Law Courses to Study after 12th and their Benefits
Law courses in India are considered to be one of the most sought-after, career-oriented courses after completing 12th class from schools. Earlier the only option to pursue Law used to be after completing graduation in any discipline, whereupon aspirants used to embark on a traditional 3-years journey to study law as one of the post-graduate streams of study. However, over a period of time, a new model of under-graduate 5-years integrated law degree program has evolved, which the students can pursue immediately after completing their 12th class.
Admission to Law Courses after 12th
Admission to under-graduate law courses is generally made on the basis of entrance exams such as national-level Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), or, Law School Admission Test (LSAT) conducted by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), Global for foreign Universities/premier private institutions of India, or, other university/college-specific entrance test/criteria.
Integrated Law Courses after 12th
Some of the key advantages of an integrated law degree after 12th include not only the interdisciplinary course curriculum and development of diverse future-ready competencies, but also saving one crucial year of the aspirant.
As the name suggests, the 5-year integrated model envisages integration of two primary streams, one being law and the other stream could be Arts, Management, Science or Commerce. If Arts is the second stream, the degree offered is B.A. LL.B. and if you are looking for law courses after 12th Commerce, the degree earned would be B.Com. LL.B. Whether you opt for B.B.A. LL.B, or B.Com LL.B or B.A. LL.B, the legal knowledge derived is the same in all the three courses, but the respective program changes the way you approach the legal subjects, and the nature of career opportunities that follow it.
The integrated and interdisciplinary programs like these have emerged in the last decade in response to fast-changing trends of the industry and the world at large. Actually, such programs are very much in need in today’s increasingly globalized, volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and interconnected world, which is earmarked by continuously changing dynamics of social, economic, technological, regulatory and financial environments. One cannot interpret the problems of the world in any domain and suggest solutions, keeping only one body of knowledge into account, and without knowing the impact of one environmental change on all the inter-related fields. For example, the future challenges of law might arise out of issues in technology, data protection, cybersecurity, international trade, intricate mergers and acquisitions, cut-throat competition, human cloning, intellectual property rights, stem cell research, new employment models, agile and virtual business models, and other such complex issues– all of which require a comprehensive understanding of other disciplines as well. As such, law aspirants have to pick up a course that shapes their ability to understand and appreciate the larger context of the role of law in a continuously evolving environment and the society at large.
List of Law Courses after 12th
The decision of any student aspirant to take up any of the integrated courses, viz. B.B.A LL.B or B.Com LL.B or B.A. LL.B, is an outcome of your background, interest, aptitude, comfort and career aspiration.
B.A. LL.B:- The B.A. LL.B programme is a combination of Arts and Law, and it helps you to approach law with a humanities perspective. In this law course after 12th, students study Sociology, Political science, economics, international relations, etc, along with legal education. It nurtures students to understand the social and political aspects of respective Laws.
B.Com LL.B:-The B.Com LL.B is a blend of Law and Commerce subjects, including Trade and Commerce, financial and cost accounting, Economics, corporate accounting and Taxation etc
B.B.A. LL.B:- In B.B.A. LL.B, along with legal education including Commercial and Corporate Laws, etc, Business and Management topics are also covered, like business environment, Fundamentals of management, financial management, Business Policy & Strategic management, marketing management and human resource management, etc. Search firms agree that there is a need for people with a knowledge of both management and law, across sectors such as marketing, sales, supply chain, and those involved in the development of intellectual property.
Unless you want to work solely say in areas of Constitutional law or criminal law which are more self-contained and comprehensive fields, for most other areas of law, lawyers today need at least some basic knowledge of the issues facing corporates and any commercial/non-commercial establishments, such as a good grasp of the law relating to securities, insider trading or the takeover code, merger and acquisitions, international trade, intellectual property rights, telecom, food and safety, etc.
Similarly, those who have to run and lead businesses, they need to have a deeper understanding of the regulatory environment, because many fields – telecom, insurance, and sunrise sectors such as aviation – are highly regulated. So, a knowledge of business domain along with the associated deep insights of legal framework and provisions, makes one a successful professional.
Choose the Best Law Course after 12th
A typical thumb rule to choose programs as per background and career aspiration, could be:
If you are from a Science background– You can do B.A. LL.B or B.B.A. LL.B and go into practice in areas of IPR, Patent Law, environmental law, or as an in-house counsel in a chemical or life-sciences company, or a pharma company, etc.
Humanities background (i.e. with History, Geography, English literature, sociology, political Science background)- You can do B.A LL.B and go for own legal practice, litigation, judiciary, civil services, politics, or join NGOs.
Commerce background with Maths– You can do B.Com. LL.B, and specialize in areas of Taxation, or, become a Finance Manager or a Management Accountant in a Corporate firm, or become Company Secretary by acquiring an additional qualification of CS.
Commerce background without Maths background– You can be BBA LLB and join corporate law firms, or take in-house roles in legal department of companies, join LPOs, become Business Development Manager with various law firms, work as HR manager with companies/law firms, or become a Legal probationary officer with reputed banks of India, or a law reporter with media houses.
Lastly, for pursuing a 5-year integrated law program after 12th, aspirants should choose that Law school/university which provides hands-on experiential learning, adopts multidisciplinary approaches to knowledge acquisition and research, supported by highly experienced and competent faculty members, strong industry-linkage, robust internship program, and operating under the overall guidance of legal luminaries in the country.
All the best as you commence your legal journey!
Written by:- Mr. Ajay Bhatia, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Manav Rachna University
