What is law?
One of the most challenging and thrilling career goals is standing in a court of law. Having a clear understanding of the concept of ‘Law and Order’ will escalate your career to its peak.
Britannica defined the term ‘law’ as a profession concerned with the country’s customs, regulations, and rules that bind the community together. Safeguarding the peace and harmony of the community is the major aim of the profession.
In layman’s terms, the law can be described as a system of rules and regulations structured that are enforced in a locality through public bodies or authority figures elected by following an unbiased process of election to regulate the proper functioning of the behavior of the people residing in the locality.
Experts from diverse corners of the globe are still holding a longstanding debate about the one correct definition of law. The ‘art of justice’ has as many different understandings as people are coming across the concept of law. The law shapes every brick of the country; starting from the political picture of the country to the economic status and the societal regulations. Presently, we will be focusing on the Indian Judicial System. The Constitution of India presents each citizen with their basic rights. The Legislature device various laws to protect such rights. Indian believes in a mixed approach and thus practice federal judicial law. The Indian Judicial System is equally dependent on the parliamentary legislature, courts of law, customs, and religious practices. The judges engineered 4 types of the legal system that propel the Indian Judiciary System:
1- The criminal law: Violating other’s basic rights as dictated in the Constitution of India by another individual’s interference comes under criminal acts. And when the basic right of living tampers, or in simpler words murder or homicide takes place, the matter is dealt with by the Criminal Law enforced in the country. The criminal laws are enforced by the police and handle violations such as murder, assault, robbery, etc.
2- Civil law: The section of law operating in the country to mitigate the disputes between various organizations or individuals. Some of the most common factors that are resolved by civil law are defamation, divorce cases, custody of the child (children), matters of a trade union, property disputes, etc.
3- The common law: The common law is said to be derived from the judicial sections of the court of law and similar functioning bodies. As evident from the term, common law is ‘common’ for each individual residing in the country. The other names for common law are judicial precedent, court law, and judge-made law.
4- The Statutory law: The statutory law or the statute is formed by an act of the legislature that is signed by the executive or legislative body. For instance, in the case of state laws, the acts are passed by the state legislature and then signed by the governor. Under some circumstances, the President or Governor may deny and reject the bill: such circumstances are called “veto.”
Let’s start the journey of a career in law with initial research about eligibility and admission into the law colleges of India.
How to get admission to India’s top law colleges
The admission for the ‘Legum Baccalaureus’ or what is popularly known as Bachelor of law (LLB) is undertaken in both the forms: merit-based and entrance-based. Let us start with the eligibility criteria for studying LLB in India:
- Age limit: The upper age limit of the LLB aspirants must be 20 years for getting admission into the 5-year program.
- Educational Qualification: The aspirants must score at least 45% in their Class XII boards from a recognized board of education or some equivalent degree.
- Entrance examinations: The majority of the top law colleges in India conduct entrance examinations; for instance, Delhi University, Symbiosis International, Osmania University selects their candidates through DU LLB, LAWCET, etc.
- Merit-based admissions: Some of the private and public Universities in India select their candidates based on previously qualified degrees. For example, SRM is one of the biggest private universities that release merit lists followed by counseling and selection.
Some of the Top Law Colleges in India are listed below along with a brief idea about their admission process and eligibility criteria:
- Aligarh Muslim University: The Department of Law in Aligarh Muslim University offers a 5-year-program in B.An LLB (Honours) as well as a 2-year-course in LLM. The eligibility criteria of the prestigious university are quite simple. The aspirants must hold 50% marks in their 10+2 level or any equivalent exam from a recognized board to appear for B. An LLB entrance exam was conducted by the University. The entrance examination of AMU is usually held in May. For LLM, the candidates must pass the final examination of the five-year course in LLB.
- Delhi University: Another finest university that offers a prestigious five-year program is Delhi University. The students are selected in the course through a thorough selection process which starts with DU LLB. Candidates appearing for DU LLB must hold 45% marks in their XII boards or equivalent degrees. DU LLB is usually held between August and September.
- Banaras Hindu University: The next on the list of top law colleges in India is ‘Kashi Hindu Viswavidyalaya’ or BHU. The entrance examination for the university is being held by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The BHU LLB is the entrance test for the law aspirant which is usually conducted in September.
- Symbiosis International Law School: A five-year integrated B. LLB and two-year LLM courses are offered by the popular law college of Symbiosis. The aspirants must appear for the Symbiosis Entrance Test (SET) which is usually held in May. The candidates must pass the final examination of B. An LLB (Honours) to get admission in the 2-year LLM program.
- National Law School, Bangalore: The National Law School of India University is deemed to be one of the most popular Law colleges in Asia with its 5-year integrated B.An LLB (Honours) course. The selection of the candidates starts with the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) which is scheduled in the month of May every year.
Some of the other popular law colleges that students should know about are the National law Institute in Bhopal, Hidayatullah National Law University, and NALSAR University of Law.
Career in Law:
Apart from the financial benefit and designation obtained during the journey, a career in law is fulfilled by the aspirant’s efforts towards awareness of basic rights. The different types of law careers that you may choose after completing your course are listed below:
- Incorporate law: If your primary aim is to earn crazy money, this might be a wise choice for you. Law firms strive to expand their business to diverse geographical areas. They are mostly concerned about property acquisition, finance, and tax, etc.
- Banking and Insurance: The Administrative Officer of Law handles the internal as well as external policies in the banking and insurance sector. Various insurance companies hold such recruitments regularly.
- Public prosecution: This sector is one of the most pursued careers of law students. The public prosecutor is nothing but an advocate employed by the Government whose major aim is to embody the ideology of the state in criminal cases.
- Investigation: This is considered one of the thrilling branches of law. Those having a keen interest in criminal matters and investigation should not hesitate to choose this sector. The advice of lawyers, officially or unofficially, is taken in the matters handled by CBI, IB, or any state agencies.
- Solicitors: You want to avoid the crowd and court hustle, choose a career in soliciting individual clients. Various public and private sector industries employ their solicitor for numerous legal advice.
How to get Government jobs after LLB LLM:
The LLB graduates come across several examination opportunities to get hold of a government job in India. Some of the popular examinations are listed to help in your research about a career in law:
- Judicial Services Examination: The PCS (J)- Provincial Civil Service- Judicial Examination is one of the most widely appeared examinations by the law graduates of our country. Clearing PCS (J) enables the candidates to get entry into the subordinate judiciary. This exam is conducted by the respective states of India under the supervision of High Courts.
- RBI Legal officer: Reserve Bank of India conducts examinations to recruit Grade B Legal Officers at regular intervals. The Law graduates can easily apply for the exam which consists of 2 tiers- written examination and interview session. The recruited Legal Officer of RBI is supposed to handle the legal matters of different departments and offices under RBI.
- Recruitment in Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI): Candidates holding an LLB degree and below the age of 30 can apply for the recruitment test conducted by SEBI for appointing Grade A Legal officers and assistant managers for their branches.
- Recruitment in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation: General Manager and legal manager are commonly recruited by DMRC by conducting a selection examination. Candidates must have an aggregate of 55% of marks in their LLB degree.
Private jobs for Law graduates in India:
Having a B. An LLB degree opens immense opportunities for the aspirants. A career in law is often tested one’s patience. Several private companies in India recruit law graduates and LLM holders to seek legal advice. Reliance and TATA are the two major industrial tycoons that recruit a gigantic number of solicitors for their uncountable branches of services. One needs to be aware of the recent openings and vacancies to get a job in the private sector.
One of the most lengthy and challenging careers is a career in law. The aspirants need to hustle from beginning to end, but the journey is undoubtedly fulfilling. Some of the top law colleges in India offers integrated 5-years course of B. An LLB (Honours) are Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, National Law College, etc. Having a graduation degree in law creates innumerable opportunities for the aspirants to go for government and private jobs in India. The cohesiveness and harmony of the country will scatter without the presence of the legal team.
