People often joke about how pursuing a legal case takes a lifetime. When it comes to a career after legal studies, students feel the same way now. Law students in Bengaluru, especially from non-premium law schools, are struggling with establishing secure careers, especially if they choose to go the litigation way.
Navyatha V. graduated from a law college in South Bengaluru around two years ago. Passionate about litigation, she started practising as a junior advocate under a Supreme Court advocate. “I work at least 12 to 14 hours a day. I have to travel from one court to the other and do a ton of work. But I get paid ₹12,000 a month for all this work which I do not think would be acceptable in any other profession. But without this experience, it would be difficult to land jobs in corporate sector as well, especially if you are not from a premier law school,” she said.
Many other fresh graduates have been struggling the same way with their careers. Unlike other courses, most law colleges do not really have structured placements. While they find it difficult to land corporate jobs, working under senior advocates do not benefit them monetarily. Many of them report working for anything between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 a month with 12 to 16-hour workdays.
“According to me, there should be no scope for placements in law schools just like medical schools. Advocacy means that they should initially go for litigation if they are committed. Around 70% of our students choose litigation as there are many branches like bank, property, family, and others owing to globalisation,” said N. Sathish Gowda, professor and chairperson, University Law College.
He added that students can also pursue careers like that of judges, public prosecutors, and appear for the civil services after initial litigation experience.
Why are placements a problem?
Law professors say that placements of law students depend on the kind of colleges as there are private universities, affiliated colleges, and deemed-to-be universities.
“With private universities it is quite easy as they easily get good marks, and they get absorbed quickly by companies. Deemed institutions are also in better positions. But among students of private colleges which are affiliated to Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) the pass percentage is relatively less,” said Roopa. S., Assistant professor, BMS College of Law.
She also said that students affiliated with KSLU also do not get to do full-time internships at corporate companies unlike their counterparts from private universities. “Corporate companies demand that students come pre-equipped with some skills which they pick up from full-time internships. But according to the rules of the Bar Council of India (BCI), affiliated students should do internships only during vacations which sometimes gives them a duration of just two weeks,” Ms. Roopa said.
Bear with hardship
However, professors from most colleges say that if students are committed to the profession, then they should endure the hardship for the first five years. “If they work hard for five years, then they can start working on bigger cases and earn more. I have seen my students make anywhere from ₹30,000 a month to ₹10 lakh a month. The key is to stay patient,” Mr. Gowda remarked.
Despite these issues, admissions at colleges have remained stable. “For the 60 seats we open every new batch, we get 600 to 800 applications. We have a strict cut-off of 96%,” Mr. Gowda said.
Ms. Roopa also said that all the three-year and five-year courses at her college get good admissions every year.
Published – January 22, 2025 07:16 am IST