Law Career Guide ebook

1. An overview of Law Entrance exams

LAW entrance tests are conducted on a national, state or university level for admission
to various law courses like BA LLB, LLM etc.
Given below is a list of top law entrance exams in India
Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)
CLAT is a national level entrance exam for admissions to candidates in UG and PG law
courses offered by 22 NLUs and several other colleges/ universities.
The exam is held by the Consortium of National Law Universities headed by NLSIU.
LSAT India - Law School Admission Test
Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a standardized test of reading and verbal
reasoning skills conducted four times every year specially designed for LLB and LLM
admissions. The LSAT scores are accepted by top law collges in India like Rajiv Gandhi
School of Intellectual Property Law, IIT Kharagpur Law School, Galgotia University Law
School, UPES Dehradun, SRM University, Amity Law School and several others
All India Law Entrance Test (AILET)
All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) is conducted every year by National Law University
Delhi to admit students for its law programs.
Symbiosis Law Admission Test (SLAT)
SLAT 2020 will be conducted by Symbiosis International University to admit students
to its three Law Schools, Symbiosis Law Schools located at Pune, Noida and Hyderabad
Delhi University Law Entrance Exam
Delhi University Conducts the law entrance exam ever year for admission to various
law programs run by the university.
BLAT
BLAT is conducted by Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi for admission in their law
programs.

Wide Selection of Career Options

1
There are several benefits of being a lawyer including the ability to have a wide variety
of career availability in private as well as the public sector.
Given below is a list of some of the career options available for a law graduate.
• Judge
• Legal advisor
• Legal journalist
• Legal analyst
• Litigation lawyer
• Government lawyer, etc.

2. Law after Graduation

Gone are the days when law graduates would be holding case files for a senior lawyer,
while slogging 12-13 hours a day, learning the trade. The current crop of law graduates
are not only counseling corporates on complex issues but are also occupying offices of
the government (Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary). A degree in law opens the door
to a wide variety of careers.

• Litigation:
Litigation is the traditional career path for most law graduates. Considered to be a
high-risk, high-reward area by many, litigation to most sounds an alarm bell. The
reason is fairly simple: it takes years to be an established lawyer, and the start is not
often financially rewarding. But, with determination and patience, one can attain
heights.
With the prolonged economic slowdown and shrinking profits, corporates are now
getting more and more combative; and are taking every step necessary to protect their
interests. As a result, legal recourse is on the rise; creating more and more
opportunities for young graduates.

• Corporate Counsel:
Be it working in swanky law firms, or matching the steps with corporate managers,
lawyers today have created a niche in the business world. From counseling clients to

2
drafting & vetting of contracts, or advising on mergers and acquisitions, corporate
governance, a young lawyer is very much an integral part of the business world.

• Judiciary:
One of the most respected professions in the country, the judiciary offers an
opportunity to work for justice. A law graduate can appear for the Judicial Services
Exam conducted by states; and upon qualifying, becomes Judicial Magistrates. One
can also opt for the position of Judicial Clerkship in courts.

• Civil Services:
Be it State Civil Services or Union Civil Services; law graduates have a definite
advantage. The evolved exam structure, which tests the knowledge of Indian Polity,
gives them an edge. No wonder then, the number of law graduates cracking these
exams is on the rise.

• Defence Services:
The Judge Advocate General (JAG) Department is the legal department of the three
services: Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Judge Advocate’s primary role is to deliver
independent, operationally-focused, solution-oriented legal advice and services across
the full spectrum of respective laws.

• Academia
The ever-rising number of law schools is providing opportunities for young law
graduates to pursue their areas of interest in teaching.

• Non-Governmental Organizations:
Law graduates are equally equipped to handle social work, as they are aware of the
legal rights of all social strata. They have the option of working with NGOs, the National
Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Women, etc.

• Legal Process Outsourcing:

3
 LPOs include a vast range of services, such as research, drafting, vetting, etc. With
India continuing to be a major player in the world of outsourcing, LPOs are avenues
for high-paying jobs.
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. A degree in law can open a lot many doors to
lucrative career opportunities.

3. Advantages of Law as a career

There are several advantages of being a Legal professional. All you need to do is
prepare for LAW entrance exams and join a good LAW School. The following
advantages will follow:

You're the Leader of the Pack

Lawyers today aren't just taught the tenets of the law, they are taught to lead the
world. The ability to make decisions based on facts and reasoning, rather than
emotions is an integral part of success in the legal world and holds even more value
out of the courtroom. A great leader can make the hard choices putting the interests
of his client first.

So much in Law
Gone are the days when a Lawyer had to choose a career in either Criminal or Civil.
Corporate, Commercial, Mediation, Human Rights, Intellectual Property Rights,
Environment, Cyber, and many more options are open to a LAW school graduate.

Placements Nonpareil
Students from the top Law Schools don't need to go job hunting, as appropriate
opportunities come looking for them. Every year the best law firms in the country, not
to mention top corporate houses set placement targets for their HR teams to ensure
they don't miss out on the top talent in the country. The trick is to prepare for LAW
entrance exams and get through a good LAW school.

4
Show me the Money
The IITs and IIMs are not the only schools in the country to go to get top jobs. Law
School graduates now earn salaries on par (and often exceeding) the best offered in
Business Schools or Engineering Colleges.
A benefit of pursuing a career in law is the potential to earn a very good salary.
Experienced and talented attorneys can make a large amount of money every year
even practicing the most basic forms of law. This will allow you to live a comfortable
life.

A chance to rein Supreme

The dream of most lawyers is to roam the halls of The Supreme Court of India. Most
lawyers from the top Law Schools in the country do that. Beyond being an established
lawyer in India, there are no geographical boundaries for a great legal mind. Options
are open at the United Nations / International Court of Justice and more.

4. Law Specializations
A number of specializations are offered to students. Given below is a list of popular
specializations that a candidate may choose from.

• Civil Law
• Tax Law
• Criminal Law
• Corporate Law
• Commercial Law
• International Law
• Labour Law
• Real Estate Law
• Patent Law
• Competition Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• Mergers and Acquisition Law
5
• Tax Law
• Administrative Law
• Banking Law
• Business Law
• Company Law
• Constitutional Law
• Consumer Law
• Contract Law
• Cyber Law
• Education Law
• Energy Law
• Entertainment & Media Law
• Environment Law
• Family Law
• Healthcare Law
• Telecommunications Law, etc.

5. Top Law Colleges in India

 National Law School of India University, Bangalore National Law Institute
University, Bhopal
 West Bengal National University of Judicial Sciences, Kolkata
 National Law University, Jodhpur
 Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur
 Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar
 Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow
 Rajiv Gandhi National Law University, Patiala
 Chanakya National Law University, Patna
 National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi
 National Law University Odisha, Cuttack
 National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi
 National Law University and Judicial Academy, Guwahati
 Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Vishakhapatnam
 Tamil Nadu National Law School, Trichy

6
  Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai
 Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur
 Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad
 Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur (MPDNLU)
 Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla
 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University (earlier known as National Law
University Haryana), Rai, Sonepat

Non- NLU colleges

 Alliance School of Law, Bangalore
 Asian Law College, Noida
 Amity University, Noida
 Azim Premji University, Bengaluru
 Delhi Institute of Rural Development (D.I.R.D.), Holambi, Delhi
 Disha Law College, Raipur
 Galgotias University, Greater Noida
 Geeta Institute of Law, Panipat
 Harlal School of Law, Greater Noida
 IFIM Law College, Bengaluru
 Indore Institute of Law, Indore
 Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmadabad
 ISBR Law College, Bangalore
 Jagannath University, Jaipur
 JECRC University, Jaipur
 JIMS Engineering Management Technical Campus School of Law, Greater Noida
 Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida
 Maharaja Surajmal Brij University, Bharatpur
 Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad
 Manipal University, Jaipur
 MATS University, Raipur
 Mewar University, Chittorgarh
 Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies [NMIMS] (Deemed to be
University), Mumbai
 NIMT Institute of Method & Law (NIMT Vidhi Evam Kanun Sansthan), Delhi NCR
 Prestige Institute of Management & Research, Indore
 RNB Global University, Bikaner
 Ramaiah Institute of Legal Studies (RILS), Bengaluru
 Renaissance Law College, Indore
 School of Law, THE NorthCap University, Gurugram, Haryana
 Shri Vaishnav Institute of Law, Indore
 Siddhartha Law College, Dehradun
 SRM University, Haryana

7
  Vivekanand Global University, Jaipur

Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs)

PSUs which accept CLAT scores for recruiting the law students as legal advisors are-

 Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, Dehradun

 Oil India Limited
 GAIL India Limited

CLAT Eligibility
CLAT 2020 eligibility criteria are mainly based on two factors:
 Educational Qualification
 Age Limit

CLAT UG eligibility:

Age Limit: There will be no upper age limit for the UG programme in CLAT 2020.

Qualifying Exam: Candidate should qualify the class 12th or equivalent exam from a
recognized board or university.

Percentage: 45% marks in case of the candidates belonging to

unreserved/OBC/specially-abled person (SAP) and other categories and 40% marks in
case of the candidates belonging to SC or ST categories.

CLAT PG eligibility

Age limit: No upper age limit prescribed for appearing CLAT 2020.

Qualifying Exam: The candidate must have a minimum percentage of marks in the
qualifying examination i.e. LL.B or any other equivalent exam.
Minimum Marks: 55% marks in the case of the candidate are belonging to unreserved
categories/OBC and other categories. 50% marks in case of candidate belonging to
schedule caste/ scheduled tribe.

8
CLAT overview
The overview for CLAT exam is given below:

Exam Highlights Details

Exam Name CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)

CLAT Exam Conducting Body Consortium of National Law Universities

CLAT Exam Level UG and PG

CLAT Exam Frequency Once a year

CLAT Exam Mode Offline

CLAT Exam Duration 120 Minutes

CLAT Exam Language English

CLAT Exam Purpose Admissions to BA LLB, BCom LLB, BSc LLB,

BBA LLB, BSW LLB, LLM courses

CLAT Exam Pattern

 CLAT 2020 is in pen-paper mode and will be conducted offline.
 The duration of AILET 2020 will be 120 minutes i.e. 2 hours.
 The exam will be in MCQ format and will have 150 questions.
 The exam will have five sections.

Marking scheme-
 For each correct answer, 1 marks will be awarded
 For each incorrect answer, 0.25 mark will be deducted
 If any question is left unanswered, marks will neither be awarded nor deducted

CLAT is majorly be divided into five sections

 English Language
 Legal Reasoning
 Logical Reasoning
 Quantitative Techniques

9
  Current Affairs, including General Knowledge


6. CLAT Preparation Plan

General Guidelines
 Know the marking scheme:
It is imperative that you know the marking scheme. You have to score marks to qualify
the exam and you need to know what kind of approach will fetch you marks to
eventually crack the exam.

 Practice and analyze:

Once the fundamentals are clear in the classroom it becomes imperative that a
practice test on the same topic is written that very day to reinforce the concept. Timed
tests on 2/3 topics/ sections written every day and analyzed thereafter are enough to
tame the CLAT exam.
 Practicing mock tests and previous year question papers
It is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Candidates preparing for the exam should
write as many mock tests and possible. These not only give you an idea about the type
of question asked in the CLAT exam but also ensures that you stay relatively calm and
confident on the day of the actual exam you.

 Investing in good and reliable study material

Books are the holy grail of success. It is delusional to believe that the right schedule
and practicing mock test alone will not help you to excel CLAT 2020. You need good
books and reliable study material to qualify for the exam. This study material can also
be online. With the rise in digitalization, it is only fit to refer to study material on the
internet as well. All that a candidate needs is a reliable source of information.

Section-wise preparation tips

Mathematics
For this section Practice! Practice! and practice! The more you practice the more
equipped you are. What you do today should be revised again and again and again.
Practicing again and again for this section especially builds accuracy. And that is what
you need in a time-bound exam with negative marking. The quicker you are, the more
time you save to answer the rest of the questions. The more accurate you are, the
more marks you make.

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

 Stay aware. Awareness plays a key role in this section. One must make his/ her
habit of reading newspapers and watching the news daily. Basic knowledge of
History, Geography and Science will be preferred as a great advantage. The

10
 Hindu will be enough and try to utilize the entire free portal which provides
current affairs.

Legal Reasoning
 Focus on the legal issues from the last 10 months and read about them.
 Special attention should be paid to landmark judgments and important cases
from the last year.
 Read about all the new amendments and enactments done in both monsoon
and winter sessions of the parliament along with contemporary issues like
LGBTQ rights or the death penalty which have been a part of the news in the
last few months.
 Reading about static and current legal issues prior to your CLAT 2020 will help
you in understanding the passage easily and at a much faster pace during your
final exam.
 Secondly, you might land up in a situation where you are running out of time
and cannot invest the last three-four minutes left in reading the entire passage.
Here, your prior basic
 Understanding of the legal issue will be of great help as you might be able to
answer a couple of questions even without reading the entire passage word to
word.
 Improve your legal vocabulary including legal jargons, legal terms, foreign
phrases, and maxims.

English Language
 For this part, it is necessary to read as much as possible.
 Reading the newspaper and learning new words will prove to be beneficial.
 Practicing comprehension passages will increase your answering speed.
 Solve the previous year’s question papers.
 Take online mock tests and check your performance.

11