So you think that law school is the right choice for you? Good.... Now let’s make sure that your reasons are solid and weatherproof. Although the life of an attorney is not really like that portrayed in the television series Ally McBeal, there are aspects of lawyering that can be a great deal of fun.
Except for those fortunate ones with lawyers in the family, most of us never even contemplated law as a career option when we made those vital decisions of picking careers. However, over the last decade the popular perception of the law degree has changed dramatically. Law has become a strong and versatile career option inspired by world class law schools such as the National Law School in Bangalore and subsequently NUJS in Kolkata, NALSAR in Hyderabad, NLU in Jodhpur and NLIU in Bhopal and many more. The older institutions such as the legendary Government Law College in Bombay and the equally famous Faculty of Law in Delhi have responded positively and pruned their curriculum to face up to the challenge. The result - the five year law degree has all the ingredients to make it a excellent career option.
The most familiar image of  lawyers is screaming their lungs out in courts of law. Litigating lawyers, as these lawyers are called, represent their clients in court. Litigating lawyers are called upon to argue various kinds of issues, ranging from property matters to criminal matters, constitutional issues to matters of family law. Black and white and vociferous, these lawyers argue the law to make sure that their clients’ interests are represented in the best possible manner before those that will decide matters of a whole lot of importance to a whole lot of people. Other lawyers work with corporate houses, or in law firms that service corporates. Here, lawyers work mainly as facilitators, helping companies work smoothly within the boundaries of law. Lawyers are sometimes also referred to as ‘social engineers’. As you would know, our society, the way we live, and what we do everyday, are all loosely bound by a mesh of rules that we call ‘laws’. It is the job of lawyers to understand these rules, and to help people live their lives most meaningfully.
How does one decide which law school to apply to? Is it the academic standards or the performance in moot court competitions? Is it the reputation of the law school in the industry or the reputation amongst other law schools?  Rankings released by different sources often conflict resulting in a fair bit of confusion. Here are the most important ingredients to decide which law school to pick : Industry Reputation, Reputation amongst Foreign Law Schools, Peer Reputation, Academic Standards / Quality of Faculty, Recruitment Statistics, Location, Student Community / Campus Life, Hostel Quality, IT Infrastructure / Library and Quality of Entrance Process.
Now let us see how should one go about this entire process. At present, there are many law colleges to choose from. To name some, there are the National Law Schools, Symbiosis Society’s Law College, Pune, Amity Law College, I.L.S, Pune and many more. As the things stand now, each Law School conducts its own admission test and admits students as per its regulations. There is a Common Law Entrance Test (like LAWCET in Andhra Pradesh) held in seven law schools which are NLSIU (Bangalore), NALSAR University of  Law (Hyderabad), National Law Institute University (Bhopal), West Bengal National University of  Juridicial Sciences (Kolkata), National Law University (Jodhpur), Hidayatullah National Law University (Raipur), Gujarat National Law University (Gandhinagar). The details of this test is available in the website -: www.clat.ac.in. Other law colleges like Symbiosis, Amity etc. have their own entrance tests. The details of which can be found in their respective websites.
Now the inevitable question which comes to everyone’s mind reading this article would be what next after law ? There are many options. The traditional career path for a lawyer, is to “go into practice”, or join the chambers of a senior advocate as his junior. This option involves arguing in court on a daily basis, and applying your mind to a plethora of different issues in order to win the case for your client. There is, of course, scope for specialisation even in this field. Some lawyers practice criminal law, some company law and at a later stage, even constitutional law. A legal practice is much the same as a medical practice - if one serves the needs of clients well, they will return and refer others to you, and one’s reputation will grow, so that even more clients are attracted to you. Typically, a junior works with a senior to gain experience, until he is proficient in the profession. After that, one stays a junior, more or less permanently, or, as the more successful ones do, one can either inherit one’s senior’s practice when he retires, or split away to establish one’s own practice. This career option promises the greatest challenges, and the greatest rewards. The most famous lawyers in the country have all followed this career path - K.K. Venugopal, Fali Nariman, and Soli Sorabjee to name a few.
Next option is Corporate Counselling. Several law students opt to work with the in-house legal department of a corporate firm after graduating from law school. Legal managers play a critical role in the functioning of a company, and are responsible for drafting, vetting, and in several cases, negotiating contracts for the company, ensuring and monitoring compliance with laws, and handling legal disputes that the company may be involved in. Corporate counsels are required to interact with several different functions in a company, understand business and operations needs, and serve these needs in a manner that is both suitable and legal. GE Capital, ICICI Bank, ITC, IBM, Infosys, Satyam, Wipro, Dr. Reddy’s, Biocon, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, KPMG and HLL are some corporate giants that frequent law school campus recruitment programmes.
The next most widely chosen option is joining a law firm. A law firm is usually a partnership between lawyers who have come together to offer their expertise to clients under one name. These partners share the profits of the firm as well as the risks, and engage other lawyers to work with them as associates. Work at a law firm involves dealing with a wide variety of problems that may or may not be restricted to a particular area of the law depending on the specialisation and culture of the firm. Major law firms have separate litigation and corporate departments. The litigation department deals with the disputes which the firm’s clients are involved in. Working in the litigation department of a law firm or in a firm that does mainly litigation entails interaction with leading lawyers and a feel of the world of court practice. The corporate departments of law firms advise companies on the corporate deals which they are involved in, such as acquisitions of companies, important inter-company agreements, investment in India by foreign clients, financing of massive projects undertaken by clients and so on.  Major law firms, both Indian and foreign, recruit from the top Indian law schools. Among the major recruiters from the domestic legal schools are top law firms such as Amarchand Mangaldas, Suresh A. Shroff & Co, AZB Partners, J.Sagar & Associates, and Luthra & Luthra Law Offices. Foreign law firms that recruit from Indian law schools include the UK-based Linklaters Alliance, the Singapore-based Khattar & Wong, and others. New recruits join as junior associates and are promoted based on their performance.
Law schools often include several courses designed to address relevant social issues in their course curriculum, including gender concerns, caste-based discrimination, employment, working conditions, environmental protection and the marginalisation of various peoples. A sizeable number of  law school students join Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that work with these issues. Graduates from law school are also offered opportunities to work with international organisations such as the United Nations and with international war and crime tribunals. This line gives tremendous job satisfaction if you are passionate about working with socio-legal issues.
A graduate of a good law school takes away skills that are applicable in almost any walk of life. Skills such as good communication, problem solving, risk identification, and dispute resolution are priceless in the world of business. If you choose business management then there is a road ahead. There are three broad routes you could think of. First is going for a business management job immediately after law school, the second is making the shift from a legal job to a business management job, and the third is to study further for an MBA degree. But in a country like ours, it’s initially difficult to steer away from law and enter the field of management. Generally people looking for managers in their company don’t take law graduates into consideration at all. They think that how would a law graduate make a good manager. But they forget one very vital point. That a law graduate is well equipped with all those qualities which are needed in a manager. Hence, it’s a good option but one has to prove oneself  first as to if he/she can make a good manager or not. If one decides to go in this line then a degree in management would be an added advantage.
The most recent development in the legal field is the commencement of  Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO). This is one of the growing fields now a days. Law graduates who are not intersted in that ‘typical’ form of legal work can venture into this option. Let us first understand the operations of an LPO and the nature of work they do. An LPO is an offshore unit, undertaking legal work assigned by companies in U.K and USA. These companies outsource work to India. The work in an LPO can be in any form. Starting from high-end legal research and drafting briefs, memorandums and commercial contracts to litigation support work like evidence related work and first level document review. Salaries for fresh graduates, start from Rs 20,000 - 25,000, but easily touch Rs 70,000 in a span of 5 yrs. Working hours: Mostly 9AM to 7PM. There are a few LPOs that do night shifts but this is the exception rather than the rule. For a young legal professional a career with an LPO is attractive option.
Lastly, Academics. Pursuing teaching as career option comes good to those who have a desire and a passion for it, National law School Alumnus form the part of countries best faculties throughout the top National Law Schools of the country. Research in a law school is not just confined to a specific field. Today an average law student has to conduct studies and examine issues on diverse fields ranging from Intellectual Property Rights, Environment Law, Space Law, to International Arbitration. This career option gives you more flexibility than any other stream. A Lecturer of law is paid on a per-hour-basis. The remuneration being directly proportionate to the experience you carry and the credibility that you gain during your stint as a teacher. Delivering lectures upon any issue and not just matters related to law come easy to Law students given the fact that through out their law school life, they are constantly in touch with the issues governing the society and not to forget their hold over a subject which is omnipresent in the world we live in. The living evidence to this is the Law Graduate and Internationally Acclaimed Leadership Guru and Author of “The Monk who sold his Ferrari” Robin Sharma.
There are various specializations which one can take up. Areas of specializations like Business Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Health Care Law, Intellectual Property Law, International Law, Public Interest Litigation, Admiralty Law, Environment Law and many more which can be pursued according to the interest of an individual.
In conclusion , we can say that being a lawyer is one of the most interesting and exhilarating profession one can be in. It includes the utmost use of your brain cells. Tasks such as preparing for a trial, defending a client, prosecuting an accused criminal, or putting together a business deal can give you a rush of adrenaline. The interpretation of existing law can be both intellectually challenging and exciting in itself as you participate in the continuing evolution our legal system. But one has to exactly know whether he/she has the required potential to get into this line. It’s a very tough line to survive but at the same time you get the kicks out of it. So if you think you have it in you then definitely go for it.