CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAW GRADUATES
By Binoosha Benoy, Advocate
Law has emerged as a top career option for today’s youth. A profession in law is considered highly august and financially productive. Conventionally, after graduation, a law student was expected to practice litigation. A litigator or an advocate hears and defends the cause of his/her client in the court. However, in the course of time, the career possibilities of law grew extensively. An individual can now become a patent attorney, public prosecutor, legal journalist and so on.
The following are some of the major domains which are available to law graduates to mould a prosperous career in Law.
CORPORATE SECTOR
Due to its massive growth, the corporate world is consistently spilling over with new career opportunities. Big companies, banks, organizations and individuals approach law firms or engage legal advisors or in-house counsels to receive legal guidance and ensure corporate compliance. Working in a law firm as an attorney or a legal analyst provides access to extensive client contacts and resources along with wide exposure and good status. Legal process outsourcing (LPO) which is the practice of a law firm obtaining legal support services from an outside law firm, is yet another progressively growing career choice. By working at LPOs, law graduates obtain opportunity to demonstrate their caliber and gain good income by giving prominent services such as contract reviewing, drafting, legal research, etc. to both domestic and overseas clients.
INDIAN LEGAL SERVICES
Law graduates can apply for government posts like Legislative counsel in the Legislative Department and Legal counsel in the Department of Legal Affairs. For this, you have to pass the Public Services Examination. This exam unlocks a broad range of other job opportunities also such as public prosecutor, legal secretary, member of law commission, Attorney General and so on. Furthermore, the Union Public Services Commission and the State Public Services Commission conduct Civil Service Examinations every year. Law graduates have a higher advantage in this exam since a substantial part of the curriculum related to law is already learned during their law programme.
JUDICIARY
Being a judge is an honourable profession. There are two tracks that can be followed if one wants to join the judiciary. The first is to begin practice in litigation and then get experience to become a judge. The second is to clear the Judicial Services Examination of the respective states and work as a Civil Judge or a Magistrate. For law graduates who wish to serve in the Indian Army, Judge Advocate General (JAG) whose chief duty is to provide legal aid to the military in every facet, is also a very good career option.
HIGHER STUDIES
Law graduates who are searching for newer spheres should think about pursuing added degrees such as CA, CS, ICWA, MBA, Science etc. These will open bigger job opportunities. Those who wish to specialize in a particular branch of law can pursue L.L.M and further if interested, can undertake research and gain a PhD. After successful completion of L.L.M, you can also apply for the National Eligibility Test to work as Assistant Professors in various institutes.
To obtain an L.L.M admission in India, you have to qualify exams like CLAT, AILET, etc. Many of the Public Sector Undertakings like ONGC and OIL recruit law officers, legal executive trainees and legal advisors every year depending on CLAT scores and personal interviews. So apart from getting admitted to National Law Universities, there are also other advantages of writing CLAT.
LEGAL JOURNALISM
The increase in legal media platforms has led to the growth of a new area called the legal journalism. This is a very good career option for law graduates who possess fine research and communicative skills along with thorough knowledge of the legal institution of our country. Several prestigious lawyers work as correspondents for news channels, newspapers and magazines where they use their talents and legal understanding to deliver information to the common people.
LEGAL CONTENT WRITING
Content writing is definitely a career to choose if you are a law graduate who has a talent for creative and original writing. A law firm’s website that implants confidence in prospective clients will comprise of updated and credible contents that feature various aspects of the firm, its lawyers, and the cases that they specialize in. A legal content writer accentuates the firm using his/her writing skills. Various publishing companies also engage writers, who have law background. If you have the potential to research and write legal reports for different journals or newspapers or if you are competent in editing law books, this profession would definitely be an apt one for you.
OTHER
Law graduates can also think about taking up other uncommon career options like social work by joining NGOs, Government Commissions like National Commission for Women and even international organizations such as the UN. Alternate Dispute Resolution which is third-party mediation between parties in order to reach an out-of-court settlement is also a growing career choice that is altogether favorable, considering the aggregate of unheard and undecided cases presently in the courts of India. One can work as an arbitrator, mediator or negotiator in this particular field.
The popular saying ‘Sky has no limits’ fits like a glove to the legal profession. However it is foremost that you grow skills in research, writing, editing, debating, public speaking and other soft skills, to guarantee victory. While applying for internships you can have a glance at other industries and governmental agencies also. Moreover, learning more languages will also enlarge your options of geographical areas. Any career in law has its own advantages and drawbacks. You should understand and study the choices closely before finalizing a career track.