Law is a career stream that candidates pursue at undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) or doctorate (PhD) level to practice legal profession in India. Law as a career is very popular among students in India. The popularity of this stream can be judged from the fact that famous people like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela as well as the former US President Barack Obama were lawyers.

Scope of law as a career is immense in India. These days, law graduates do not just opt to get dressed in black and white apparels and head to court but also make their presence feel in corporate houses, law firms, law agencies, administrative services and the likes.

A career in law requires one to put in a lot of hardwork and long working hours. The preferred specializations in law are either criminal or civil. However, these days other branches are also gaining popularity such as cyber law, patent law as well as corporate law.

To make a career in law at the UG level, aspirants can pursue five year duration integrated LLB courses such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, BSc LLB or BCom LLB. Candidates can also opt to pursue a three year LLB course after completing their graduation. Apart from this, candidates who wish to study further can obtain a master’s degree (LLM) followed by a doctoral degree (PhD).

Law Eligibility & Entrance Exams

Law colleges across India have different selection process and eligibility criteria for admissions at UG and PG levels. However, given below is the basic eligibility criteria that candidates need to fulfill to secure admission in law courses offered at UG and PG levels:

Eligibility for UG Law Courses: Candidates are eligible to secure admission in UG law courses if they have cleared Higher Secondary School/Intermediate (10+2) or its equivalent exam from a recognised board with not less than 45% marks in aggregate.

Eligibility for PG Law Courses: For admission in LLB (3 years) course, aspirants need to be graduates from a recognised university. Also, for admission in LLM course candidates need to possess an LLB or equivalent degree from a recognised university.

Desired Skills for Law

Other than the educational qualification mentioned above, candidates should possess some skills mentioned below in order to be successful in the field of law.

Popular Law Entrance Exams

Law admissions at a majority of colleges and universities in India are done on the basis of entrance exams. Most of the law entrance exams conducted for admission in UG level law courses evaluate candidates on the basis of their aptitude/ knowledge on subjects such as General Knowledge, English, Mathematics (Numerical Ability), Logical Reasoning and Legal Aptitude. On the other hand, popular law exams for PG level law courses comprise questions from subject areas such as Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence and other law subjects (Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, Environment Law and Human Rights Law, etc).

Some popular law entrance exams that aspirants should consider appearing for in order to secure admission in the best law colleges in the country are mentioned below:

Law Courses

Candidates can pursue degree, diploma as well as certificate law courses at UG, PG and PhD levels.

Degree law courses: Candidates can obtain either an integrated law degree (such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, BSc LLB, BCom LLB etc) after clearing Class 12th or a normal LLB degree after clearing graduation. The duration of an integrated LLB degree is usually five years and that of a normal LLB degree is three years.

Diploma law courses: Candidates can pursue diploma courses at both UG and PG levels. The duration of diploma or PG diploma law courses usually ranges from one to three years.

Certificate law courses: Certificate law courses are basically short-term programmes whose duration ranges from two weeks to six months.

Mode of Law Education

Candidates can pursue law courses as full-time, part-time, distance/ correspondence, online, and virtual classroom programmes. However, it may be noted that a majority of law courses in India are offered as full-time programmes by private colleges and universities. Nonetheless, some law courses in India are also offered by public/ government or public private institutions in the country.

Law Specialisations

Law courses in India are offered across various specialisations. Given below are some of the popular law specialisations that candidates can choose to make their career in:

Law Subjects & Syllabus

Law subjects taught in a UG or PG course may vary from college to college. However, given below is the law syllabus that is usually taught in UG and PG level law courses offered in India:

Law Syllabus (UG Courses)

Law Syllabus (PG Courses)

Law Job Profiles & Top Companies

Becoming a lawyer is not the only job profile one can pursue after completing their law courses. Aspirants can also make their law careers in the job profiles mentioned below:

Top Law Companies in India

Salaries earned by law graduates typically vary on the law specialization they choose along with the company they join. After completing a law course aspirants can work as an understudy with lawyers or even join a corporate company. Know the top law companies here.

The top law companies that are known to hire law graduates are listed below:

1. Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co.
2. AZB & Partners
3. Khaitan & CO
4. J Sagar Associates
5. Luthra & Luthra Law Offices
6. Trilegal
7. S&R Associates
8. Economic Laws Practice
9. Desai & Diwanji
10. Talwar Thakore & Associates