In this article, Sachin Vats put forth the advantages of having a degree of Company Secretary along with a degree in law.

“SATYAM VADA DHARMAM CHARA”— Speak the TRUTH and abide by the LAW.

The Sanskrit verse written on the website of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India itself describes the importance of law in the field of company secretaryship.

Should a Law student pursue Company Secretary (CS) Course?

We decide our career option on three different grounds. Those are name, fame and money. The name lives with us through our lifetime, fame remains even after the disposal of name and money depends upon the lifestyle we adopt.

• Every student’s mind is full of aspirations and to fulfill those aspirations everyone has his own career plan. The career in law is full of opportunities but opportunities bring with itself the competition.
• Corporate and Business laws are the two areas which are opted for getting better opportunities and placement. In order to have an edge over others if we keep ourselves updated and add certificates to our profile then a lot of opportunities will be before us to decide upon.

Relevance of Company Secretary course for a law student

• Law as a career has become very dynamic in today’s world. The field is full with an ocean of opportunities. There are a lot of amendments happening in the existing. The Companies Act, 1956 got overhauled in 2013. So, a lawyer must have the knowledge of the diverse areas.
• A law student purses Company Secretaryship course in order to have better understanding of corporate compliances. Company Secretaryship course is a widely known course and thought of as it provides additional knowledge to differentiate oneself and makes one employable in the era of cut-throat competition with a handsome salary and other hidden perks.
• Company Secretaryship course is one of the oldest course related with Corporate Law. The course is well structured by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and conducts all the examination concerned with it. The students of law have an added advantage to pursue a course whose study materials are similar to that of the law.
• A professional course will surely add a professional designation to the name of an individual which makes a person more employable and fit for the race. The syllabus of the three staged course is synonymous to the course of Business and Corporate law. Even if one who pursues company secretaryship course to add a degree to his CV then also it will benefit him.

Stages of Company Secretaryship

According to the Companies Act, 2013 the responsibility of a company secretary has increased manifold. Now, it is the first time that the duties of a company secretary have been defined under section 205 of the Companies Act, 2013.

• There are three different stages in the company secretaryship course described as Foundational, Executive and Professional. The market demand of this course has increased. After becoming a certified company secretary, a student has an enormous scope of employment in different fields.

Career opportunities after having a degree of CS along with a law degree

• They will be employable under a consultant firm, banks, private companies, financial institutions, department of company affairs or other regulatory bodies. It makes the person independent to practice his own business affairs.
• The companies act, 2013 confers a special status to a company secretary, as key-managerial personnel and bracketed him along with Managing Director (MD) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Manager, Whole-time Director(s) or Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

How to manage your time while pursuing CS along with a degree in law

• Candidates come across some problems during the preparation of two professional courses at the same time. They face the problem of time management. But, the problem can be easily sorted out with the help of our attitude and devotion towards our work.
• Charles Bruxton has said, “You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” If we put all our effort with full interest then nothing can stop us in our way to success. The student of law should have the knowledge of all the fields as they have to deal with the diversities of social problem in life.
• We cannot confine ourselves to only one aspect as it will not fulfill the purpose of our interdisciplinary approach taken for the understanding of the subjects. The course constitutes three levels which may become taxing at times to manage it along with the regular law school schedule, however, considering the macroscopic effect, the course prepares and endeavors to fulfill those minute crevices which may not have been filled by the Law School Syllabi.

• Swami Vivekananda has rightly said that Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man. Another problem is the subject background or stream problem. It does not matter a lot that which background or stream one opted during the senior secondary education.
• It’s a known fact that everybody has to study one subject for the first time. The only thing that is required for studying is to manifest it which has already a place inside us. It does not matter a lot if we belong to science, arts or commerce background.
• Yes, it is a matter of fact that the students of commerce background get an edge over others as the subjects like accounting and auditing are not new for them. But, in course of time just after the foundational stage everyone comes to the same platform.

Advantages of having a CS degree along with a degree in law

• The course of the Company Secretaryship improves the chances of a law student to get placed and more than that it opens the gate of several career opportunities. If the companies who are statutorily obliged to employ a company secretary then they will obviously prefer to recruit such a person with dual degree than one with a single degree.
• Qualifications matter a lot in getting better opportunities throughout the career. Someone has rightly said that it’s a beautiful thing when a career and passion come together. If one is really interested in Corporate and Business law then there is nothing harmful in pursuing the Company Secretaryship along with Law.
• But, it is not advisable to pursue a course without interest because it needs hard work and time to pursue two professional at the same time. So, working hard for something we do not care is stress and working hard for something we love is PASSION.

Reference

• The companies act, 2013
• CS brochure of the ICSI.
• http://startup.nujs.edu/blog/should-a-law-student-study-company-secretary-cs-course/