From being a legal advisor or solicitor to donning the hat of an advocate, tutor or even political reporter, there are options galore in the field of law. With law agencies being constantly in the news for various reasons, this profession has peaked, says Ashwini Bhave
The role of a lawyer is crucial as the society is updated with the legal procedure and their rights. Besides the existing laws, with new inventions and scientific developments happening almost every day and individuals getting conscious of their rights and legal framework, the importance of lawyers has grown. Hence, a good option for those who have just cleared their Class XII exam.
The dictionary describes lawyer as someone who is skilled in the ‘circumvention of the law’. lawyer is an individual licensed by the State to engage in the practice of law and advice clients on legal matters. lawyer works as advocates and advisors on behalf of their clients. Advocates represent either the complainant or the defendant in criminal or civil trails.
lawyers pleads in court and is actively involved in litigation. From deciding the legislation and relevant precedents in a particular case to working as a legal advisor or solicitor to counsel clients, firms, organisations, there are aplenty of options available for the lawyers to pick from. In the event of a case going to court, the solicitor briefs and advises the advocate who takes up the case on behalf of the client.
To be an advocate, one needs to begin as a junior assistant to an advocate, performing routine jobs like filing, researching, securing adjournment and attending court with the senior, graduating to working on briefs and drafting plaints.
To become a solicitor, one can join as a junior in a solicitor’s firm during the articleship, or while doing the law course. Here too, the junior job begins at routine runs like studying law cases, looking up authorities from time to time and filing suits and notices. Depending upon the solicitor’s firm, the junior may gain valuable experience in a wide range of matters, from labour laws and industrial disputes to taxation, under the guidance of his seniors.
With several years of experience, a lawyer may rise to the level of a senior and may eventually be invited to join as one of the partners of the firm. A law graduate can either practice as an advocate in a court of law or work with corporate firms. By clearing exams conducted by public service commissions, a law graduate can become a judge. He can hope to become solicitor general, a public prosecutor or offer services to Government departments and ministries. A lawyer can also be appointed as company secretaries in various firms. They also work with legal consultancy firms dealing with tax, excise, patent, labour and environmental laws. They work as trustees of various trusts, law reporters in media industries. Besides this, lawyers have ample career options like teaching in colleges, working with NGOs and working as a reporter for newspapers and television channels are other attractive options.
Eligibility
A student can either pursue a three-year law course (llB) after graduation in any discipline or pursue a five-year course after completion of their secondary examination leading to BA llB (Hons) degree. National law Schools in the country admit students into their five year BAllB programmes through the Common law Admission Test (ClAT) which is usually held in May. To appear for ClAT, a candidate should have passed Class XII with not less than 50 per cent marks (45 per cent in case of SC/ST/OBC and persons with disability). There are five test areas i.e. English (40 marks), General Knowledge (50 marks), Mathematical Ability (20 marks), legal Aptitude (40 marks), logical Reasoning (50 marks). Other major law entrance tests include the entrance tests of Symbiosis, Pune, Noida, IP University, Delhi, Faculty of law, AMU, Aligarh and NUA.
The llB course is regulated by the Bar Council of India which sets rules and regulations regarding legal practice in the country. There are several aspects to a lawyer’s work depending on which field they specialise in. These are:
Civil law deals with concerns of private rights of individuals, handling damage suits, breach of contract suits, drawing deeds, wills, mortgages etc.
Tax law has a tuned in focus on income tax, estate tax, real tax, franchises, problems of inheritance, etc.
Criminal law deals with offences against society or state.The job involves interviewing clients and interrogating witnesses, correlating findings, etc.
International law specialises on treaties, customs and traditions observed by nations in their relations with one another.
labour law deals with workers, their associations, working conditions, workers’ rights and duties, etc.
Real estate law covers conveyance of property, search records and deeds to establish titles of property; acting as trustee for property; and, drawing up legal documents for deeds and mortgages.
Patent law focuses on securing patents for inventors from the patent’s office. Here the lawyer specialises in prosecuting or defending patent infringement.
Private lawyer primarily focus on civil or criminal law, representing private individuals.
Corporate lawyer works mainly for corporate clients and advise them on legal issues around their business activities.
Intellectual property lawyer helps to protect clients’ claims to copyrights, creative work under contract etc.
Insurance lawyer is supposed to give advice insurance companies about legalities of insurance transactions, writing policies that are legal and correct.
Environmental lawyer represents pressure groups, interest groups, and organisations who are working on issues related to environment.
Government lawyer work as prosecutors and defenders on behalf of the state within the judicial system.
Skills
Good communication skills, quick responsiveness excellent memory, open, flexible mind, good authoritative leadership qualities, logical reasoning should be there. They should have good listening and powerful oratorical skills, out-of-the-box thinking ability, knowledge of all statutes, rules and regulations, and notifications.
The writer is head psychologist, www.CareerCo.in.