Lawyers are those professionals who deal with the laws and fight cases for their clients’ satisfaction, and lead them not just to victory but to justice. Law professionals got a license from the Bar Council of India (BCI) to practice in a court of law. Lawyers specialize in various fields and sectors, including corporate law, environmental law, administrative law, IP law, family law, tax law, property law, civil law, criminal law, constitutional law, labor law, cyber law, and many more fields. For each of the above laws, law enthusiasts need to get qualified and then pursue their studies in a particular field. There is a proper way and hierarchy that law students need to follow to become lawyers. Let’s learn about the roles that they play in the court of law.
What do they do?
Lawyers have various jobs and roles in the law field. They have various options after completing their law degree; they can either go into the government field or the corporate field. It all depends on the law professional or a lawyer. Well, they have various roles to play in both fields, which are described in the table given below:
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Sr. No. |
What do Lawyers do? |
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1. |
Lawyers are law professionals who offer their advice on legal matters to their clients. |
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2. |
They may perform various roles while doing their jobs, like drafting, reviewing case documents, and interpreting legal documents. |
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3. |
Lawyers are responsible for settling the case in the courts. |
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4. |
Lawyers are good negotiators, which helps to solve complex law cases with an easy process and in less hearing. |
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5. |
Law professionals are the representatives of the clients of both parties. |
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6. |
Lawyers ensure compliance with laws and regulations. |
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7. |
Lawyers solve legal cases through their skills, which include effective communication, research, analysis, problem-solving, negotiation, and more. |
Types of lawyers
Various types of lawyers are there in India. Every specialization gives rise to a lawyer in that very specialization. Here, no individual can count the type of lawyers, but here, in this blog, we can discuss a few of them.
Common types of lawyers are listed below:
- Criminal lawyer: Criminal lawyers are those lawyers who deal with criminal cases, and their corresponding punishments. These lawyers defend the accused of the prosecution in a court of law by representing an individual or an organization. The major role they play is drafting and then preparing for the hearing in the court. Before they enter into a hearing they plan every word strategically that they will speak in front of the judge or the jury.
- Constitutional lawyer: These lawyers specifically focus on the constitutional laws, ensure that they follow the guidelines given by the court, and protect fundamental rights and duties. These lawyers represent those clients who are involved in certain cases regarding constitutional violations and breaches.
- Civil lawyer: A civil lawyer defends clients in court, negotiates settlements, handles non-criminal issues, drafts legal documents and drafting, and provides legal rights advice. Apart from this, lawyers need to get more experience by observing the activities and how other civil lawyers manage their cases.
- Labor and employment lawyer: In addition to drafting employment contracts, handling disputes, making sure of compliance with labor laws, and representing clients in court, a labor and employment attorney also counsels companies and employees on workplace rights.
- Corporate Lawyer: A corporate lawyer manages M&A, prepares and evaluates contracts, advises companies on their legal rights and duties, assures regulatory compliance, and represents businesses in court.
- Tax Lawyer: Tax lawyers help businesses with tax planning, where the business owners can save taxes, help minimize liabilities, and also help those clients are are stuck in any court case related to the tax.
- Intellectual Property Lawyer: Lawyers provide advice on a variety of intellectual property issues; some of them handle both contentious and non-contentious cases. The distribution of possible rights resulting from a joint venture, for instance, or licensing and assignment are topics that solicitors negotiate. Intellectual property rights litigation, including validity and infringement, is a specialty of certain attorneys.
- Environmental Lawyer: Environmental attorneys can offer guidance and support to organizations in maintaining adherence to environmental regulations. They may represent people or members of the community in lawsuits against those who break environmental regulations, or they may provide studies on current legislation. Additionally, by participating in governmental, business, and educational organizations, environmental attorneys can seek to safeguard the earth and its people by proposing new laws, practices, and ideas.
- Cyber lawyer: A legal professional who specializes in the complex area of cybersecurity law is called a cyber attorney. Operating on the interface of technology and regulation, they face various difficulties in this complicated field. Their foremost obligations include protecting organizations and people from unlawful or unauthorized access to digital information and handling the legal aspects of cybercrime. To protect businesses, governmental agencies, and private individuals from unlawful data breaches, they interpret and put in force cyber laws.
How to become a lawyer?
It is quite clear to everyone that if anybody wants to become a lawyer, they need to complete a law degree. Getting good grades in higher secondary school is the first step towards becoming a lawyer. After high school, enroll in a five-year integrated legal program or an accredited undergraduate law program (LLB). To become a licensed lawyer, you must pass the Bar Council exam after receiving your degree.
Before this, if you wish to pursue a master's program or even if you are enrolling in a bachelor's program (specifically in the law field), then you should attempt a law entrance exam, which will help you to get into a good and reputable university. Then, after completing your law degree, go for the Bar Council Exam. After qualifying BAR Exam, start practicing in the court of law as a legally licensed lawyer. Also, you can start your law firm, where you can hire other experienced lawyers or work for some other organizations.
Skills required to become a lawyer
In almost every profession, skills are required to become the best person in that particular profession. So is a lawyer. A skilled lawyer is preferred to get more cases than a lawyer who has fewer skills. There are certain skills that a lawyer needs to enhance and develop so that the lawyer can get more cases and work on them with full efficiency. Below is a list of skills with a brief description that are quite necessary to develop. Let’s check them out:
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Skills |
Description |
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Critical Reasoning |
Lawyers should question assumptions and build strong arguments supported by logic and evidence. |
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Negotiation Skills |
Negotiation skills must be good. Their work is to settle the case in whatever manner and wherever the case goes. They should make their client feel satisfied and happy. |
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Analytical thinking |
Lawyers must analyze deeply every point in the case file and have a lot of information, break down complex problems, and find practical solutions. |
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Time Management |
Lawyers struggle to handle multiple cases at the same time, deadlines are there to resolve the cases, and client meetings should be there for each of the cases that a lawyer must be handling, so organizational and time management skills are essential. |
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Problem-Solving Ability |
Lawyers must ensure that they help their clients and help them to get justice for whatever case they are fighting for. |
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Teamwork |
Working with paralegals, other lawyers, and clients demands strong teamwork and passion. There must be strong collaboration skills that will improve team bonding and enhance the relations between the client and their lawyers |
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Research Skills |
Effective legal research is crucial to understanding case laws and working further on them to make the case points solid and to the point so that they may reach a final verdict in fewer hearings. |
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Excellent Communication |
Communication skills are one of the most important skills that any lawyer must possess, as the voice and the words of a lawyer speak in the court, so whatever he discovers in his investigation, he must communicate in the court of law/ |
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People Skills |
Building trust with clients, colleagues, and other business professionals requires people skills. This will help them to build good relations and may help you in certain ways in the future. |
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Attention to Detail |
In any case, attention to detail is a skill that a lawyer should work on. These skills will help them to resolve the case easily and efficiently. |
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Ethical Judgement |
Integrity and adherence to ethical standards maintain the lawyer’s credibility and reputation. |
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Adaptability |
Laws and cases change as a lawyer succeeds in this profession. A lawyer must keep learning and stay updated with the amendments and keep an eye on the new laws and regulations in this profession. The more experience more respect a lawyer will get. Adaptability is the key to sustaining in this profession. |
Is an LLM necessary to become a lawyer?
Well, an LLM is not necessary to become a lawyer. All you need to become a lawyer is that you must have a deep understanding of a particular domain that should be your specialization. However, if you pursue an LLM program, it will help you to get a better understanding of a particular domain and will demonstrate to your clients. As everyone knows, knowledge is the key to success; thus, you should pursue a master’s degree in law. This will represent you in a much better way in society. Apart from just an LLM program or a traditional way to study law, students search for various other options to get a better understanding of law.
Top 10 universities offering LLM degree (Based on NIRF Ranking)
Law is such a field where one needs to work on oneself and enhance certain skills that will help one to grow and succeed in this field. To ensure that a lawyer has the potential to handle a critical case then you must check the qualifications of that particular lawyer and the years of experience he has in this very field. Well, this is not the only thing that will help you to know about that. The university from which they have pursued their degree also matters a lot. The best law universities, law schools, or law institutions would be those that offer high-quality education to law students. Top Universities in Law. Universities can be checked by their NIRF Ranking.
Below is a table that shows the top 10 universities offering law degrees. Check the list given below:
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University |
NIRF 2023 |
NIRF 2024 |
Specializations offered (LLM) |
Fees |
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National Law School of India University, Bangalore |
1 |
1 |
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National Law University, Delhi |
2 |
2 |
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NALSAR University of Law |
3 |
3 |
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For the LL.M. 2-year full-time course:
For the LL.M. 1-year course:
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NLU Kolkata - The West Bengal National University of Judicial Sciences |
4 |
4 |
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Symbiosis Law School, Pune |
6 |
5 |
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Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia |
5 |
6 |
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IIT Kharagpur - Indian Institute of Technology |
9 |
7 |
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Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar |
7 |
8 |
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Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University - SOA National School of Law |
8 |
9 |
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Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow |
10 |
10 |
2-year LL.M. program
1-year LL.M. program
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A part from this, students search for a few more law degrees, which are listed below:
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Students/Working Professionals Also Search For |
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Top colleges offering a 1-Year LLM program
Law professionals seek such programs in which they can learn and understand the topic or the subject in detail, and still work in the court of law. They just wish to expand their knowledge in a particular field or domain. This is why a 1-year LLM is introduced in the education field. To be eligible for this 1-year LLM program, law professionals need to complete their 3-year or 5-year LLB with a minimum of 55% mark and from a recognized institution.
Here is a list of law institutions that offer a 1-year LLM program:
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Top colleges offering a 1-Year LLM program |
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Colleges |
Specializations |
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Jindal Global Law School (Blended Learning Program) |
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UPES |
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National Law University, Delhi |
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Lovely Professional University |
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NLU, Kolkata |
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Symbiosis Law School International, Pune |
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LLM 1-year program fees for various institutions
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LLM 1-year program fees for various institutions |
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Institutions |
Total Fees |
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Jindal Global Law School (Blended Learning Program) |
INR 3,50,000 |
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UPES |
INR 2,79,000 |
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National Law University, Delhi |
INR 1,25,000 |
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Lovely Professional University |
INR 1,60,000 |
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NLU, Kolkata |
INR 1,39,000 |
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Symbiosis Law School International, Pune |
INR 2,50,000 |
OP Jindal Global Law School
Op Jindal Global Law School is one of the top universities in India. This university offers each law student access to the Learning Management System (LMS). Their LMS combines all the facilities and the learning modules, so that the students can learn whenever they want and wherever they want. Jindal Global
Specialization offered:
- Corporate & Financial Law
- AI and Emerging Technologies
- Intellectual Property & Technology Law
- Dispute Resolution
- Taxation Law, Policy, and Regulation
Fee structure: Course fee - INR 3,50,000
Syllabus:
Let’s check out the syllabus offered by the institute for their law programs in various specializations. The table below presents the specialization-wise syllabus:
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Syllabus at Jindal Global Law School (Blended Learning Program) |
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Specializations |
Syllabus/Subjects |
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Corporate & Financial Law |
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AI and Emerging Technologies |
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Intellectual Property & Technology Law |
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Dispute Resolution |
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Taxation Law, Policy, and Regulation |
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Career Opportunities
After completion of a law degree, students get to have various opportunities in this profession. Various sectors and industries need lawyers for various purposes. Below are a few of the job role options for a legal professional. They just need to pick one of those based on their interests and knowledge. Additionally, the average annual salary is listed below, along with the job roles. This will give you a rough idea about these profiles.
Let’s check them out:
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Job roles |
Average annual salary |
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Law assistant |
INR 5 - INR 10 LPA |
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Legal researcher |
INR 2 - INR 4 LPA |
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Assistant professor |
INR 3 - INR 7 LPA |
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Legal consultant |
INR 5 - INR 8 LPA |
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Legal officer |
INR 5 - INR 9 LPA |
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Bar Council Executive |
INR 2 - INR 4 LPA |
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Trade Commission head |
INR 5 - INR 20 LPA |
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Corporate lawyer |
INR 6 - INR 10 LPA |
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Notary officer |
INR 5 - INR 8 LPA |
|
Legal document reviewer |
INR 6 - INR 10 LPA |
