Specialisations in law

Good oratory skills, the ability to create reasoned arguments and innate leadership abilities are all essential characteristics of an aspiring law student. As jobs across the globe have seen a revolution, so has the legal domain.

However, becoming a lawyer requires years of hard work and dedication. Once you do become a lawyer, there is an increasing workload and a growing number of cases fighting for your attention.

If you can work well in challenging situations, enjoy engaging in constructive and tactful arguments then this career is for you.

Getting there—When to start?

You can take admission into a law college after Class 12 or after completing any degree such as a CA, Engineering, Business etc. You can choose from three types of institutions - Public universities, departments or college, National law schools or private institutions. A Bachelors of Arts - Bachelors of Legislative Law is a 5 year integrated course that you can pursue after Class 12. A Bachelors in Law is a 3 year course and Masters of Law is a two year course.

Admission in law schools

National law universities are premium institutions for legal education in India established by the state governments and are regulated by the Bar Council of India. Currently, there are 23 NLUs in India.

If you want to pursue a law degree from the National Law Universities, you will have to appear for the common law admission test — CLAT.

Other law colleges give you admission through law School admission test — India LSAT.

There are also institute specific law tests, like the all India law entrance test (AILET) for admission to national Law University, symbiosis entrance test SET for symbiosis Law school, among others.

Eligibility criteria for CLAT and LSAT India

Class 10+2 equivalent qualification from a recognised board.

Minimum cut-off 45% marks in aggregate.

Test paper comprises of aptitude test, legal reasoning, data interpretation, basic maths and English.

Some renowned law schools in India are National Law school of India , Bangalore, National University of Law Hyderabad, ILS law College Pune, NLU Jodhpur, Symbiosis Law school Pune, Amity Law school Delhi, Army Institute of Law Mohali, The West Bengal national University of juridical decision sciences, IIT Kharagpur, faculty of law — Jamia Millia Islamia, faculty of law — Banaras Hindu University.

Specialisations in the field of Law

One major confusion faced by law students in India while pursuing a career as a lawyer is the specialisation that they should choose. There are many new domains of law which can be pursued if you want to be a lawyer. Make sure you pick a specialisation that interests you and you know you will be good at. Here are the few top specialisations that are gaining popularity in India today.

Medical law: This includes the rights & responsibilities of medical professionals and their patients

Environmental law: works to protect land, air, water , and soil.Negligence of these laws can result in various punishments like fines, community service, jail time

Employment law: labour law mediates the relationship between workers, employing entities, unions & government.

Consumer law: Consumer protection laws are designed to ensure fair trade competition in the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace.

International law: Relations between countries is a complex affair and the demand for International Law specialists has been on a rise because of globalisation and improving global ties. Specialising in International Law would require you to deal with customs, tariffs, and treaties and customs that countries observe with one another.

Administrative & Constitutional law: A specialised field that deals with the affairs of the state and the centre. It includes not just the power to make legal rules, but also the accountability of those charged with enacting, applying and enforcing the law.

Family law: it deals with laws that relate to marriage, divorce, separation, adoption, guardianship of minors, access to land and custody of children, division of property and maintenance payments.

Criminal law: The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential for unique and often severe imposition as punishment for failure to comply.

Civil law: Civil laws are those that deal with the enforcement of rights of individual example (laws that deal with families and defamation.)

Corporate law: One of the most sought-after specialisations, being a corporate lawyer allows you to work with big corporate houses and deal with major corporate issues like mergers and acquisitions, contracts and implementation, and corporate privileges and responsibilities.

Tax law: India has a variety of taxes that are levied across various sectors, including income tax, real-estate tax, Goods and Services Tax (GST), and many more. Due to the complexity of the calculation of taxes and the various aspects related to it, like issues of inheritance, sales, or private income calculation, the demand for tax lawyers in India has increased substantially.

Intellectual Property law: This law field deals with protecting the rights of individuals and entities regarding new inventions and creations. It could be in the form of patents, copyrights, or trademarks for any invention. This is an advanced specialization that is gaining popularity among potential lawyers because there is a lot of scope for this particular specialisation.

Cyber law: A relatively new addition to the list of popular specializations for lawyers, this one is all about the legal aspects of activities carried on online, in the cyber world. Cybercrime can be committed against an individual, against property or against the government. It has been on the rise since the internet has penetrated to deeper levels of society. You can find opportunities in various sectors like IT, corporates, government sector, etc. that engage frequently in such cases.

JAG and defence services: As the legal and judicial chief of the army, the JAG is the advisory for all legal matters pertaining to the military. As the head advisory, some of thr work areas involve advising the presiding officers in court martial and other military tribunals.They are responsible for drafting court procedures and also take a major role in defence services law.

With rising demands that are emerging with the fast changing world, law schools in India have introduced dedicated programmes in their curriculum like aviation law (NALSAR), public policy at NLSIU, Entrepreneurship administration at NUJS and labour welfare laws at symbiosis society law college. In addition to new courses, the institutes have started to focus on schooling law students through moot court sessions, journal writing and mandatory internships.

Career opportunities

Being a lawyer doesn’t just mean arguing a case in front of a judge. In addition to pursuing specialisations as a lawyer or participating in litigation and judiciary, you can also explore other avenues in law that have gained momentum in the recent past.

Teaching: Being a professor for law or any of the specialisations is a great career opportunity that also has an international scope

Legal journalism: You can work with different agencies to bring out the truth hidden in various social issues that concern people

Indian Legal Services: Under this, you get to work with various departments of the government as a law officer or a legal advisor

Solicitors and Barristers: You can be the first point of contact for different charities and companies as their legal advisor and help them navigate through challenging legal situations.

(The author is a career counsellor)