This article is written by Vanya Verma from Alliance University, Bengaluru. This article talks about the best career options that are available to an LLB graduate.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The legal profession in India has witnessed numerous changes over the years. Lawyers are no longer confined to the courtrooms where they represent their clients. Legal graduates today work in a variety of settings, including corporations, IT firms, administrative services, law firms, and corporate houses.
Lawyers in India are not restricted to the three branches of government: legislature, executive, and judiciary. With constantly changing legislation, it’s more necessary than ever for businesses to get legal counsel that can address new requirements in various industries.
We currently live in an extraordinary world. Thousands of people are losing their employment as a result of the COVID outbreak. Many people are perplexed as to the job path they should take to ensure their success in such circumstances. Law is one of those fields that is recession-proof, and the demand for attorneys will not decline in the future.
In a post-COVID-19 world, lawyers are more needed than ever, given the current scenario and the outcomes from various sectors. With the economic downturn, medical crises, police reforms, health-care disparities, and the fragility of small enterprises, competent legal aid will be required in the coming years. Lawyers will be kept busy in the coming decade.
However, India still lacks sufficient lawyers, and to meet all of the post-pandemic requirements, the country will require more lawyers than ever before. Various opportunities open up for students after their law graduation, and these opportunities can fetch them well too, let us study the career options students have after their LLB graduation.
Best career options for LLB graduates
Litigation
Litigation entails advocating for clients in a court of law. Before you can practice on the court, you must first meet certain prerequisites. The requirements are- an LL.B. degree, the ‘Certificate of Practice’ obtained after passing the All India Bar Exam, and membership in the Bar Council of the state in which you desire to practice. This procedure turns you into an “advocate”.
As an advocate, certain characteristics provide you with an advantage. These include the capacity to communicate with clients, as well as a flair of persuasiveness (which aids in making an impression on the presiding Judge), and lastly organizational and managerial skills (as litigation involves getting loads of paperwork completed on time).
Law firm
A law firm is another way to enter the field of litigation. A law firm is a partnership that employs lawyers to represent clients. A law company might either specialize in one area of practice or practice in various fields.
It is currently common for law undergraduates to intern for a legal firm over a period of internship breaks, with the law company finally offering them a pre-placement position (PPO). This is a win-win situation for all sides because the legal firm hires someone who is familiar with the firm’s operations and expectations, and the graduate receives an employment opportunity on a silver platter. You can either undertake legal research, drafting, and paperwork in a law office or represent a client in court. To qualify for the latter, you must first be an advocate.
Judicial services
The judiciary is another legal job option for fresh graduates. This entails taking the individual state’s Judicial Services Examination and, if chosen, serving as a Civil Judge or Judicial Magistrate.
Questions related to current events, English, substantive and procedural civil and criminal law, property law, contract law, and other topics are included in the exam.
Corporate sector
Every firm or business organization engages in day-to-day operations that involve legal complexities. The advice of a legal practitioner is frequently valued, whether it is for the design of a contract or for advice on the legal implications of any activity.
Working in a corporate office’s legal department entails creating contracts, negotiating, advising on mergers and acquisitions, insolvency, and maintaining corporate compliance, among other things.
One must first look for a vacancy in a company’s legal department and then apply for it. This is usually accomplished by going to their official website and emailing the application paperwork to the company’s HR Manager.
Judicial Clerk
When it comes to deciding cases or making up for the mistake, every judge needs help. This task is done by the Judicial Clerk who is essentially an assistant to the Judge in conducting research on the cases that are in front of the judge. The duties of a judicial clerk vary from one court to the other and from one judge to the other. The requirements of a Judicial Clerk are as follows:
- A candidate must be a citizen of India and not be below the age of 18 years and above 27 years as of the last date of receipt of applications.
- The candidate must be a law graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (including an Integrated Degree Course in Law) from any school/college/university/institution established by law in India and recognized by the Bar Council of India for enrolment as an Advocate.
- Candidates enrolled in the fifth year of the Five-Year Integrated Law Course will be allowed to apply if they can show proof of obtaining a law qualification at the time of the interview/before starting the assignment as a Law Clerk/Research Assistant.
- The candidate must be computer literate, including the ability to retrieve needed information via search engines/processes such as Manupatra, SCC Online, LexisNexis, Westlaw, and others.
Human Rights lawyer
Human rights lawyers are at the forefront of the fight against breaches of human rights all around the world. They take on cases involving their clients’ inherent dignity. Vulnerable populations, marginalized groups, women, children, indigenous peoples, refugees, LGBTI communities, and others have their rights protected. Working as a human rights lawyer entails campaigning for those who have been victims of egregious injustices. Human rights lawyers hold governments, corporations, and hostile groups accountable when they violate or abuse human rights.
You can work for human rights courts like the European Court of Human Rights or the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, or for non-governmental groups like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch as a human rights lawyer. Human rights lawyers are frequently employed by corporations, law firms, and chambers.
Cyber Lawyer
Cyber lawyers represent individuals, businesses, and governments in disputes involving cybercrime. An excellent cyber lawyer must have a thorough understanding of internet activities as well as up-to-date knowledge of cutting-edge technologies such as bitcoin, cybersecurity, and so on. He or she must be skilled in applying relevant cyber laws to matters involving e-commerce, e-contracts and digital signatures, intellectual property rights, cybersecurity, and other related issues. To become a cyber lawyer a candidate requires:
- The aspirant must have completed 10+2 and graduated with a minimum of 50% in aggregate from a recognized Board of education or university.
- A valid law entrance exam score accepted by the college to which one is applying is required.
- There may be an age limit, which varies depending on the degree and institute.
Journalism
Another professional option for law graduates is media and journalism, as legal school helps you develop your writing, narration, and research skills. In the field of journalism, these abilities are essential. Furthermore, you will always have an advantage when it comes to reporting legal issues.
While having a journalism degree is usually advantageous when it comes to being a journalist, a law graduate can also pursue a career in media. An in-depth examination will reveal that a lawyer possesses all of the distinguishing characteristics of a skilled journalist. A journalist must be active, have the ability to find mistakes, be conversational, questioning, and arguing. A lawyer’s qualities appear to be similar to those of a journalist. The Press Trust of India (PTI) has a policy of employing law graduates in their organization.
A lawyer can be an expert in political and crime journalism since he or she has a greater understanding of Indian Constitutional laws and the Indian Penal Code than journalists. In journalism, an LLB degree is valued because his or her nose for digging up RTIs and views about the industry’s norms are more clear. In being a legal correspondent for the press, he or she will always have the upper hand.
Academics, research and Teaching
Academics and research as a profession in law in India entail earning an LL.M. or Ph.D. in your field of interest and working as an Assistant Professor of Law at a law school. Students who have excelled in their undergraduate studies and are interested in teaching and research are the strongest candidates for pursuing a legal career in academia.
LL.M. programs are available both domestically and internationally. You can take the CLAT exam for Post Graduates if you want to pursue an LL.M. in India at one of the National Law Universities and even private universities and colleges provide you with the LLM course.
In order to pursue an LL.M. from outside India, you must take one of the English proficiency tests (such as TOEFL or IELTS) and apply to the appropriate colleges/ institutions.
Teaching in law schools is a reputable and well-paid profession. People with strong academic records should pursue a Ph.D., which will allow them to publish their research papers across several platforms. There are numerous possibilities for research projects. Visiting professor’s posts at private universities are becoming increasingly popular.
To work as an associate professor of law in a private university, one must pass the National Eligibility Test (NET) administered by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Only those with a Ph.D. degree in law in the subject they wish to teach are eligible to become professors at National Law Universities. To enter this profession, the required marks must be earned in the UGC’s Academic Performance Indicator-based Performance Based Appraisal System (PBAS).
Writing and blogging
Lawyers in India are prohibited from advertising themselves under the Advocates Act, 1961. As a result, lawyers have devised a novel method of expressing their ideas and work that is blogging. In India, the content writing sector has exploded in the previous decade, creating new fields of work for each given specialty. Many blogs dedicated to law and law education have sprung up as a result of lawyers’ smart approach. A full-time Content Writer or Law Blogger in the legal field can make anything from 30k to 1 lakh per month. In these legal blogs, freelance law blog authors have frequently compensated 50 paise each word. If you are an LLB graduate with a flair for creative writing, it is undoubtedly a career to pursue.
Legal Translation
Translation might not be the first profession that comes to mind when it comes to law, but legal translators are actually very much in demand. Legal translation services are a major service offering of many reputable translation agencies. These agencies are always on the lookout for linguistic talent with a background in the legal sector.
Legal translators need to have a fluent grasp in order to be able to translate legal texts in two different languages. These texts include contracts, patents, business licenses, litigation papers, legal certifications, and many other documents that legal translators deal with on a regular basis.
But it takes more than language—legal translators also need to know how to navigate the legal system of their country and the target country, which is difficult without a background in law. This makes having a law degree a major advantage.
Succeeding as a legal translator means having proficiency in two different skill sets, but the investment is worth it as the pay is good and there’s always work to be found.
Legal relation & policy analyst
Law graduates could work for law firms or corporations, doing legal studies of the company and its functions. In order to practice law, applicants must first obtain a license. Legal analysts can also help with the drafting of various legal documents and provide support to attorneys. This is a fantastic option in the field of financial law. Along with being a great athlete, it also demands you to be analytical and organized.
Businesses require lawyers because of their analytical, leadership, and proactive skills. In the corporate world, law graduates are regarded as the best counsel for policy-making. To maintain a healthy legal connection with India, foreign corporate firms prefer Indian law graduates. Many alumni of the National Law School of India University, for example, are employed in lucrative foreign law firms. Being a business policy analyst after law school might be lucrative if one has an aptitude for administrative, statistical, and abstract areas such as future planning and prediction.
Entrepreneur
Lawyers prefer to play it safe at all times. This is a common misconception about lawyers that contradicts one of the most important characteristics of an entrepreneur. However, contrary to popular belief, lawyers can be successful business owners. More than 300 firms, both in India and abroad, were created or led by a law graduate. To mention a few, Godrej, CCAvenue, and IndiGo. Good leadership, analytical, judicial, and nature of law individuals can be valuable assets for a business or startup.
Judge Advocate General (JAG) Officer
The Indian Army’s JAG is the Major who serves as the army’s legal and judicial chief. A JAG officer supports the court-presiding martial’s officers in understanding and applying military legislation.
The requirements for the post of JAG officer are as follows-
- Indian national.
- Minimum 55% in LL.B.
- Aged between 21-27 years.
- Eligible for registration in Bar Council of India or State Bar Council.
If there is a recruiting call out, applicants must apply online. The shortlisting of candidates is the next step. Shortlisted candidates are subjected to two psychological aptitude tests (interviews) and a medical fitness test at approved test centers across India.
Government services
Various Indian government law departments, such as the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Council, need people having a required qualification in the law stream to be appointed to government positions. To execute administrative tasks properly, the government needs Legal Advisors in almost every department. In the official languages wing of the department, the legislative council also hires lawyers who are fluent in any of the official languages (such as Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and Urdu).
Legal researcher
A legal researcher is someone who is in charge of researching different situations and figuring out how to win them. It covers a wide range of law-related issues. To put it another way, these are the people who lawyers hire to obtain a better understanding of the cases and legal complexities. As a result, if you have an LLB degree, this could be an interesting career path for you.
Legal outsourcing
Legal outsourcing is the process through which a law firm outsources its services to another law firm. This procedure is important for law firms that operate internationally. It enlists the assistance of a law firm from that country. Legal outsourcing is a novel concept, and its potential is still being explored. However, this is growing at a rapid pace.
Indian army
Take the less-traveled path. For law grads, there is the potential of serving in the Indian army. In order to join the Indian army, law graduates must have a minimum percentile of 55 percent in their relevant stream. However, there are a number of other requirements that candidates must meet, such as medical and fitness exams, age, and so on, in order to serve the country.
Public service and administration
Civil service is a popular choice among law graduates as a rewarding career path. Every year, the Civil Services examinations are held by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the State Public Service Commission (SPSC). Law graduates have an advantage in the civil services tests because a large percentage of the syllabus (law-related) is covered during their undergraduate education.
Any law graduate is eligible to take the Union Public Service Commission’s IAS (Indian Administrative Service) test (UPSC). Not only LLB graduates, but any graduate from a UGC-accredited university can sit for the UPSC Civil Service IAS test. LLB grads are qualified for IAS exams since they have a superior awareness of the country’s legal and administrative structures. UPSC tests, like the IAS, necessitate a great deal of patience and hard effort. This exam is something that many prepare for years. However, if you start working for the government, the struggle becomes even more difficult. If you want to go for it, you’ll need a lot of mental preparation and a strict study routine. This could be a financially rewarding and renowned professional path to pursue. Many IAS officers, like Sakshi Sawhney, the 6th rank holder from the 2013 batch, are B.A.LLB graduates.
Public Prosecutor
A Public Prosecutor is the person who represents the victim in a criminal matter on behalf of the state. The following are the requirements for becoming a public prosecutor in India:
- The age group of 35-45 years;
- A law degree;
- Minimum 7 years of practice in law as an advocate;
- Cleared the examination conducted by the PSC for the post of the public prosecutor; and
- Cleared the interview round.
Some of the top job roles offered to the LLB graduates along with the average salary offered
| Job Profile | Average Salary (INR) |
| Law Officer | 6.5 LPA |
| Junior Lawyer | 3 LPA |
| Advocate | 7 – 10 LPA |
| Litigator | 3.5 LPA |
| Private Practice | 9 – 15 LPA |
| Corporate Lawyer | 7 LPA |
| Professor | 6 LPA |
These are average figures, actual figures may vary depending on the place and area of practice, and also salary of LLB graduates depends very much upon the industry in which he/she is working and the job profile. A legal service chief can earn up to four times more than a legal support officer or legal advisor.
Conclusion
Overall, graduating with LLB is one of the first steps toward a successful profession, since there are several opportunities available to you. Before you embark on a career route, thoroughly research your possibilities and make an informed decision.
References
- https://enhelion.com/blogs/2020/07/19/9-best-career-options-for-law-graduates-in-india/
- https://www.collegedekho.com/articles/alternative-career-options-for-law-graduates/
- https://collegedunia.com/courses/bachelor-of-laws-llb/career-options-and-jobs
- https://www.theindianwire.com/education/career-options-after-pursuing-law-in-india-287025/
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