LAW AND PUBLIC SERVICE
Lawyer (advocate)
Advising clients and arguing cases in court — or working in companies, policy or the judiciary.
Facts checked 17/10/2026
- Class 11–12 subjects
- Any stream. Class 12 with at least 45% (40% for SC/ST/PwD) for CLAT.
- First degree
- 5-year integrated LLB after Class 12 (BA/BBA/B.Com/B.Sc LLB), or a 3-year LLB after any degree.
- Entrance exams
- CLAT (National Law Universities), AILET (NLU Delhi), state law entrance tests; then the All India Bar Examination (AIBE).
- Licence or registration
- Enrolment with a State Bar Council, then passing the AIBE for a Certificate of Practice.
What the work is like
Litigation in courts, corporate law in firms and companies, tax, IP, policy, legal journalism, or the judiciary.
Professional qualificationRun by Bar Council of India (BCI) and State Bar Councils. You can start after: Class 12 (5-year LLB) — or any degree (3-year LLB). Minimum time: 5 years after Class 12, or 3 years after a degree, plus the AIBE.
The full route: exams, training, registration
- Step 1 · Class 12Entrance test: CLAT 2027 is on 6 December 2026 (2–4 pm). Also AILET and state tests. CLAT has no upper age limit.
- Step 2 · 5 years (or 3)LLB at a college recognised by the Bar Council of India.
- Step 3Enrol with a State Bar Council. This first enrolment is provisional.
- Step 4 · within 2 yearsPass the AIBE (held twice a year; the next, AIBE XXII, is reported for 29 Nov 2026) to get your Certificate of Practice. Final-year law students with no backlogs can take it. (reported — check with the official body)
- Step 5Practise as an advocate — often first as a junior to a senior lawyer.
- OptionalLLM (1 or 2 years) through CLAT-PG and others, or the judiciary exam run by your state's High Court or Public Service Commission.
Already have a degree?
- Graduates in any subject can do a 3-year LLB (usually 45% in the degree; 40% for reserved categories).
- Civil judge (junior division) posts: in May 2025 the Supreme Court required 3 years' practice; in August 2026 it reduced this to 1 year for notices issued from 1 April 2027 (reported — check the judgment on sci.gov.in). Notices before then are open to fresh law graduates.
- The old upper age limit for the 5-year LLB is not applied now; the Supreme Court case on it is still pending (reported).
Good to know
- The Supreme Court upheld the AIBE in 2023: law graduates cannot practise in court until they pass it.
- Once passed, the AIBE does not expire.
- Early years in litigation often pay little; corporate law firms pay more but are competitive.
About pay: it varies a lot by city, employer and skill, and changes year to year, so we don't print salary numbers. Ask us in a session and we'll show you current, sourced figures for your case.
Sources: CLAT 2027 UG eligibility · CLAT 2027 press release · All India Bar Examination · Supreme Court Observer: AIBE case · SCC Online: AIBE within 2 years (Aug 2026) · Supreme Court Observer: civil judge practice rule (2025) · News report: practice rule cut to 1 year (Aug 2026)
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