Bound by law

Gone are the days when students did not contemplate law as a serious career option if they did not have a lawyer in the family. Over the last two decades, globalised India has changed its perception of a degree in law drastically.

Earlier, only students from the arts or commerce background opted for law. However, today students from different educational backgrounds opt for a degree in law. A recent study by one of the top law schools indicated that more than 50% of students taking admissions for a course in law were from the science background. This increase in the number of students opting for a degree in law each year testifies for the fact that law has become an important career option, inspired by the revolutionary system of imparting legal education, introduced by the National Law School of India, Bangalore in 1987.
Today, we have almost all the prominent law schools of this country following a similar pattern of legal education system. These premium national law schools offer world class education. An average law student from any of these top law schools of India studies over 40 different law subjects over a period of time. Other than the traditional civil, criminal and constitutional laws, students today are exposed to the latest developments in the society by study of areas such as business, corporate, intellectual property, media, medical ethics and sports laws.

Equipped with better logical and analytical skills, law students are groomed to be leaders in diverse work profiles. In addition to traditional litigation, students passing out of law schools have a plethora of job options. They can work in corporate law firms, business and legal consultancies, MNCs, media houses, international organisations, government organisations, NGOs, LPOs, and the list goes on.

May it be in the courts of India, the so-called ‘Magic Circle’ law firms of London, business houses across the globe or even the United Nations, the new breed of Indian lawyers have excelled everywhere. Recent years have also seen the alumni from the Indian law schools teaching at Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, University of Singapore and such other institutions.

With the existing growth of business in India, the demand for quality lawyers will always be on the rise. Obviously, with the increased demand and limited supply, law has become financially lucrative. Salaries of students passing out of top law schools and top business schools in the past few years have been similar. However, it’s important to remember that law is not about the seven-figure pay cheque also. It is about ‘common sense’. If you like reading sense into things, it is definitely for you.