Redefining the Law Career Trajectory: The BA-LLB Way

Unlike the famous figurative speech that demonstrates the inability of a person to gain expertise in a particular subject matter because he is busy dabbling in many skills, a degree in Legum Baccalaureus coupled with a Bachelor in Arts (hereinafter referred to as B.A-LLB) aids a student of law to be a master of a number of subjects. Apart from embodying the principles of holistic legal education, he becomes a man-of-all-work and versatile, evincing great adaptability to adjust to varying circumstances while simultaneously serving various critical functions. 

A degree in law generally has a great appeal in terms of not only the subjects that one studies in a law school but also the employability prospects that it offers. More so, an integrated professional course of five years is definitely a ‘cherry on the cake’ because it promises to combine a Bachelor in Arts with Law, and exposes the student to a plethora of different courses that he can choose from, develop his interests, and shape his career accordingly. Such a 5-year integrated BA-LLB course is important to carve out one’s area of interest in the duration of five years so that he can construe and approach his career goals better. One of the most distinctive features of the B.A-LLB course is its outreach; its purview extends from civil law to criminal law to penology to space law to sports law and the like, thereby covering a vast range of ‘areas of interest’ of a student. 

For a subject specialization, a student can choose whatever laws he wishes to learn. The general specialization options include Constitutional Law, International law, Criminal Law, Business Laws, etc., however with time, as laws have developed; the students can now choose subjects like Maritime Law, Space Law, Sports Law, Medical law, to name a few, as subject specializations. 

In the following part, the author(s) have made a sincere attempt to enlist all the viable options available to a law student, after he completes his integrated five-year course in B.A-LLB:  

1. Government Jobs 

The union, state and local governments, government-aided institutions, Public Sector Undertakings, etc., provide numerous employment opportunities that a B.A-LLB graduate can avail of. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the same- 

• UPSC`s civil service examination, the State Public Service; 

• Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), that includes IBPS PO i.e., the Probationary Officer and IBPS SO i.e., the Specialist Officer; 
• Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) GRADE- A Legal Officer; 
• Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the Indian Army; 
• Legal Officer in Public Sector Undertaking(PSUs) such as ONGC, NTPC, BHEL,  etc.; 
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) GRADE- B Legal Officer. 

2. The Indian Judiciary 

The third organ of the state also provides certain opportunities in the form of: 

• The Judicial Services Examination, that involves Lower Judicial Service & Higher Judicial Service; 
• Public Prosecutors, the legal representative on behalf of the State; 

• All India Bar Examination (AIBE) or the Bar Council of India enrollment, that grants a lawyer the status of an Advocate and also a Certificate of Practice by which he can pursue his legal practice in any court within the territory of India; 
• Supreme Court Law Clerk cum Research Assistant (Final year students from the integrated undergraduate course can also apply for this position). 

3. The Legal Academia and Research 

After graduating with a degree in B.A-LLB one can also aspire to be a part of the fraternity that imparts legal education. This profession is attributed the utmost importance among all others, since “Judicial enforcement of rights by courts of law does not necessarily guarantee public understanding and support for those rights; such understanding or awareness needs to be inculcated and can only be achieved by education.” It is needless to mention here that law teachers and professors shape the future legal fraternity of the country and their understanding of the subjects. 

One can join the legal academia as a law professor or a researcher, by means of- 

• UGC- NET Examination, that has vacancies for researchers and assistant professors in UGC recognized universities across India and Research Institutes; 
•  Research Associate or Research Consultant in Education Research Centers operated by various Universities and independent research institutions; 
• Project associate, Program Executive, Consultant in incubation and start-up centres; 
• Principal investigator and co-investigator in funded research programs; 

• Subject expert in which his area of interest lies, e.g. a Mitigation Expert, Criminal Psychologist etc. 

Note: Please note that some of the jobs and vacancies mentioned above are subjected to specific eligibility criteria and requirements, and age restrictions. 

4. Post-graduation 

After the completion of the undergraduate course in B.A-LLB, the students can choose to pursue post-graduation, either in their domestic country or abroad. The most common post-graduate program that is generally chosen by law students is the Master of Law (or LLM, Legum Magister). A candidate may enrol in an LLM program in any institution of higher learning in India and abroad provided he fulfils the minimum eligibility criteria.  

• The Common Law Admission Test for Post- Graduation (or CLAT-PG) Examination helps students to pursue their post-graduation at the National Law Universities (NLUs) according to the ranks acquired and the selected subject- specialization(s). 
• For Foreign LLM programs, the students can choose any university across the globe according to the specialization(s) they want to pursue. There are also a number of prestigious scholarships awarded by notable universities to fund their foreign students. Some of the scholarships that students may apply for are the Rhodes scholarship; the Commonwealth Scholarship, the Chevening scholarship, the Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship etc. 

Other than re-enrolling for LLM programs, B.A-LLB  students can also enrol for diploma courses; PG diploma courses; Master of Arts (M.A.) in subjects like Human Rights, Women`s Studies etc.; Masters in Comparative Law (MCL) etc. 

5. The Corporate Space 

The corporate world and the reputed law firms, boutique law firms, firms specializing in a particular area of practice, are places that attract a large chunk of law students.  The students may either become Corporate Lawyer or work as Legal Advisor or may participate as Litigation Associate in the respective corporate law firms. 

6. Other Areas to explore 

Apart from the options mentioned above, a student with a B.A-LLB degree can also pursue his career as –  

• A journalist, specializing in law and contemporary social, economic and regulatory affairs 
• A publisher, publishing journals, books and blogs relating to law and other interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary matters 
• A member/founding member of a Non- Governmental Organization or Non- profit Organization.
• A social lawyer, rendering Pro-Bono Legal advice and other services to the vulnerable and underprivileged, who are not adequately represented.
• A human-rights activist  or a human rights defender, 
• An associate in a Legal Process Outsourcing Services organization, 
• A fellow of an organization, institution (including charitable institution), etc.
• A project leader of any of the United Nations programs. 

Concluding, it may be said that the B.A-LLB course offers quite a few employment opportunities and opens up new vistas for aspirants seeking a forward-looking career in law. The expertise, skills and experience amassed through the course help students create a niche segment for themselves. In a nutshell, the course aids students to not only hone their academic skills but also secure a variety of jobs, from rank-and-file jobs to managerial and leadership ones.