedness
Good leadership qualities
Logical reasoning and analytical power
Thinking out-of-the-box
Deft knowledge and understanding of statutes, rules and regulations, and notifications
Job opportunities
Law is globally hailed as an exciting and challenging career and it is often very gratifying to know to help innocents from a life of ignominy in jail or from execution. With years of experience, lawyers earn social and professional recognition while securing their future financially. Corporate lawyers often secure a better package from the very beginning which ranges from 50,000 to 1lakh INR. However, for further growth one has to become a partner in a firm or start one.
With the boom in law firms, enrolment of law graduates has seen a new high. Other than litigation law firms also assist their clientele with mergers, acquisitions, due diligence audits and with other similar requirements. These firms throng at the National Law Schools, to pick up the best brains through campus recruitment. Depending upon the size of the firms and the profile of the candidate, annual pay packages are often handsome, varying from Rs. 8 lakh to Rs.12 lakh. This is driving the young law graduates towards these firms.
Banks and PSUs also look for erudite and brilliant law recruits to equip their legal departments and take care of drafting, negotiating and vetting contracts. Stable job, set hours, guaranteed hike and promotions are the major pull of this opportunity. Starting annual pay-package including perks could vary from 4.5 lakh to 7 lakh INR.
The fledgling private law schools and the fresh National Law Schools have produced a massive demand for professors in these institutions. Legal Journalism, international organisations, NGOs, centres for policy-making and legal research and government departments are other domains for law students to explore interesting opportunities.
Now a day, law graduates are opting for Tax as their career paths, particularly indirect taxes. The big 4 Firms – Deloitte, PwC, E&Y and KPMG have started signing up lawyers for the tax divisions and are offering brilliant salaries. Starting salary for a lawyer in a BIG4 is estimated to vary between 6-8 lakh INR.
Challenges
However, most lawyers begin their career with a modest wage and have to struggle for the first few years. It is a time taking profession and requires patience to get established and flourish in independent practice.
To start with a lawyer brings home around 15,000 INR a month in litigation, because the groundwork of a good lawyer is laid in a trial court. Though firms do not always have many vacancies, the ones doing well get noticed in the courts and are often picked-up by veterans. Established advocates are known to charge 5 lakh to 1 crore INR for one court appearance.