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Rule of Law : With growing globalisation and global developments, the legal profession is moving from being a 'last option' to an aware choice

Dr Anand Pawar

Law has always been an esteemed career option for individuals with a passion for justice, ethics, and the rule of law. It is a field that requires dedication, perseverance, and critical thinking skills to excel. With numerous specialisations available to students, there are ample opportunities to carve out a successful career path based on one’s interests and aptitude.

Choosing the right course and specialisation in this field depends largely on your career goals. As most of the students taking CLAT do not have clear career goals, it is important to know the different job roles for which a degree in law prepares you. Here are some of the options available in this field beyond lawyering:

Judicial services

A lawyer is a legal professional who provides legal services to clients, including advice on legal issues, representation in court, and drafting legal documents. A lawyer may work in a law firm, government agency, or in-house counsel for a corporation. The practice of law requires an understanding of the legal system, knowledge of legal principles and concepts, and excellent communication and analytical skills. Lawyering is a highly respected profession that offers a range of opportunities for growth and development, including specialisation in a particular area of law.

Advocacy

Advocacy involves representing clients in court or other legal settings. An advocate is a legal professional who specialises in representing clients in court, including trials, hearings, and other legal proceedings. Advocates may work as barristers or solicitors in countries like the United Kingdom, while in the United States, they may work as trial lawyers, appellate lawyers, or in-house counsel.

Advocacy requires excellent communication and analytical skills, as well as the ability to think critically and make persuasive arguments. It is a highly respected profession that offers excellent opportunities for growth and development.

Advocacy is one of the most prominent and traditional branches of law. Advocates are responsible for representing their clients in courts of law and ensuring their rights are protected. Advocates require excellent oratory skills, logical reasoning, and research skills to succeed in their profession. Advocacy can be further divided into civil and criminal litigation. Civil litigation involves disputes between individuals or organisations, while criminal litigation involves crimes against the state.

Judge Advocate General

The Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps offers opportunity to law graduates to serve in the military. JAG officers provide legal advice and services to military personnel, including advising on military law and representing clients in court-martial proceedings. These officers are responsible for advising on legal matters related to military law, including military justice, administrative law, and international law. They can also be involved in prosecuting or defending military personnel in courts-martial.Working as a JAG officer requires a deep understanding of military law, as well as excellent communication and analytical skills.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) involves resolving disputes between parties outside of the court system. ADR professionals may work as mediators, arbitrators, or negotiators, helping parties to resolve disputes through negotiation or alternative dispute resolution methods. ADR requires excellent communication and analytical skills, as well as the ability to think critically and make persuasive arguments. It is a growing profession that offers excellent opportunities for growth and development.

Compliance

Compliance involves ensuring that companies comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Compliance officers may work in-house or for a consulting firm, providing advice on compliance issues and developing compliance programmes. Working in compliance requires a deep understanding of legal and regulatory requirements, as well as excellent communication and analytical skills. It is a growing profession that offers excellent opportunities for growth and development, including specialisation in a particular area of compliance.

Academia

This involves teaching law at a law school or university. Law professors specialise in teaching law, grading papers and conducting research. Working as a law professor requires a deep understanding of legal principles and concepts, as well as excellent communication and analytical skills. It is a highly respected profession that offers opportunities for growth and development, including research and publication in legal journals. Academia provides an opportunity to teach and mentor the next generation of lawyers. Individuals with a passion for research and writing can pursue a career in academia and contribute to the development of legal theory and practice.

The writer is acting Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi

National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala

Course vs college

What identifies a good law school and should you blindly follow the rankings provided by different bodies? For students the first and foremost litmus test is the quality of faculty, their qualifications as well as publications in accredited law journals as research and teaching are inseparable if teachers are to encourage the young minds to be truly creative and innovative. MOOCs, internship opportunities, academic tie-ups and infrastructure of the institute are the next few points that would help you choose a good institute.

Jindal Global Law School, Sonepat

Estd: 2009

Website: https://jgu.edu.in

The school has been ranked as India's Number 1 Law School and world's 70th best Law School by the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022. Specialisations are offered in three streams. The school's faculty comes from across the globe and engages in critical scholarship that contributes to public debates, both in India and abroad.

Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala

Estd: 1992

Website: www.rgnupatiala.org

Extensive and intensive classroom instruction and participative learning atmosphere makes the institute’s five-year integrated course a top notch one in the region.Admissions into both three-year and five-year courses are provided as per the Rules and Regulations of Andhra University.

University Institute of Legal Studies, Pu, Chandigarh

Estd: 2004

Website: https://uils.puchd.ac.in

Courses: 5-year integrated BA LLB

Students are trained in essence of the substantive laws, techniques of procedural laws, methods of client counseling and skills in legal and social sciences research, etc.

Army Institute of Law, Mohali

Estd: 1999 (In Mohali campus since 2003)

Website: www.armyinstituteoflaw.org

The institute is affiliated to Punjabi University, Patiala, and is run by the Army Welfare Education Society. It has grown as a Centre of Excellence in the field of legal education and offers five-year BA LLB and one-year LLM course. It has NAAC grade ‘B’ and was ranked 26 in NIRF 2022 rankings.

University Institute of Legal Studies, HPU, SHIMLA

Estd: 2005

Website: https://hpuniv.ac.in/

The institute offers BALLB (Hons) five-year integrated course. The Institute is extensively engaged in seminars, projects, moot courts, legal aid and other co-curricular activities with active participation of students to meet the challenges of the modern world.

Region’s best

Department of Laws, Panjab University, Chandigarh

Estd: 1959

Website: https://laws.puchd.ac.in

Department of Law, Punjabi University, Patiala

Estd: 1965

Website: www.punjabiuniversity.ac.in

Khalsa College of Law, Amritsar

Estd: July, 2012

Website: www.kclasr.org

Institute of Law, Kurukshetra University

Estd: 1969