Lawyer - How to become a Lawyer

Who is a Lawyer?

A lawyer is a practitioner who is qualified to provide legal advice or to represent someone in legal proceedings. A lawyer is also known as an attorney, a solicitor, a counselor, a barrister, or an ambulance chaser.

A lawyer may handle a wide range of legal issues, from creating wills to defending persons against criminal accusations. To practice law, qualified lawyers must complete law school and pass the bar test. Of course, a lawyer is someone who practices law. The term "law" derives from the Old Norse root word lag, which implies anything fixed or put down.

Lawyers are individuals with different personalities. They are entrepreneurial people who are adventurous, ambitious, forceful, outgoing, energetic, passionate, confident, and optimistic. They are powerful, compelling, and motivating. Some of them are also investigative, which means they are smart, introspective, and curious.

 

How to become a Lawyer

Qualification to become a lawyer in India

• Bachelor of Law (LLB)
• Integrated BA LLB, BBA LLB, BCom LLB, etc
• Latin Legum Magister (LLM)

To become a lawyer in India, students must first satisfy a few academic requirements. Aspirants might choose and study law degrees to seek a profession in the legal field. The following are the law courses:

Bachelor of Law (LLB) - LLB, or Bachelor of Law, is a three-year undergraduate degree for individuals interested in pursuing a legal profession. Students can apply for LLB after completing their 10+2 or graduate in any subject. LLB students learn about the law in general.

Integrated BA LLB / BBA LLB / BCom LLB - After finishing 10+2, students can pursue an integrated legal study such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, or BCom LLB. This is a five-year program that combines a bachelor's degree in law with a bachelor's degree in any field ranging from the arts to science.

Latin Legum Magister (LLM) - LLM, which stands for Latin Legum Magister and means Master of Laws, is a two-year postgraduate legal program. Based on their interests and choices, this postgraduate program teaches and develops legal students in a specialized specialty. LLM boosts your chances of advancing in your legal profession.

 

How to become a Lawyer after 12th?

Students must take entrance examinations and legal studies after the 12th grade in order to become lawyers:

Undergraduate Law Courses: Students interested in becoming lawyers must first enroll in undergraduate law courses such as LLB, BA LLB, BBA LLB, or BSc LLB. Before entering into these institutions, students must pass law entrance exams such as the CLAT, AILET, and LSAT. The highest scorers on these admission exams get admitted to almost all top-tier law schools.

Postgraduate Law Courses: Following completion of an LLB or analogous degree, students can enroll in an LLM course to become a lawyer in a certain specialty. Students seeking a master's degree in law are required to get a valid score on legal entrance examinations such as the CLAT PG, LSAT, and others.

In this section, we have outlined the step-by-step process for becoming a lawyer in India:

Step 1: Complete your Secondary Education.

You must have finished your 10+2 from a recognized education board to be able to pursue a bachelor's degree in law. Undergraduate law courses are accessible to students from a variety of disciplines.

Step 2: Apply for Bachelor or Integrated Course in Law

After graduating from high school, students must first enroll in a bachelor's or integrated degree course in the area of law. The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree program lasts three years. Other options include integrated legal studies such as BA LLB / BBA LLB / BCom LLB / BSc LLB. They are all five-year programs with the possibility for students to specialize.

Step 3: Register, Appear, and Clear Law Entrance Exam

The majority of institutions and universities admit students to legal programs through entrance exams. However, a few colleges do provide merit-based admissions.

Popular law entrance examinations for law school entry include:

• CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)
• LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
• AILET (All India Law Entrance Test)
• SLAT (Symbiosis Law Aptitude Test)
• AP LAWCET (Andhra Pradesh Law Common Entrance Test)

Step 4: Apply to Law Schools

As soon as you obtain your legal admission exam results, you can begin applying to law schools. Most students apply to many law schools, giving them a variety of possibilities. Each candidate must submit official papers, legal entry test scores, letters of recommendation, and further information.

Step 5: Complete a Degree in Law

After being admitted to college, students must study and pass a wide range of legal courses such as civil law, criminal law, family law, tax laws, and so on. It should be emphasized that in order to become a legal graduate and sit for the Bar Council Examination, students must pass all of their studies.

Step 6: Pursue Law Internships

Lawyering is a practice-based profession, and internships are critical in providing students with expertise in legal procedures in India. Students can learn about law practices and the legal system by interning with advocates or participating in moot discussions or legal aid.

Step 7: Register with State Bar Council

After completing a bachelor's or integrated degree, law students must register with the State Bar Council in order to take the AIBE exam and become a lawyer. Candidates must pay fees and submit documentation in order to receive a provisional certificate that allows them to practice before the Court of Law.

Step 8: Clear All India Bar Examination (AIBE)

To become a lawyer and practice in court, law students must pass the AIBE test, according to instructions provided by the Government of India. AIBE is held once a year, and preliminary registration is required to appear for the test.

Step 9: Practice Law and Gain Experience

Candidates who pass the AIBE exam receive a license to practice law and are legally admitted to the bar. Candidates can get experience by working for any commercial or government business, or by starting their own law practice.

 

How to become a Lawyer after Engineering?

Engineers who already hold an undergraduate degree can choose a three-year Bachelor of Laws (LLB) program over a five-year integrated program. This will save you a lot of time when practicing and gaining experience.

Students must have a BTech / BE degree from a recognized university/college with a minimum of 45-50% aggregate.

Please walk us through the steps of becoming a Lawyer after Engineering:

• Step 1: Apply for and take law admission tests such as CLAT, LSAT, and others.
• Step 2: After passing the admission exam, enroll in a recognized college.
• Step 3: Pass all of the examinations and earn your LLB.
• Step 4: Sign up for the BAR Council Exam.
• Step 5: To practice law, you must pass the All-India Bar Examination (AIBE).
• Step 6: Gain field experience through internships and employment.

 

How to become a lawyer after Commerce?

Candidates can pursue a career as a lawyer after completing a 5-year integrated course. This combines both an undergraduate degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree.

Students must have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 50-60% aggregate from a recognized board to be eligible.

The following is a step-by-step approach to becoming a lawyer after commerce:

• Step 1: Enroll for national-level legal admission tests such as CLAT and LSAT, as well as university-level law entrance examinations such as DU LLB, SLAT, and so on.
• Step 2: Pass the entrance exam to gain admission to a prestigious institution or university.
• Step 3: Pass all of the exams and obtain your integrated legal degree.
• Step 4: Sign up for the BAR Council Exam.
• Step 5: Clear the All-India Bar Exam (AIBE).
• Step 6: Develop your professional network through internships and jobs.

 

What exactly does a lawyer do?

A lawyer is qualified to practice law and is expected to uphold the law while also preserving the rights of their clients. Some frequent responsibilities of a lawyer include:

• Providing legal assistance and advice
• Acquiring and researching information or proof
• Creating legal papers such as divorce decrees, wills, contracts, and real estate transactions
• In court, you can either prosecute or defend.
• Dispute resolution through mediation

 

Types of Lawyers

Since the law is so vast and complex, it is difficult for a single lawyer to successfully offer legal guidance in every field of law. Similar to how a doctor concentrates on a certain area of the body or a specific sort of sickness or disease, attorneys specialize in one or two related areas of law.

Lawyer specialties include the following:

Divorce Lawyer

Divorce attorneys are experts in the numerous legal issues that must be handled when ending a marriage. Child custody, court filings, and the distribution of assets and debts among spouses are examples of such specifics. A divorce lawyer will award the separation in the form of a court decree in the event of legal separation (a legal separation is a process by which a married couple may formalize a separation while remaining legally married). When there are children involved, a divorce lawyer will assist in determining child support and custody arrangements.

All across the divorce process, attorneys strive to defend their clients' rights and guarantee that their clients get a fair settlement once the marriage has been officially dissolved. In order to substantiate the supporting evidence, a divorce lawyer must do a thorough investigation into each case. Before it is filed to the court, the gathered documentation recording the evidence must cover every single detail. A divorce lawyer must also be an attentive listener and remain non-judgmental while working with such a diverse range of clients.

 

Family Lawyer

Adoption, surrogacy, child abuse, child abduction, spousal abuse, estate or family planning, divorce, custody disputes, paternity findings, juvenile delinquency, child emancipation, prenuptial agreements, and name changes are all handled by a family lawyer. Family law attorneys defend their clients in family court procedures or discussions, as well as write any relevant legal papers.

While some family lawyers solely practice divorce, the majority practice all aspects of family law. Divorce law and family law are commonly confused, although divorce law is simply one of many topics that a family lawyer works with. It is worth noting that while a family lawyer may manage a divorce, he or she typically does not have the skills to represent clients in other family law problems.

 

Immigration Lawyer

Immigration attorneys establish the legal rights, obligations, and duties of immigrants and specialize in assisting them in obtaining lawful citizenship inside a certain nation. They will also aid with citizenship examinations, represent persons in court to prevent deportation, and help those in emergency situations gain urgent access to citizenship.

Immigration lawyers do a lot of work on behalf of their clients, such as analyzing all of the possibilities and strategies that may be required throughout the process, preparing paperwork, organizing the documents and forms that will be needed for the application, and preparing testimony and statements. They often serve as go-betweens for customers and immigration officials.

 

Criminal Lawyer

In state and federal courts, a criminal lawyer represents persons and organizations facing criminal prosecution. Fraud, domestic abuse crimes, theft, embezzlement, violent crimes, driving under the influence (DUI), sex crimes, and drug-related crimes are examples of such offenses. A criminal lawyer's profession encompasses trials, bail bond hearings, post-conviction remedies, plea deals, and revocation hearings (parole or probation).

A criminal lawyer will interview all witnesses involved in a case, investigate the statutes, case law, and criminal codes, and then formulate a defense and develop a case plan. Typically, negotiations with the prosecution are required in order to plea bargain to fewer charges. During the trial, the criminal lawyer will fight for the defendant and argue motions (motions to dismiss or motions to suppress) as well as appeals - all motions and appeals must be written and filed in advance by the lawyer.

 

Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer

Accident and personal injury lawyers focus on civil law issues involving physical and psychological damage caused by an accident. This sort of lawyer generally practices tort law and provides legal services to persons who claim to have been damaged as a consequence of the carelessness of another person or business.

They assist persons who have been injured in obtaining payment for the expenditures they have spent - this compensation is frequently required to pay for medical care and make up for lost income. Traffic accidents, slip and fall accidents, job injuries, faulty goods, and professional misconduct are all examples of typical personal injury lawsuits.

Usually, personal injury and accident cases are resolved out of court. If a victim's insurance company declines their claim, the only method for them to seek compensation is to go through a full civil lawsuit. Litigation may be exceedingly complicated, with rigorous adherence to certain processes and evidentiary regulations.

 

Business Lawyers (Corporate Lawyers)

Business and corporate attorneys manage a wide range of legal challenges for both publicly traded and privately owned organizations, and they specialize in consulting and leading their clients through complicated legal processes.

They are particularly interested in agency and employment law, contracts, sales, commercial paper, business organizations, and property and bailment. Their experience might range from assisting brand-new online startups with their start-up requirements to negotiating difficult acquisitions for multi-billion dollar corporations.

 

Bankruptcy Lawyer

A bankruptcy lawyer represents people or businesses who file court declarations asserting their inability to pay their creditors. Understanding the procedure and completing the bankruptcy documents might be difficult. Due to the complexity of bankruptcy filings, the majority are done by bankruptcy attorneys who not only provide legal advice but also manage the paperwork from beginning to end.

A bankruptcy lawyer will meet with potential clients to assess their income, obligations, and assets, determine if bankruptcy is appropriate for them, choose which chapter of bankruptcy to file, schedule a filing date, and engage in a contract with the client.

 

Employment Lawyer

Contracts, rules, collective bargaining agreements, protection against discrimination, sexual harassment, wages and hours, health and safety, and severance talks are all governed by an employment lawyer. Other duties may include counseling companies on environmental standards and defending employers before governmental boards and agencies. Employment attorneys can also help with workplace-related lawsuits.

Employment attorneys educate employees and employers on the legal norms of the local, state, or federal government to ensure consistent and equitable treatment. Employer-side employment attorneys assist companies in developing policies that instruct management not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, or handicap. Employment attorneys can also advise employees on their rights to organize a union and their obligations to union workers.

 

Animal Lawyer

An animal lawyer works on matters including veterinary negligence, wrongful death, contaminated pet food products, dog bite defense suits, discrimination, landlord-tenant conflicts, estate planning, purchase disputes, animal cruelty, and other animal-related legal concerns.

Animal welfare organizations, animal protection groups, pet service companies, conservation organizations, and private clients may all engage animal attorneys. An animal lawyer will counsel clients, do research, examine and prepare legal papers, conduct depositions, set up pet trusts, argue cases in court, file class action lawsuits, and perform a range of other tasks. They may also publish case studies in publications devoted to animal law research.

 

How does one choose the sort of lawyer they want to be?

When deciding what sort of lawyer to become, it is a good idea to ask yourself the following questions:

• What drew you to becoming a lawyer?
• What drives you to pursue it as a career?
• Who do you consider yourself a representative of?
• What kind of influence do you want to have on the world?
• What kinds of circumstances do you envision yourself being involved in?
• What kind of lifestyle do you see for yourself in your profession?
• What are the career prospects for the sort of law you're interested in?
• What are your favorite law school classes?

Most attorneys become lawyers for personal reasons. For example, if you are passionate about worker rights, then labor law may be the path for you. Do you have strong feelings regarding immigrants' rights? Immigration law. What about the environment? Environmental law. Consider that path if you want to have an influence on something you care deeply about and there is a law for it.

 

What does a Lawyer earn?

In India, the average lawyer pay is 450,000 per year (approx). Entry-level salaries begin at 363,750 per year, with most experienced personnel earning up to 1,900,000 per year.

A lawyer's beginning pay ranges from INR 7000 to 10,000. A senior lawyer's pay often varies between INR 5 and 7 LPA. Lawyers often do not get a salary; instead, they are self-employed professionals who can charge fees based on the progress of their cases.

However, beginning salaries for corporate lawyers who have graduated from top legal schools often vary between INR 7 and 10 LPA. With time, education, and exposure, the same sum may be increased to INR 29.9 - 37 LPA.

The typical remuneration package of a lawyer is determined by a variety of criteria, including the court in which they practice, their experience, expertise, and so on. The number of court appearances that a lawyer makes is usually a determining element of his income, as most advocates charge their fees for each appearance.

Lawyers with significant years of experience charge up to INR 5-10 Lakh for each appearance, whereas fresh grads charge approximately INR 300-400. A corporate lawyer, on the other hand, is paid a set salary of INR 6- 12 LPA. Harish Salve, for example, charges roughly INR 25,00,000 for each appearance.