Career Prospects

Career Prospects
Legal profession is one of the oldest and noble callings. The profession of law is held in high esteem and its members have played an enviable role in public life. It an honorable profession with high traditional and immense potentialities for great good in the progress of ordered society. Lawyers have been in the vanguard of the country’s progress have played a leading role in the nations’ freedom struggle and have always zealously guarded human liberties and the rule of law. Public service is the foremost and primary aim of legal profession. A career in law has many challenging opportunities, particularly, In the light of the emerging new fields of social and economic activities, both at national and international level. Legal profession offers excellent openings to those individuals who are equipped with the requisite professional qualities, skills and competencies. Earlier, it has been felt that, a law graduate has limited career opportunities, apart from practicing as advocates at the Bar. Gone are the days when a simple law graduate would visualize a bleak career prospects. There is a sea change in the legal field with wide expansion of the governmental and corporate functions and growth of commercial transactions, leading to increasing litigation.

Career in Law : The Professional Demands
A law graduate or post-graduate in law who opts for a career in law needs, to possess certain skills and traits to grab the opportunities which are awaiting him in the national and international field. As aptly highlighted by Parry, there are seven qualities or lamps of advocacy which are essential for a lawyer to make his mark at the Bar or in the legal professional life. These include, honesty, industry, wit, courage, eloquency, judgment, fellowship etc., and above all, a service bent of mind and professional zeal. Arthur T.Vandar Bilt has rightly highlighted five basic responsibilities of a lawyer , which will entail him to achieve great heights in his career.- Counseling, Advocacy , improving his profession, the Court and the Law, Leadership in moulding public opinion and the unselfish holding of public office. An individual who possesses these qualities and traits, is sure to attain great heights in his career in law.

The Diverse Career Pathways Open to the Law Graduates

There are diverse career paths open to the law graduates in the present context.
Some of which are highlighted hereunder.

Advocates
A law graduate can establish his career as a practicing lawyer from lower court at the taluka level to the Apex court level. Lawyers are the officers of the courts whose duty it is to assist the courts in the process of administration of justice.

Judicial Officers
Young and fresh law graduates are now eligible to compete for the posts of the coveted judicial officer in the subordinate judiciary as junior civil judges and later part to the higher judiciary.

Public Prosecutors
Public Prosecutors and Asst. Police Prosecuting Officers are the officers appointed by the government to assist the court in pleading the case of the State in criminal cases, as a part of administration of justice.

Law Officers
Today a law graduate has tremendous career opportunities as law officers, Probationary Officers in banking sector and a host of other public and private sector bodies,. where there has been great expansion of commercial transactions.

Arbitrators
Arbitration as an alternative method of dispute settlement has been gaining much popularity and is being even granted legal status, for the speedy settlement of disputes without resorting to the cumbersome judicial process.

Defence Services
Many people are not aware that, law graduates have challenging openings in defence services as Commissioned Officers. Selections to these posts are made through The Union Public Service Commission.

Teachers
Post graduates in Law with Ph.D degree or those who are qualified in the UGC conducted NET Examination have excellent opportunities to serve as law teachers at the University level.

LPO
With the changing scenario of legal market and globalization of law firms a new concept of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has become the new imperative. Many Western companies and corporations are now out sourcing their legal work to Asian countries.

Intellectual Property
Today intellectual Property Rights have become the buzz word in all the sectors. Intellectual property Rights can foster economic growth, provide incentives for innovations and attract investment that is paving the way for new jobs and opportunities.