Since the establishment of the seven National Law Schools in India, the study, interest and utility of law education has undergone a significant change. The five year Ll.B. course is now being considered by many brilliant students as a professional course to launch into a managerial career.

Those who are not oriented towards technology, and those who have studied commerce or arts at the +2 level, can aspire to go through this rigorous course and come out with an all-round development that takes them beyond the traditional role of being Advocates in courts. Graduates from prestigious law colleges are going into documentation, conveyancing (i.e. agreements, business deals, etc.), arbitration, intellectual property rights, human rights, etc.  And many, like engineers have done so far, are using it as a strong foundation to move into civil or military service, administration, business management, chartered accountancy, banking, and a wide variety of managerial careers.

This year, for the first time, there will be a Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), to be organised by the National Law School University of India, Bangalore. This test will be held in 19 major cities of the country. Hence a candidate can appear very conveniently for a test that will make him eligible for any of the national law schools, depending on his merit ranking, without having to go to different places for individual tests.

The CLAT will be held on Sunday, 11th May, and details are available on www.clat.ac.in from 25th January onwards.

What one requires to do well in a law course is: logical and sequential thinking, decision making ability, concentration and an eye for detail, assertiveness and interpersonal skills, a good command over spoken and written languages.  Once a student qualifies from a prestigious law institute, he can decide whether to go deeper in the legal field, or to use it as a base to move towards a field of his interest and passion.