Law as Career Option: Courses, Entrance Exams, Eligibility Criterias

Pursuing a career in law is one of the best options that a student can opt for. A career in this field not only opens the gate for amazing career opportunities but also offers handsome remuneration to the candidates. Some of the career options in law that a candidate can pursue include Solicitor, Paralegal, Barrister, Legal Executive, Patent Attorney, Legal Secretary, Company Secretary, Judge, Patent Examiner, Trademark Attorney, Court Clerk, Solicitor Advocate, Court reporter and many more. In order to pursue a career in any of the fields in law, a candidate needs to take different exams such as CLAT, LSAT, AILET, AIBE, SET, BHU LLB etc. for various undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

List of Top Law Courses

Courses and Entrance Exams for Law Courses

Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)

Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is an entrance exam conducted for providing admission to candidates in 21 National Law Universities in India. Apart from these universities, the CLAT score is also accepted by 43 other education institutes and two public sector institutes. The exam is conducted by 21 participating law schools in the rotation. CLAT exam is offered to the candidates who have passed Higher Secondary Examination or 12^th grade for admission to integrated undergraduate programmes (LLB) in law and after Graduation in Law for Master of Laws (LLM) programmes.

Pattern Overview

For Undergraduate Course

The exam is a computer-based test of 2 hours duration. It consists of 200 objective type questions divided into 5 sections which include subjects General Knowledge & Current Affairs, Logical Reasoning, English (including comprehension), Legal Aptitude, Elementary Mathematics (Numerical Ability).

For Postgraduate Course

The exam is comprised of 150 questions divided into 3 sections. The questions are based on subjects like Constitutional law, Jurisprudence, Criminal Law, International Law, Torts, Contract, IPR etc.

Eligibility Overview

For Undergraduate Courses

Candidates looking to appear for CLAT exam must have passed their 12^th class or equivalent from a recognised Board with minimum 45% marks. Candidates who are appearing in the qualifying exam are also eligible to appear for the exam, however, such candidates will need to submit their passing certificate before admission.

For Postgraduate Courses

Candidate must have completed LLB/5 years Integrated LLB/ or equivalent exam with at least 55% marks. Candidates who are in the final year of the qualifying exam can also apply for the CLAT exam, however, at the time of admission, such candidates will need to provide a passing certificate at the time of admission.

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Bachelor of Law or Bachelor of Legislative Law or Bachelor in Laws and Legislation (LLB)

LLB is an undergraduate programme in law, also known as a first professional degree in law. Several reputed universities and colleges in India offer undergraduate programmes in law to eligible candidate. Generally, the duration of the LLB course is 3 to 5 years. Candidates of any discipline are considered eligible to take admission to the course, however, admission is provided through the entrance examination.

Some of the best law colleges in the country are as follows:

• Faculty of Law, BHU Varanasi
• Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar
• Faculty of Law University of Delhi, New Delhi
• Amity Law School, Noida
• National Law University

Eligibility Overview

A candidate must have completed graduation in any discipline from a recognised university/college with required marks (vary from college to college). There is no upper age limit prescribed to get admission to the LLB course. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria can seek admission to the Bachelor Degree programme either through the entrance exam or by scoring the minimum marks in the qualifying degree. Candidates studying in the final year of graduation are considered eligible to apply for the law course through various Law Entrance Examinations:

1. Common Law Entrance Test (CLAT): CLAT exam is conducted to provide candidates admission to different UG and PG courses in National Law Universities in India and other reputed colleges/institutions.

2. Law School Admission Test (LSAT): LSAT India is an entrance exam conducted for admission to UG, PG, and Integrated law courses in India. The LSAT score is accepted by 85 law colleges and institutions.

3. All India Law Entrance Test (AILET): AILET exam is conducted to select skilled candidates for admission to 5 year BA LLB (HONS.), 1 year LLM and Ph.D programmes.

4. Law Common Entrance Test (LAWCET): LAWCET is a state-level entrance exam conducted for admission to 3 years and 5 year LLB programmes.

5. All India Bar Exam (AIBE): All India Bar Exam is conducted by the Bar Council of India to award aspirants with Certificate of Practice. This test is conducted mainly to evaluate the understanding of basic knowledge of the law and analytical ability of the candidate.

6. Symbiosis Entrance Test (SET): Symbiosis International Universities organizes the SET exam to provide candidates admission to various undergraduate courses.