In this article, Aklovya Panwar discusses the highest paying legal jobs in India.
“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.” ~ T.E. Lawrence
India as a country has a very complex social, political and economic system. Since Independence there has been various highs and lows in India’s growth and we have also gone through various reforms in our system for the final goal i.e., development. Development is a very broad term but it is generally related to the stability, happiness and satisfaction of an Individual.
In today’s world of modernisations an individual’s satisfaction and stability can be measured by the amount of money he earns. In the urge of this stability every individual tries to seek for best fields or jobs, one among them is the stream of law where a person can earn a hefty amount by the way of their skills and abilities. The Indian legal profession today consists of approximately 12 lakh registered advocates, around 950 law schools and approximately 4-5 lakh law students across the country. Every year, approximately 60,000 – 70,000 law graduates join the legal profession in India.So now the question arises what are the best option they can opt for?
Law Firms
In India, Law firms are characteristically set up as a partnership or sole proprietorship concerns. Most law firms engage lawyers on an exclusive retainership basis. The lawyer in this arrangement is not an employee of the firm but is an exclusive consultant to the firm.
Law firms provide hefty pay amount and are one of the most grossing jobs in this field.
Here is a sample report where the remuneration in the law firms has been shown:
Top law firms in India
| Rank | Company Name | Number of partners | Number of lawyers | RSG Profile Score | RSG Client Satisfaction Score | Total Score |
| 1 | Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co | 84 | 655 | 61 | 8.7 | 37.8 |
| 2 | AZB & Partners | 20 | 295 | 59 | 8.5 | 35.2 |
| 2 | Khaitan & Co | 81 | 354 | 55 | 8.7 | 35.2 |
| 4 | J Sagar Associates | 79 | 337 | 41 | 8.7 | 34 |
| 5 | Luthra & Luthra Law Offices | 42 | 292 | 30 | 8.2 | 30.4 |
| 6 | Trilegal | 23 | 172 | 19 | 8.5 | 28.2 |
| 7 | S&R Associates | 8 | 53 | 8 | 8.9 | 27.1 |
| 8 | Economic Laws Practice | 25 | 129 | 5 | 9 | 26.2 |
| 9 | Desai & Diwanji | 27 | 187 | 12 | 8.5 | 25.8 |
| 10 | Talwar Thakore & Associates | 4 | 26 | 9 | 8.8 | 25 |
Trial lawyers
Trial lawyers are among the highest paid legal professionals in the world. It is a field where the skills and experience of the lawyer matters a lot. It is an opportunity where you can earn good amount of money by way of your performance.
Cyber Law
The advancement of technology comes as a blessing for the human kind but with that, it also costs the epitome of nuances which includes most of the online injuries. In this cyber law act as a remedy. Cyber crimes can contain criminal activities that are traditional in nature, such as theft, fraud, forgery, defamation, and mischief, all of which are subject to the Indian Penal Code. The abuse of computers has also given birth to a gamut of new age crimes that are addressed by the Information Technology Act, 2000. Cyber lawyers are in high demand as India is still exploring its online database limits. One recent example was the famous case of Right to be forgotten.
It varies on the role. The biggest factor is the merit of the law student in question. If you’re hired by a company as an in-house cyber law counsel, the starting salary would be between Rs 50,000 and Rs 60,000 per month.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property Laws deal with copyright, trade, and patent. As like the field is unending so does the opportunities. IP lawyers are needed in present time due to spread of awareness regarding possession. So it is another top-notch job for good earning. The starting salary would be between Rs 50,000 and Rs 60,000 per month.
Human Rights lawyer
Human rights lawyers usually get absorbed in government organisations like National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) or State Human Rights Commission, NGOs, social welfare departments, and international organisations such as Amnesty International and Red Cross. The Human rights lawyer are frequently needed in the organisations working for Human Rights. They also helps in the formation of policies.
Starting Salary: Average INR 3,00,000 per annum.
Judges
This is the most hon’ble position in the nation as judges are the providers of justice and this position is earned only by prior dedication and obstinate determination. Judges enjoy high earnings as well as other special privileges, most judges enjoy health benefits, expense accounts and contributions to retirement plans made on their behalf, increasing the size of their compensation packages.
The highest-paid judgeships are those within the Supreme and High court system, while local judges and magistrates earn the least.
Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament is not explicitly, a field for law professionals but if a person have interest in policy making and wants to understand the core execution of our political system then they can contribute their legal knowledge in the same. As One-third of the Union Council of Ministers are law degree holders India paid Rs.176 crore to its 543 Lok Sabha members in salaries and expenses over the last year, or just over Rs. 2.7 lakh a month per Member of Parliament (MP), new official data show.
Professor of Law
Nowadays, this profession is in very high demand because law school professors not only teach they also contribute in the academics by their publications and scholarly articles. Securing a position as a law school professor is competitive, however, qualifications for top candidates include a law degree from a top law school, law review, high-class standing, judicial clerkship experience, law practice experience and publication credits in scholarly journals They have specialisation in their subject by which they help in the formation of various laws and policies by proposing their research, viewpoints and ideas.
Judicial Clerkship
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person generally an attorney who provides straight assistance and counsel to a judge in making legal decisions and in writing opinions by exploring issues before the court. It is a perfect opportunity for the freshers as well as the law students because it not only lobs good money but also brilliant exposure of the reality of the law.
Public Prosecutor
As per the revised scale, pay scale has been changed and there is a hike in the salaries of public prosecutors.
| POSITION | PREVIOUS SALARY | AFTER REVISED PAY SCALE |
| Assistant Public Prosecutors | Rs 9,300-34,800 | Rs 15,600-39,100 |
| Director (Prosecution) | Rs15,600-39,100 | Rs37,000-67,000 |
| additional public prosecutors | Rs.5400 | 6600 |
| chief prosecutor’s | – | 7600 |
Conclusion
Law is a field of innumerable opportunities and the above-mentioned opportunities are a drop in the bucket. Law is the basis of all other institutions. Every now and then, law is evolving and with that new opportunities are also coming into existence. But lastly, there is only one question to ask, is it about money all the time? So, taking this into concern it is important to understand that every opportunity has its own worth. Money is “a thing” in the constituents of a happy life but it is not “the thing” when we talk of successful and satisfying life. So, just go for the opportunities and knock the door, keeping in mind that apart from money there are a lot of things that can be extracted out of that position.
References
[1]Vision Statement 2011-13 « The Bar Council of India, The Bar Council of India, http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/about/about-the-bar-council-of-india/vision-statement-2011-13/ (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
[2] India Lawyer Compensation,Report,https://www.vahura.com/docs/VahuraSampleCompensationReport.pdf
[3] Id.
[4]Rebecca Furtado, Top 10 Law Firms That Pay The Highest Salary In India iPleaders (2017), https://blog.ipleaders.in/top-10-law-firms-that-pay-the-highest-salary-in-india/ (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
[5] PayScale – Salary Comparison, Salary Survey, Search Wages, PayScale – Salary Comparison, Salary Survey, Search Wages, http://www.payscale.com/ (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
[6] Vivek Tripathi, Cyber Laws India Cyber Laws India, http://www.cyberlawsindia.net/ (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
[7] IndiaToday.in, From human rights to cyber law, five top lawyers on the intricacies of studying law. India Today (2016),http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/the-business-of-law-human-rights-cyber-law-criminal-law-litigation-law-intellectual-property/1/565469.html (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] High Court Judge, Supreme Court Judge, District / Civil Court Judge Grade Pay Pay Scale Salary Allowance Perks Under 7th Pay Commission, 7th PAY COMMISSION (Salary) (2016), http://www.7thpaycommissioninfo.in/high-supreme-district-civil-court-judge-grade-pay-scale-salary-allowance-perks/ (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
[11] Press Trust of India, Lawyers dominate Narendra Modi’s cabinet,The Indian Express (2014), http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/lawyers-dominate-narendra-modis-cabinet-2-doctors/ (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
[12] Rukmini S., Government spends Rs. 2.7 lakh a month per MP, The Hindu (2016), http://www.thehindu.com/data/government-spends-rs-27-lakh-a-month-per-mp/article7699415.ece (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
[13] Supra 5.
[14] Supra 5.
[15] Pns, ‘Higher pay scales to different categories of prosecutors‘ The Pioneer (2015), http://www.dailypioneer.com/city/higher-pay-scales-to-different-categories-of-prosecutors.html (last visited Jul 3, 2017).
