Trending Law Courses for 2024: Career Paths & Job Opportunities

Interested in law but not sure where to start?

Don’t Worry! as today we will discuss about the trending courses in law, we will also discuss in detail about the law entrance exams in India, top universities, career prospects and job opportunities in the market.

Law remains one of the popular career choice for students belonging to Arts & Humanities background as the field offers great career opportunities. A degree in law opens wide range of career options, including becoming a lawyer, judge, legal advisor, corporate counsel or a public prosecutor.

In India, legal education is regulated by the Bar Council of India (BCI). Any institution (government or private) offering law courses must be approved by the BCI. The Bar Council also prescribes the course curriculum that educational institutions must follow to be eligible for granting a law degree.

Now lets discuss about trending law courses after 12th in 2024-25

Trending Law Courses after 12th

Law is one of the  professional job oriented course after 12th. In India, the student can pursue the law education after UG or any graduation degree.

For students who want to pursue law course after 12th they can go for Integrated UG courses in Law. These integrated law courses are very popular among the law aspirants and offered by the top National Law Universities (NLUs) and colleges in India.

The basic eligibility for LLB (Bachelor of Legislative Law) is graduation in any discipline. There are the following degrees of legal education in India.

Integrated Law Courses

Integrated Law courses combines undergraduate education with professional legal education. This is a 5 year dual degree programme designed for the students who have completed their 12th standard and wish to pursue a career in law without obtaining a separate UG degree.

Some of the popular integrated law courses include:

• B.A. LL.B
• B.Sc. LL.B.
• BBA LL.B.
• B.Com LL.B.
• B.Tech LL.B.

For integrated law programmes, candidates must have passed 10+2 with minimum percentage of marks as prescribed by the university. The eligibility also varies with the course one is applying for, the education qualification for the above programs are given below:

The candidates must appear in national level entrance exams like CLAT, AILET for admission in top NLUs of the country.

Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)

Bachelor of Laws abbreviated as LLB is the most common degree of law education. It takes 3 years to complete the LLB course in India. The course curriculum of LLB provides education of the legal system in India, and application of law in various domains.

To pursue LLB, candidates must have a Bachelor/UG degree in any discipline. The LLB course is offered by many colleges in India and admission is offered on the basis of state level law entrance exams like MH CET Law, DU LLB, TS LAWCET etc.

Candidates with law degree can practice in courts as advocates in civil/criminal cases. One can also work in corporates as legal advisors to the companies and in PSU’s or government sector.

Read More about – Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)

Master of Laws (LL.M.)

LLM is the master degree in legal education which candidates can pursue after LLB or BA LLB. The LLM course duration is one or two years and aims at providing specialization in various branches of law. Candidates can pursue LLM specialization in any of the following disciplines:

• Business Law
• Civil Law
• Competition Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• Tax Law
• Corporate Law
• Criminal Law
• Labour Law
• Tax Law
• Commercial Law
• Administrative Law
• Patent Law
• Company Law
• Cyber Law
• Consumer Law
• Education Law
• Environment Law
• Entertainment & Media Law
• Family Law

For admission to LLM programs, candidates should have LLB degree or equivalent qualifications. The admission are based on PG law entrances entrance exams.

LL.M. and MBA (Business Administration)

The LL.M. and MBA is a master dual degree programme which specializes in legal matters combined with business principles and management. The course curriculum prepares the graduates for the leadership roles in the legal consulting and business management.

The duration of this course is 2 to 3 years and offers by the following universities:

• University of Pennsylvania
• Northwestern University
• Indiana University

Read More about – Arts & Humanities Courses

LL.M. and M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy)

LL.M. and M.Phil. is dual degree PG program which provides in-depth academic & research oriented approach to the legal studies. Candidates can consider pursuing this course in they want to advance their career in research & teaching.

The course duration is 2 to 3 years and depends on the university and the mode of study. The colleges offering this dual degree programme are:

• University of Delhi
• JNU
• NLSIU

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

There is a good prospect for PhD after the legal education. Most of the highly reputed autonomous institution provides the PhD programmes.

• Integrated MBL-LLM/ MBA-LLM – 3years

One who wishes to do the integrated course with business specialization can go for the MBL-LLM or MBA-LLM. It is a 3 year degree programme after the completion of the LLB.

Law Entrance Exams in India

The students, who wish to get the admission in law, have to appear in law entrance exams conducted by various universities and law bodies in India. The popular law exams are listed below:

CLAT

CLAT 2024 (Common Law Admission Test) is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities. CLAT is conducted for admission to National Law Universities (NLUs) and various other institutions. After qualifying CLAT, students are eligible for admission in the Integrated L.L.B and L.L.M courses offered by the participating NLUs and other premier law colleges.

AILET

AILET is organized by the National Law University, Delhi for admission to its UG & PG law programs. AILET 2025 registration is likely to commence in August 2024 and the exam will be conducted in December.

The NLU, Delhi is one of the top ranked law university in India and accept admissions only through AILET exam.

LSAT

The candidates who are interested in pursuing law from the foreign universities, can consider LSAT (Law School Admission Test) exam.

LSAT is conducted by Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for admission in UG & PG law programmes. The registration for LSAT are invited online, multiple times in a year.

AIBE

The bar council of India (BCI) is the conducting body of AIBE exam. AIBE is the mandatory exam that every law graduate has to qualify in order to practice law in India.

The registration for AIBE are invited every year, candidates can register from the AIBE official website at (www.allindiabarexamination.com/).

CUET

CUET is Common University Entrance Test conducted by NTA, every year. The entrance exams is conducted for admission to various UG & PG programmes (including law) in all central universities of India.

The application for CUET UG begins in February and the examination is conducted in May.

Some of the other university level  & state level law exams that candidates can check are given below:

• SAAT
• IPUCET
• AMU
• CUSAT
• AP LAWCET
• TS LAWCET
• MH CET LAW

Read More about – Commerce Courses After 12th

Some of the private and autonomous universities conduct their own admission test. Some popular law entrance exams are listed below:

List of Top Law Universities in India

Every student dream of pursuing his higher education from the top universities of India. Below is the list of top rankings law colleges in India based on NIRF Law rankings 2023-24.

• National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
• National Law University, New Delhi
• Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad
• The West Bengal National University of Juridicial Sciences, Kolkata
• Jamia Millia Islamia,New Delhi, New Delhi
• Symbiosis Law School, Pune
• Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar
• Siksha `O` Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar
• Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
• Babasheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University

Beside these, some of the universities and institutions offer Online Law Courses for the working professionals. The online law courses provide a “certification” after the successful completion of the course.

Online Law Courses in India

Some of the popular online law courses and university/institutions offering them are listed below:

1. Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Law and Cyber Forensics
   offered by NLU, Delhi
2. Post Graduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights (PGDIPR)
   offered by IGNOU
3. Post Graduate Diploma in Business and Corporate Laws
   offered by Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL)
4. Online Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights Law
   offered by NLSIU, Bangalore
5. Online Certificate Course in Cyber Law
   offered by Indian Law Institute (ILI), New Delhi

Read More about – Online Law Courses

Popular e-learning platforms like Coursera, edX, FutureLearn are offering variety of law courses from leading universities and institutions globally. Candidates can pursue degree, diploma as well as certificate law courses at UG, PG & Ph.D levels.

Jobs and Career in Law

Law is very respected career field in India offering diverse career opportunities across various fields & industries. A law graduate can find employment in both public & private sectors.

India has a great demand for skilled lawyers, as per the survey done by the Bar Council of India. Only 20% of the Indian law graduates are eligible to work in the court.

Wondering where you will be working as a fresher?

As a fresher, you can start your career by working under a reputed legal firm or lawyer. After gaining some experience you can work in ministries, government departments and various legal advisory organizations.

A law student can be a public prosecutor, solicitor general or a part of private legal firms after gaining enough experience. The law students can also appear in the exams conducted by the state Public Service Commissions and can be recruited to the position of Judge.

Indian Law graduates also have opportunities to work abroad, with good prospects in the UK and the US. Indian law is quite similar to UK law, and the UK government/firms often offer positions to Indian students to work with them in legal roles.

Job Profiles

After gaining enough experience & practice, one can be employed or work in the following job roles:

• Criminal Lawyer
• Civil Litigation Lawyer
• Legal Analyst
• Document Drafting Lawyer
• Legal Journalist
• Legal Advisor
• Government Lawyer
• Judge

Salary in Law Field

The salary in law field just like any other field depends on the lot of factors which include experience, location, employer & specialization.

A fresher can start his/her career with 2.5 to 3 Lakhs per annum. Once, you gain enough industry experience you can earn anywhere between 6- 15 Lakhs per annum.

In corporate sector, a senior professional can earn 20 LPA to 80 LPA per annum. In government sector, junior level judges can earn 10 to 15 LPA.  Legal consultant and advisors working independently can earn around 15 to 40 Lakhs per annum.

Top Recruiters

The top recruiting legal firms or associates in country are as the following:

• Amarchand Mangaldas
• AZB & Partners
• J Sagar Associates
• Khaitan & Co
• Luthra & Luthra
• Trilegal  
• Desai & Diwanji
• Singhania & Partners  
• Titus & Co  
• Wadia Ghandy & Co
• Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan
• Economic Laws Practice  
• Vaish & Associates

Books & Study Materials

There are various law books available in the market separately for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level law courses. Some of the popular books for law are listed here:

• Introduction to the Constitution of India by D.D. Basu
• Public Administration by M Laxmikanth
• Indian Constitutional Law by M.P. Jain
• Criminal Law – Incorporating the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 by P.S.A. Pillai
• Manual of Labour Laws by Waseem Ahmad Qureshi
• Development of the concept of Human Rights Under International Law by Dr. Vijay Chitnis
• Private Security And The Law by Charles Nameth

For any queries about Law Courses in India, you may leave your comments below.