Who's a Lawyer?
Do you love participating in debates? Do you often stand up for your friends during an argument? Would you like to help people fight for their rights? If your answer to any of these questions has been a resounding “yes”, consider becoming a lawyer!
As a lawyer, you will be licensed to practice law and act as a legal defence to represent your clients in civil and criminal proceedings. Your main job would include providing legal advice and counsel, writing up or going through legal documents, and gathering evidence and other necessary information for your cases. There are different kinds of specialisations when it comes to practising law, such as criminal, family, taxation, etc.
Are you passionate about Law? Want to pursue it as a future career option? Explore a day in the life of a Lawyer- Mr. Satyan Israni
What will you do?
Where will you work?
How do you get there?
What skills would you need?
Time Management
Time management refers to the ability to plan and organise how much time you spend on specific activities. Good time management enables individuals to work smarter rather than harder, helping them prioritise tasks, set goals, and allocate time efficiently. It includes skills such as prioritisation, scheduling, and setting deadlines, allowing individuals to maximise productivity and reduce stress. This skill is especially valuable in fast-paced environments, where the ability to adapt and adjust priorities can significantly impact performance.
Communication Skills
Communication skills are the ability to clearly express ideas, information, and feelings, both verbally and in writing, so others can easily understand. This includes listening effectively, using the right tone, and being aware of non-verbal cues like body language. These skills help you explain your thoughts clearly, build relationships, and work better in teams. Good communication is important in almost every job, from customer service to leadership roles, because it ensures that tasks are understood and done correctly, and it helps prevent misunderstandings. build this skill
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail means being careful and noticing small things that others might miss. It involves checking your work carefully for mistakes, following instructions exactly, and making sure everything is done correctly. This skill helps you do accurate work and avoid errors. In jobs, attention to detail is important for tasks like writing reports, managing data, or following safety rules. build this skill
Research
Research is the systematic process of collecting, analysing, and interpreting information to increase understanding of a particular topic or issue. It involves identifying a question or problem, gathering relevant data, and evaluating sources to draw meaningful conclusions. Research can take various forms, including qualitative studies (which explore perceptions and experiences) and quantitative studies (which focus on numerical data and statistics). Strong research skills will enable you to find reliable information, assess the credibility of sources, and synthesise findings to support decision-making or further exploration. This skill is crucial in many fields, such as academia, business, healthcare, and technology, where informed decisions rely on thorough investigation and analysis. build this skill
Analytical and Data Skills
Analytical and data skills involve the ability to evaluate information, interpret data, and draw insights to solve problems or make informed decisions. These skills require critical thinking, logical reasoning, and proficiency in working with data sets, often using tools like Excel, SQL, or statistical software. This skill set helps you break down complex problems, identify patterns, and make data-driven decisions. In the workplace, strong analytical and data skills allow you to provide insights that guide strategies, optimise processes, and drive innovation. They are essential for roles involving research, business analysis, marketing, finance, and operations. build this skillHow do you make it to the top ranks?
Intern
As an intern, you would be handling simple tasks such as compiling and analysing data for reporting, filing legal documents, conducting research for cases, etc. for senior lawyers.
Junior Legal Associate
You would provide legal support to the company and its clients and handle one or two cases. You would be involved in handling tasks such as drafting legal notices, reviewing agreements, assisting senior lawyers, etc.
Senior Legal Associate
As a senior associate, you would oversee the work of the junior lawyers and ensure timely delivery of all the tasks assigned. You would be involved in handling clients and review and vet legal contracts. Depending on your specialisation, you would provide the right legal advice to clients and analyse and identify legal risks and implications associated with their case.
Legal Manager
Here, you would manage all the legal issues of the company and its clients. You would assist the legal chief in developing processes, templates for all the agreements and contracts associated with the firm. You would also ensure that all activities are in keeping with the legal norms. Additionally, you would provide legal advice and participate in all the major litigation cases handled by your firm.
Chief Legal Officer
As the chief legal officer, you must oversee all the workings of the firm. You would head the firm and any major litigation cases. Your other tasks would involve hiring people and keeping yourself updated with the changing laws and would be expected to have strong leadership and organisational skills.
Pursuing your career locally VS abroad
Studying law in India gives you a better insight into the way legal issues are handled in the country and also the Indian legal system. There is a good demand for lawyers in India in many law firms, startups and big companies that require lawyers to handle various legal issues and cases.
You can pursue law in India after Class 12 or graduation and opt to specialise in family law, corporate law, company law and others in the last year of your LLB course. To further enhance your knowledge in the field you can also opt for a master’s degree in the field. An LLM would increase your chances of job prospects and also give you a good understanding of the subject. You can pursue law from colleges such as Christ University, National Law University, Government Law College and others. The average cost for studying law in India is INR 10,000-1,00,000, depending on the university and the course you opt for.
If you plan to establish a career in India and pursue a degree from abroad, then you would be largely unaware of the Indian legal system which would make it difficult for you to flourish here. However, this completely depends on the specialisation you opt for. The Bar Council of India recognises education from many foreign universities, especially those from the UK or US. However, to practice in India, you would be expected to give the Bar Council exam of the state you reside in. Also to get admission into law school abroad, you would have to appear for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and English proficiency tests such as IELTS or TOEFL.
Pursuing law abroad would cost you an average of INR 5,00,000-10,00,000 depending on the university you plan to study in. If you wish to practice law abroad, you would need to have a work permit or citizenship for that particular country and have to appear for their bar council exams. The duration of the law course abroad ranges from one year to four years. You can opt for a master’s in a particular area of specialisation or a diploma course in the same. Top law colleges abroad are: University of Oxford, Columbia University, University of Cambridge and others.
How much would you get paid?
The exact number will depend on where you’re working, your education, skill-set and internship experience.
What are your career options?
Family Lawyer
Family law, also known as matrimonial law deals with the handling of various family matters. It includes divorce proceedings, marriage proceedings, custodial fights, etc. You would either work for a law firm specialising in family matters, or run a firm/consultancy of your own. As a family lawyer, you are expected to keep your client information confidential and initiate legal proceedings on their behalf. This would include representing your clients in court and filing legal documentation on their behalf.
Corporate Lawyer
Corporate lawyers usually work in the in-house legal team of companies that provide various services such as banking, media, etc. Here, your job would involve ensuring the legality of commercial transactions, preparing contracts, taking the right legal decisions for the firm and also handling all the legal matters of the business. As a corporate lawyer, you need to be up-to-date with the various tax laws, securities law, etc.
Property Lawyer
A property lawyer handles all the issues related to property including buying and selling and initiating contracts between tenants and landlords. Here, you would be involved with preparing rent agreements, property wills, representing clients in court, etc. Most property lawyers work in a private or a professional set up that deal with property cases.
Criminal Lawyer
Criminal lawyers, also known as defence lawyers handle criminal cases. Here, you would either represent organisations or individuals who are charged with crimes. Your job would involve defending your clients in court and investigating and interviewing witnesses related to the case. You would build a defence strategy to prove your clients innocent and also draft, file and argue appeals made. You would work on diverse cases ranging from murder, domestic violence, etc.
Taxation Lawyer
A taxation lawyer represents his client before the state or local taxation authorities. You would mainly work for private firms, where you would handle all the taxation cases. Your job would include structuring, negotiating, and documenting business entities and advising clients or organisations on various tax implications.
Public Prosecutor
A public prosecutor is employed by the state government, and works under the provisions of the criminal procedure code. As a public prosecutor, you would ensure that all the law rules and regulations are followed by the police and carried out during investigations. You would represent the interests of the state in your proceedings.
Court Reporter
A court reporter is an individual who transcribes speech into written format. Court reporters usually work in state or local government offices or private media houses. Your primary duties here would be to attend court hearings, depositions and legal proceedings. You would be expected to prepare and edit transcripts for official use and provide a copy of the same to the related parties.
Law Professor
A law professor works in a college to teach aspiring law students. You would have to prepare for lectures and provide the best intellectual and practical guidance to your students. You would also be required to be fully aware of all the latest happenings and need good communication and teaching skills. Additionally, you would need to appear for the UGC – NET – a national level entrance exam to qualify as a professor.
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