Law Exam

Law As A Career

Gone are those days where career in law is often synonymous with courtroom cases, advocacy, and modest pay but much more than that. The current crop of law graduates is not only occupying offices of the government (Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary) but also taking over:

• Corporate Counsel
• Litigation
• Law Firms
• Social Work
• Academia
• Media…and much more!
• Moreover, a degree in law from a top NLU can get you a starting salary of 18 lakhs

 A1 Litigation

Popular Law Streams in India

– Civil Law 

It is the uncodified law in India that deals with the settlement of disputes that are considered civil in nature i.e. the offence can not be categorised as a criminal offence. Most of the time, civil law administers the disputes related to two individuals pertaining to marital discord, property issues, family partition, personal animosity etc.   Civil law is not against the state but always against an organisation or an individual and usually involves compensation instead of punishment. Top colleges that provide civil law in India are-

1.      National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
2.      NALSAR University, Hyderabad
3.      National University, Bhopal
4.      Symbiosis University, Pune
5.      Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law

– Criminal Law – 

Criminal law is a vast field and offers ample career opportunities for professionals. It involves punishment like imprisonment to moral wrongdoings.CesareBeccaria was a criminologist and economist and is known as the father of modern criminal law. Criminal law is never against an individual but always against the state or country (e.g. KM Nanavati v/s State of Maharashtra). Top law colleges that offer specialisation in criminal law are-

1.      NALSAR University, Hyderabad
2.      The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, West Bengal
3.      Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar
4.       Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law
5.      Dr Ram ManoharLohia University, Lucknow
   
   

– Constitutional law –

In simpler words, constitutional law deals with the constitution and the fundamental rights, duties, etc., and their violation. Indian constitution is the lengthiest with 448 articles in 25 parts and 12 schedules. Constitutional law is fixed and does not amend so easily. It trains the students with concepts of fundamental legal structures and concepts that are found in constitutions like basic rights, the rule of law, judicial review, systems of governance, etc. The top colleges offering specialisation in constitutional law are –

1.      National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore
2.      Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, New Delhi           
3.      NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad           
4.      Symbiosis Law School, Pune
5.      The National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal

Other popular law specialisations available in India are: –

•         Contracts
•         Intellectual property rights
•         Taxation law
•         Business law
•         Family law
•         Labour law
•         Army law

A2 Law Firm Working in a Law Firm

What it’s About

Law firms cater to the interests of companies and private individuals alike, though most of the large law firms deal exclusively with corporate houses, i.e. companies. Working at law firms involves dealing with a wide variety of problems that may or may not be restricted to a particular area of the law (depending on the specialisation and culture of the firm).

Major Law firms have separate litigation and corporate departments. The litigation department deals with the disputes which the firm’s clients are involved in. Working in the litigation department of a law firm or in a firm that does mainly litigation entails interaction with leading lawyers and a feel of the world of court practice. The corporate departments of law firms advise companies on the corporate deals which they are involved in, such as acquisitions of companies, important inter-company agreements, investment in India by foreign clients, financing of massive projects undertaken by clients and so on.

Legal schools are top law firms such as ShardulAmarchandMangaldas& Co., Cyril AmarchandMangaldas, AZB Partners, J.Sagar& Associates, and Luthra&Luthra Law Offices. Foreign law firms that recruit from Indian law schools include the UK-based Linklaters LLP, the Singapore-based Khattar& Wong, and others. Recruits join as junior associates and are promoted based on performance.
The top Indian law firms offer salaries that can go as high as 6 lakhs a year (with the occasional offer reaching as much as 10 lakhs). Foreign law firms (with foreign postings) offer salaries that can go as high as 16 lakhs. Some of these numbers include bonuses, which can be quite generous in most instances.

Law firm provide the opportunity for
1. Growth

2. Experience
3. Above all – a great salary.

As you can see, the work in Law Firms is long, hard and demanding, but the reward at the end of it are considerable. You get to do a lot of high profile work, meet with the biggest names in the corporate world, be part of cutting edge legal processes and finally gain a lot of respect from the people around you. The starting pay ranges from 40k – 70k per month, and can rise sharply according to the firm. The position is one of great responsibility and excellence is amply rewarded.

A3 Corporate Counsel

What is a corporate Counsel?
A corporate counsel works directly for a company to help with any intersections with the law or legal proceedings that a company may encounter in operating.

Corporate counsel are required to interact with several different functions in a company, understand Business and Operations needs, and serve these needs in a manner that is both suitable and legal.

The scope of a corporate counsel’s work is providing legal protection and services both to individual employees and the company as a whole. This work can include:

• Government regulations
• Collective bargaining agreements
• Legal research
• Insight on contracts
• Property laws

In-house attorneys are also responsible for troubleshooting problems before they occur. The working is in stark contrast to the workings of a law firm where the advocates quickly learn to recognize the legal issues in, say, a business agreement, an in-house attorney will work more closely with the business people to establish business terms, identify legal issues and decide what type and level of risk is acceptable. Counsels at higher up the ladder is most likely to function as trusted business advisors and often report directly to the CEO. Therefore, an understanding of the business functions and management comes in handy for an in-house attorney.

The work of an in-house counsel is more like that of a generalist involving a little bit of everything. They work in majority of areas such as transaction, mergers and acquisitions, contracts etc. Also, since corporations have a global presence, international law also comes into play. Although the profession does not demand specialization, the wide array of matters which are entrusted to the in-house team demands high efficiency and versatility.

Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
Association of Corporate Counsel was founded in 1982. The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is a global bar association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel through information, education, networking opportunities, and advocacy initiatives. Association of Corporate Counsel is a global network of legal experts. ACC provides opportunities to broaden your knowledge and expertise through collaboration with peers in your industry and region.

Corporate Counsel Pros and Cons
Starting salaries are high, and are comparable with those offered to graduates from management institutes. Offers can go as high as sixteen lakhs a year. In addition, companies often offer various perks over and above the salary: accommodation, club-memberships, vehicles, coverage of medical expenses and soft loans, to name a few. While starting salaries are high, increases in salary are often fewer and far between than they can be in a law firm or in practice. A company job, however, does offer tremendous security and very good pay throughout your career. Hard work is recognised, and is rewarded through growth within the organisation, and you could reach the board of directors of the company (AdityaGhosh is actually the CEO of OYO). Some corporate houses offer the opportunity to take on management and marketing functions to those that display an ability and competence to take on these functions. A degree in management is a great boost to your career if you decide to do so.

The Advocates Act prohibits an in-house counsel from appearing as advocates in courts. As a result, the profession will only be useful in the stages leading up to any court proceedings and businesses will still need to engage external counsels for court proceedings. Another con of the profession is meeting the job requirement of “jack of all trades”. An in-house counsel has to advise on a day to day basis along with troubleshooting the possible solutions. It is highly unlikely that a sole in-house counsel can come up with the breadth and range solutions that are required for the job.