CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAW GRADUATES IN INDIAN JUDICIARY
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In this blog, Prashant Sharma of Ideal Institute of Management Technology and School of Law, G.G.S.I.P. University, discusses career opportunities for law graduates in the Indian Judiciary.
INTRODUCTION:
As the field of Law embraces an ocean of career opportunities, it is imperative to hold on to the right path which can really nurture a person’s career in Law. It is crucial to pick a field in law rather over thinking about the other fields.
The often paradox that comes into the minds to most of the Law students are:
· Which field is best suited for them?
· Whether to establish your own practice in Courts or be a junior and test your abilities under a senior advocate?
· Whether to explore the corporate world and find out about mergers and acquisitions of a Company and contractual agreement between clients?
· Or exploring your legal writing and researching skills in various LPO’s, PSU’s, NGO’s and think tanks.
And that’s a million dollar question to look out for.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN INDIAN JUDICIARY:
LITIGATION:
Often regarded as the most commonly approached legal career in the Country. Litigation can really aid the graduates to start applying the procedural and substantive laws in different kinds of cases they encounter with on a daily basis. It is a kind of core job where you can excel yourself in drafting, pleading and also in terms of arguing in front of the Court.
After completion of Bachelor in law degree, one can get enrolled as an advocate in accordance with the terms and the provisions specified under the Advocates Act (especially according to section 24 of the Act) and any other norms made under the concerned State Bar Council.
All India Bar Examination is a national level entrance exam conducted by the Bar Council of India. It is a prerequisite entrance exam for every law graduate who has desire to litigate in the Criminal or/and Civil Courts.
After qualifying this entrance exam, law graduates will be getting a “Certificate of Practice” by the Bar Council of India.
BE AN INTERN:
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Internship under a bigger law firm or under a Senior Advocate can do wonders for you.
· You can really expose yourself by working on deadlines, drafting endless documents and meeting up clients and;
· You can also hope for a regular job through Internships too.
How to Find:
The first place you should approach to find a proper internship is your Law School’s Placement Cell. One can also formally ask law firms and companies directly and simply ask if they have any internship opportunity by sending their resume. Further, Law Octopus and Internshala are one of the leading websites in the market which are easily accessible for all kinds of legal internship/clerkship.
For more information about the legal internships for the law students, visit:
https://www.lawctopus.com/category/opportunities-events/internships-small-projects/
https://internshala.com/internships
INDIAN JUDICIAL SERVICES:
Judicial Services Examination is for all budding law graduates to become the members of the Indian judicial System and become a judge. In order to reach the post of a Judge in India, one has to qualify the Judicial Service Examination which is conducted on yearly basis by the Public Service Commission of the respective States. The Judicial Service Examination is conducted in two successive stages:
· Judicial Service Preliminary Examination and;
· Judicial Service Main Examination.
The Preliminary Exam is comprised objective type questions. Preliminary Examination is conducted for the purpose of short listing candidates for the Main Examination (which is comprised of subjective type questions).
Viva and Personal Interview: After clearing the above stated examinations, the last stage of selection from the law graduates is done through viva /and personal interview. Candidates are assessed on the basis of their general knowledge and personality. Once you cleared the interview round, you can become a judge in the lower judiciary (Munsif courts).
Judicial Services Examination– Eligibility:
· Bachelor degree in Law from any University recognized by the Bar Council Of India;
· He/she has enrolled or qualified to be enrolled as an advocate under the Advocates’ Act 1961 (Final year LLB candidates can also appear for the exam);
· The age limit for this exam varies from State to State. It is usually between 21 to 35 years (Age relaxation for the SC / ST / OBC / PWD candidates in accordance with the Government rules and regulations).
JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL (JAG):
Judge Advocate General of the Indian army is a post of utmost respect you are directly making contribution towards serving the nation. JAG assists and advises the Indian Army members on their cases on daily basis. A Judge Advocate General’s area of work is similar to any Litigator in a Court of Law. Judge Advocate General is supposed to have an expertise in the military laws such as laws defined under Army Act.
Eligibility for JAG examination:
Nationality — The candidate must be a citizen of India.
Age Limit –The candidate must be of the age between 21–27 years.
21 to 27 years as on 01 Jul 2018 (Born not earlier than 02 July 1991 and not later than 01 July 1997 both dates inclusive).
Educational Qualification:
· The candidate must have scored 55% marks in their LLB, having studied in the college/ university which are recognized by the Bar council of India.
· The candidate must be eligible for registration with Bar Council of India/ State.
JAG Vacancies (2018): For Men — 07, For Women — 07
All the other details for JAG examination are mentioned in the link given below:
JOBS THROUGH UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (UPSC):
As established under article 315 of the Constitution of India, there shall be a Public Service Commission for the Union and for each State. Some of the main functions of the Commission (as defined in Article 320 of the Constitution) are to:
1. Conduct examinations for appointment to the services of the Union and;
2. Direct recruitment by selection through interviews.
The following are the list of positions in Judicial Jobs which you can grab after passing the competitive exam of different government departments:
1. The Notary, Oath Commissioner;
2. Public Prosecutor;
3. Solicitor;
4. Attorney General;
5. Advocate General;
6. Joint Secretary & Legal Advisor;
7. Additional Legal Advisor;
8. Law Inspector;
9. Assistant Government Advocate.
Check out the links below for the UPSC Jobs 2018:
https://www.freshersworld.com/upsc-recruitment-jobs/4444220
https://govtjobguru.in/govt-jobs-by-department/state-psc/
LEGAL COUNSEL AND LEGAL ADVISORS FOR A COMPANY:
There are only a few sectors like Banks, Insurance companies, and IT companies which appoints a fresh law graduate as a legal advisor or legal counsel. As most of the hiring is done through campus placements, you might need to be in a good law school which can provide you campus recruitment.
Many Companies tend to hire a law graduate who has gained an utmost knowledge in the field of corporate law and is practicing in the Court for around 4–5 years. Companies also hire graduates who have a practical knowledge of the field they are in. For instance, IT companies might want people who can understand and can apply their mind in IT contracts, Intellectual Property laws and privacy laws.
CONCLUSION:
As the number of graduating Law students is rising every year increasingly, the competition to find the right job in this legal arena is becoming crucial and difficult. Adding to it, every legal job is more challenging from its initial stage and the money is not handsome enough too. But, once you give it a real shot and have a big exposure in this field, it will surely boost up your career in the right way.
REFERENCES:
1) To know more about JAG examination, visit joinindianarmy.nic.in [Date and Time of visit the site- 28/06/2018 at 5:40 PM]
2) To know more about the UPSC, visit http://www.upsc.gov.in/ [Date and Time of visit the site- 28/06/2018 at 6:10 PM]
To know more about the Judicial Service Examination, visit https://law.careers360.com/articles/indian-judicial-services-examination-what-and-how-prepare [Date and Time of