How to Become a Lawyer in India? A complete Guide for law aspirants

To become a lawyer in India is not an easy journey but it requires a lot of dedication and determination who is aspiring to become a successful lawyer. To become a lawyer is India, an aspirant needs to first complete the formal education and do certain degrees related to Law and when they have those qualifications, and they are ready to get themselves register with Bar Council clearing AIBE. It is also preferred to do internships while pursuing law to gain some practical experience and then choosing a direction in this field.

To know how to become a Lawyer in India, Let’s first understand what is the role and responsibilities of a lawyer, considering a lot many want to pursue law, today too.

Who is a Lawyer?

A lawyer or an advocate is a legal professional who have an understanding of laws and acts, which he use to give legal advices to their clients and also sometimes to represent them in courts in their legal affairs. These Legal professionals are so in demand today as they get hired by individuals, also sometimes by businesses and huge organizations. They have also a demand by the government and Non Profit Organizations.

What a lawyer does:-

1. To research, interpret laws and regulations.
2. To advice clients in Legal issues.
3. To represent those clients in courtroom
4. To negotiate deals.
5. To draft legal documents like contracts, wills and lawsuits.

These lawyers work in various different fields and they have an understanding about a certain category of law like there are Criminal Lawyers, Taxation Lawyers, Trademark Lawyers, Family, Patent and corporate lawyers.

Steps to become a Lawyer in India:-

1. Complete Formal Education (schooling):- The first step is to complete the formal education in your school choosing any stream- Science, Commerce or Arts. Though, to make a career in Law subjects in Arts or Humanities/ Social Science stream is much preferable. The students who have a basic understanding of these subjects’ fields can get into those high intellect law subjects early and can form a good basic level of education. Though it’s entirely the student’s choice to select a field in school.
2. Do a Bachelors of Law (LLB):- The next step after completing school education is to apply for a degree of  LLB, which is an undergraduate degree for those who want to do law in future. This is a three year degree which a student can apply for after completing 12^th or graduation in any discipline.

Or Choose Integrated course between BA LLB/ BBA LLB/ BCOM LLB:- After completing school, for law aspirants it is advisable to do either a LLB degree or a BA LLB degree which is a 5 year law course. As this is a combination of two degrees first in law and the other in any stream subject.

• Apply for A law entrance exam:- Many institutions and colleges admit their students in the law courses by conducting entrance exams like CLAT, LSAT, SLAT, AILET. There are some colleges who admit students on the basis of merit. This step is about getting yourself register for an exam so that you can get entrance to the law college.
• Get into a law school:- After getting yourself qualified for the entrance exam, research about the law college you want to enter and start applying to them. You can select them on the basis of their fees, faculty, reviews and reputation and some other factors. They will ask you about some official documents like entrance exam results, school result and some other applications too.
• Complete the degree:- This law degree is utmost important for the law aspirants who want to make their career as a successful lawyers. This is a 3 year or 5 year degree where you will study about various subjects like civil law, criminal law, family law and tax laws and many more. There is a need to have focus and absolute determination while you are pursuing this course and clearing of all your queries during the journey itself. It will not be easy, but full of hardwork as law is a complex field itself. You will learn make useful skills during the law degree program course.
• Internship:- while getting and pursuing the degree, it’s so important to apply for internships and learn while working. Practical learning always works to understand theories better and this will add value to your CV and adds to new experiences and learning. You can either apply an internship to a law chamber of a lawyer you want to work with.
• Register with Bar council of India:- After completing your law course, get yourself register with BCI  which is a body who govern in this field. To get yourself register it is compulsory to enroll within six months of law graduation. For the enrollment as a lawyer in BCI, a candidate needs to submit:- an application form, llb degree copy, marksheet of class 10^th and 12^th, 8 passport sized photographs and a certain enrollment fee.
• Appear for AIBE exam:- After getting registered it’s mandatory to  appear for an AIBE exam within 2 years of enrolment. This is the exam which is compulsory to pass for those who want to practice law in India. This exam is of duration of 3 hours 30 minutes where there are total 100 question objective and no negative marking. After passing the examination, you will become certified and can practice as an advocate or a lawyer in any part of the country and now the candidate is ready to practice under The Advocates Act 1961.

How much Time it Takes to become a Lawyer in India?

Becoming a lawyer is not an easy journey. It is a committing journey as it needs approx. 6 years to become a lawyer (LLB of 3 years and Bachelors degree) after schooling and to become a successful one, more than 6 years.

Career Options after becoming a Lawyer:-

This field of study give the aspirants many paths and options which they can think about to work in:-

1. Law firms jobs:- These lawyers can work in law firms of any sizes.
2. Individual Practice:- they can either work individually as an independent lawyer who handles litigation, legal opinions and drafting too.
3. Government Jobs:- These lawyers can work in government divisions as a legal professionals.
4. Judiciary:- After all the above qualification they can appear in judicial services exams and can become judge.
5. Academia:- These are the lawyers who can teach at law colleges. These are the professors in legal studies colleges.