After a student gradutates form the law school, he/she has a variety of diverse career options depending on thier interest. The student can go for jobs either private or government. The other options include Independent Practice or teaching.

In this article we will be discussing about various career options in detail and the merits and demerits of choosing the particular career option.

Law firm job

This is one of the most popular and lucrative option that students choose after graduating form thier Law school. The students get attracted towards this option as a law firm job rewards them instantly with a handsome salary package. The law form job may in any field of law depending on the type of law firm. Some examples are Corporate advisory firm, Corporate litigation, Criminal litigation, Civil litigation firm, intellectual property, etc. The freshers joining as a Law firm associate get paid depending upon the tier of the firm they are joining, the skills they posses, the practice area they are working in and their experience.

Many seniors are of the opinion that a law firm job may be good for initial experience but working there for lifetime may restrict the growth as well as the earning potentail of a Lawyer which would not have been in the case in Independent practice.

Independent  Practice

The so called “boys club” i.e. Independent practice is when a lawyer works as an independent advocate to serve his clients. An independent practitioner is his represents his clients to charge a fee as consideration to his service. An independent advocate is his own boss, he have to work to build his image and reputation to get clients. There are no barriers to the earning potential of an independent practioner as he decides his fees himself and that can go in crores depending on the client and the reputation that he has in the society.

The major problem that comes in starting an independent practice is to get clients in the initial phase of the practice. Usually it takes around 4-5 years to set thier practice at the basic level. Although, once an advocate has good reputation after a few years, they start getting frequent clients and a decent pay. Although, this may vary depending upon the capability of the lawyer.

Public prosecutor

Public prosecutor is a governemt employee who represents the state in criminal cases. Public prosecutors are appointed by either the state government or central government. To become a Public prosecutor, one has to full fill the eligibilty criteria as specifed by the central or the state government.

The salary of a public prosecutor lies approximately between 40,000 to 2 lakhs per month. The salary with the secuirty of a government job becomes an attractive career opportunity in the filed of law. There is no demerit of being a public prosecutor but the work load of preparing of multiple cases daily might your life a bit hectic.

Judiciary

This is one of the most lucrative and respectable position. Apart from a good salary and perks there comes a lot of power and honour with this postition. There are boradly three categories in which we can divide the selection of judical adjudicators in India. The first way is to give the exam of lower judiciary which is a state level exam and the only eligibility criteria to appear for the exams of lower judiciary is to be a lawyer and no experience is required. The second way is to appear for the exams of higher judiciary which are comparitively competitive and an experience of 7 years of practice as an advocate is required. A person clearing the lower judicary exam usually joins as a magistrate or a civil judge. Whereas, one who clears the Higher judicary exam is appointed as a district Judge or a Sessions Judge. Being a judge comes with huge responsibility as judges are the pillars of the third organ of the government.

In-House Counsel

The famous quote that only once you get rich you know how much you need lawyers might make sense here. An Inhouse-counsel is an employee in an organization, who works full time for the organization and assist the company in day to day legalities and compliances. The tasks that a in-house counsel takes over is dependent on the type of organization they are working with. For Example, An in-house counsel with a builder company might be working on RERA compliance, flat buyer agreement and other compliances.

To read in detail about the diffence between the job of an in-house counsel and a law firm job, read this article.

JAG Judge Advocate General 

This is a very unique Career option after completing your Law degree. Lawyers in India can opt this legal career if they are also interested in being in Army. Although a JAG has nothing to do with on ground combat. Instead, the work of a Lawyer there revolves aroud working on cases of disciplinary action cases and litigation around the same. These lawyers are experts in Millitary Law and other laws like terrorism and Human Right violations.

In conclusion, there are multiple career options you can pursue after graduating form the law depending upon the interest of the student. But one should not forget that law is a nobel profession and the ultimate aim for a lawyer is to serve the people and work in the inteserest of justice. No matter of you choose corporate law, civil law or criminal law or any other emerging field of law such as IPR, one should stick to professional ehtics and rules laid down the Bar council of India.

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