Law is one of the most competitive career options available to a student after their 10+2 schooling. With the responsibility of lobbying opinion in different levels of personal, business, and judicial systems, lawyers are instrumental in protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens in most countries. The career is beneficial in the following ways:
- High Pay: Often chosen for the same reason as Medicine is chosen, i.e. high pay, careers in Law can offer average annual salaries of $115000 in the US (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)) and Rs. 7,00,000 in India (PayScale). This should not, however, be the prime reason to pursue any career, as Law especially is a very selective area of expertise. These salaries are available to those who have committed effort, ability, and passion to the field.
- Variety of Work Projects: Lawyers, throughout their career, are expected to work on a number of diverse cases.
- Respect: Law engages professionals who pursue justice for the state and its individuals. As a result, lawyers tend to maintain a reputable position in society by virtue of their career.
Law-enthusiasts must also consider the following realities of pursuing a career in Law:
- Pressure: Court trials may place high stress on law professionals, particularly through the pressure from clients who hire advocates and attorneys.
- Strong competition: Students graduating from law school compete with very high numbers of other prospective law professionals.
The path towards a successful career in Law in India will often involve the following steps:
- Candidates completing their 12th Grade studies write the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) as a common entrance examination to most colleges with a program for Law. Some colleges require non-CLAT exams, the list of which can be found here: http://clatpossible.com/non-clat-exams.php
- Candidates opt either for the 3-year L.L.B (Bachelor of Laws) or 5-year integrated L.L.B. The 5-year L.L.B. is becoming more and more available in recently-opened law schools such as the National Law Universities, and is considered a good option for students pursuing law straight from 12th
- Students scoring well in the CLAT (or other entrance exams), and between the ages of 17 and 20 as on July 1st in the year of admission, are then eligible to enroll in the colleges they may have been admitted to.
- Law firms tend to employ students directly from colleges in the final 2 years, but students may pursue internships before such time.
The following colleges in India are well-reputed for their law courses:
- National Law School of India University, Bangalore (requires CLAT)
- West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (requires CLAT)
- Rajiv Gandhi School Of Intellectual Property Law , IIT Kharagpur (requires LSAT-India and Separate Exams)
- National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, Hyderabad (requires CLAT)
- National Law University, Jodhpur (requires CLAT)
If you are interested in studying abroad, consider the following schools and their requirements: