As a young student in the primary classes, many of you might have been fascinated about being a lawyer looking at movies where the profession seems quite interesting. Here is a detailed guide to tell you how to pursue law as a career after class 12.
The Available Bachelors Courses
There are two law bachelors’ courses designed by the Bar Council of India in the country- a 5 year integrated LL.B. course and a 3 year LL.B. course.
When can you pursue Law?
The 5- year integrated law course can be pursued soon after passing your Board Examinations of class 12 whereas the 3- year course requires one to first, pursue a graduation degree in any field and then opt for law as a second bachelors’ degree. Also, it is important to clarify that the integrated 5-year law course integrates degrees like B.A. or BBA or B.Sc. or B.Com. along with LL.B. according to the interests and choices of students. The most common combinations are B.A. LL.B. and BBA LL.B.
The Entrance Examinations
Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)– In order to pursue a law degree in a government university under the Centre, this exam is the primary one and has around 70,000 applicants per year. Students get admission into any of the 22 National Law Universities of national repute, according to their rank. The total number of seats available are somewhere around 2,500 although the number keeps fluctuating from year to year basis. However, one disadvantage of the CLAT exam is that only a 5 year integrated B.A. LL.B. and BBA LL.B. courses are provided for bachelors. Nor does one have any other combinations of subjects and neither does one have the 3 year LL.B. option.
All India Law Entrance Examination (AILET)– This exam is indeed one of the very famous national examinations of repute since it provides admission to National Law University, Delhi. The seats are very limited and the competition is quite difficult because of the large number of applicants as compared to the seats.
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)– This examination is for admission into law schools of global repute mainly situated in the U.S., Canada and a few other countries. However, it is easier to crack than CLAT. Aspirants are required to have great proficiency, in both spoken and written English as it is the lingua franca language.
Delhi University Entrance Exam (DUET)– This exam provides admissions to various colleges of the Delhi University according to one’s rank. The limitation is that students can only apply for the 3 year LL.B. bachelors’ course after having completed one graduation degree.
JMI BA LLB, JNUEE, AMU BA LLB – These are law entrance exams conducted by institutions like the Jamia Millia Islamia University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Aligarh Muslim University respectively. All these three institutes are of great prestige for a career in law.
AICET– The All India Common Entrance Test also provides admissions to students who want to pursue law in an entrance paper specialised for law aspirants. One can even get admission into IIT KGP with a law course through this exam.
State Entrance Examinations– Each state has its own common entrance exam for the universities under each respective state.
Some Private Universities– Almost every private university has law as a course but mentioning a few might be helpful. The Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune; the Ramaiah Law College; the Symbiosis Law School, Pune and Noida; ILS, Pune; ICFAI, Dehradun and the Christ University are some of the private colleges which reflect a good position on one’s Curriculum Vitae (CV) in law.
Courses after a Bachelors’ in Law
LL.M.– This is a course for a masters in Law. The CLAT PG examination is most prevalent for getting admission into national government colleges of India. Some even pursue this course in foreign universities through examinations of individual foreign universities. This course lets the candidate have a specialization in any specific field of law.
Ph.D. in Law– Although this is a much far-fetched degree to pursue, some aspirants do pursue a Ph.D. in law when they want to work as a professor or in any field of teaching or writing in Law.
Of course, there are many more facets related to the field of law that can intrigue an aspirant. The field is very diverse and gives one innumerable possibilities in one’s career. Overall, it’s a great learning experience for a student who pursues law as it gives a new perspective about practical things in life. It is not just an academic course but one which will compel a learner to connect the practical lives of people along with the course.
