LL.M course or Master of Legislative Law is a two-year postgraduate programme in law, which is usually covered over four semesters, with two semesters in each year. Students taking up this degree course can specialise in various streams of their choice. The course has unlimited scope in the legal domain for those who want to work as attorneys or judges. Various private, public, and public-private institutions conduct the LL.M programme on a full-time basis. However, interested students can also opt for a part-time programme. In fact, a few institutions even offer it online, correspondence or distance learning.
The LL.M course fee usually varies from one institution to another, based on the reputation of the institute, as well as the credibility and quality of the course on offer. Still, you will find the course fee usually ranging from INR 1 lakh to INR 5 lakhs in most institutions or universities. The postgraduate programme is law is one of the most demanded courses among students. The course makes them aware of a variety of laws regulating varied kinds of operations, as well as the legal affairs and scenario in India and abroad. Students learn about legal operations from many different perspectives, be they historical or practical.
The LL.M course is widely available in more than 200 institutions and universities across the country. However, some of the course specialisations like public policy or public administration are not as widely present. Except for some budding fields, all other common law specialisations are available at several places. Students can consider the field in which they want to specialise and go for the right institution to pursue it. Following are some of the institutes that are highly reputed for pursuing a high-quality LL.M programme:
Law Faculty, University of Delhi, New Delhi
National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut
Directorate of Law, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak
Karnataka State Open University, Mysore
Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
It is necessary that students must have a passion for legal services and professional domain of law if they want to pursue the LL.M course. However, it is also required to hold some other qualities or skills if they want to excel in this course and make a good career in the field. Given below are some essential skills that can turn students into the excellent law professionals after course completion:
Deep interest in a specialised area of law
Analytical ability and focus on details
Research, evaluation and precise reporting skills
Persuasive ability and great communication
Confidence with excellent presentation skills
Patience with critical judgement skills
Problem-solving attitude
BCI or Bar Council of India is the authority that regulates law education in India. Thus, institutions recognised by BCI are good options to pursue the LL.M course. However, students can also pursue it from other universities and institutions recognised by UGC, AIU, and AICTE. While most of these institutions have similar criteria to admit students in their postgraduate law programmes, certain conditions may be specific to some institutes.
There may be added instructions for Indian, as well as foreign students to apply to seek admission. Thus, students must know every single eligibility criterion of the institute in which they want to apply for admission. Here, we give you all the basic criteria that every law school would require from an applicant to be eligible for their LL.M course. Check out the following:
The candidate must possess a graduation degree in law. It can be a regular LL.B programme (10+2+3 pattern) or an integrated law programme like B.A. LL.B or BBA LL.B (10+2+5 pattern). Graduation in law must be completed from a recognised institution or university.
The candidate should have secured a minimum of 55% marks in the qualifying exam, which is the graduation degree exam in this case. However, this condition of minimum marks may vary by institution and candidate category.
Universities generally hold an entrance exam to admit students in their LL.M course. Each applicant must appear in the exam that is conducted by the specific institution in which they seek admission. They can only be eligible for the admission if they perform satisfactorily in the entrance test of an institution. Thus, every candidate must be sure of the exam that he/she needs to appear in.
The LL.M course offers a wide range of specialisations under it. While some specialisations are rarely available in a few institutions, others are more common. Following is the listing of all such commonly offered and uncommon LL.M specialisations that provide a great scope of career and interesting job prospects after course completion.
The LL.M course in Corporate Law trains students in all legal matters, as well as financial and economic issues related to companies in all sectors. Students learn all about corporate regulations, financial models in the legal context, corporate social responsibility, and laws of capitals markets across the world.
Corporate Law Job Prospects: The specialisation in corporate law can get students placed in law firms, asset management firms, financial and banking institutions, and multinational firms. They can explore various job roles, such as legal counsel, corporate events executive, a corporate lawyer, legal officer, etc.
The LL.M course specialisation in Criminal Law makes students aware of the principles and key issues in the domain. They not only learn about criminal offences and answering the related issues, but also get innovative with finding ways to policing and crime prevention.
Criminal Law Job Prospects: Students completing the specialised course in criminal law can explore career opportunities in crime tribunals, law firms, defence, foreign affairs ministries, and even national legal institutes. They can occupy positions like legal associate, litigation specialist, legal consultant, criminal lawyer, and fraud investigator.
The LL.M course also offers the specialisation of constitutional law that trains students on the laws applicable per the Indian Constitution. They learn about the legal and social transformation of the country, challenges with constitutional laws, national security and public order maintenance under the rule of law, human rights, and administrative process. While the specialisation may be available as constitutional and administrative law, it can also be offered as constitutional law or administrative law only.
Constitutional and Administrative Law Job Prospects: Students completing this specialisation can go on becoming solicitors, legal associates, advocates, public prosecutors, administrative or constitutional law experts, oath commissioners, and district and sessions judges. They can work with many legal consultancies and government departments. They can also explore job opportunities with MNCs, business houses, banks, and regulatory bodies.
Specialising in Intellectual Property Law can enable students to litigate and advise on the issues related to moral and intellectual property rights, patents, trade secrets, copyrights and such other issues.
Intellectual Property Law Job Prospects: Professionals in this domain can work as attorneys in international law firms, as well as intellectual property offices and NGOs. They can become specialist lawyers in the area of patents and trademarks.
From contracts, bankruptcy, trade regulation and business finance to market competition, intellectual property and taxation, the specialisation in business law covers almost every aspect. The LL.M course specialisation of business law can also be available as commercial law in some institutions.
Business Law/Commercial Law Job Prospects: Students passing this specialised course can work in varied law firms and business houses. The scope is truly vast for their career, as almost every organisation of significant size requires legal experts in business or commercial law.
While students can specialise in business law, they can also go for a specialised LL.M course in International Trade Law. This diverse specialisation trains them in global business operations and legal aspects of international business or trade.
International Trade Law Job Prospects: As experts in international trade law are able to resolve the dispute of any complexity, various international organisations, as well as multinational firms and industries, hire them.
While this is a rarely available specialisation under the LL.M course, students pursuing it can gain an in-depth understanding of international human rights and humanitarian law by completing it. The course majorly talks of international conflicts and politics, peacekeeping, and human rights protection.
Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Job Prospects: This specialisation turns students into legal experts who can take up public and government service or work with international organisations and NGOs. They can also pursue private legal practice in their domain.
The LL.M course specialisation of environmental law or energy law is becoming a significant legal domain. With increasing environmental protection and climate change challenges, the need for legal experts in this field has also been increasing. These experts can help organisations in dealing with environmental policies and regulations.
Environmental Law/Energy Law Job Prospects: Though there may be experts specialised in environmental law, energy law or both, they can take up interdisciplinary professions dealing with related laws and policies. They can explore a variety of career options in the areas of environmental assessment, environmental protection, energy use and conservation, corporate sustainability, land management, and resource management. Many government departments and domestic and international organisations need environmental or energy attorneys.
The evolving specialisation of family law offers unique training and practice in the legal domain that deals with family-related issues, such as domestic violence, divorce, child custody, child psychology, marriage, civil union, and more.
Family Law Job Prospects: Professionals in this area can become good family law attorneys and can even start their own practice and deal with cases in family courts.
The LL.M course in Labour and Employment Law is also offered as only labour law in some institutions. However, the specialisation offers a detailed knowledge of work laws within and outside the country so the rights of labour can be protected in varied industries. Students learn about the administrative and institutional structure within the context of labour and employment laws.
Labour and Employment Law Job Prospects: By completing this specialised course, students can become legal counsellors or law officers in all types of industries, as well as in government organisations and business houses where labour unions exist. They can also work as legal analysts, legal advisors, government lawyers, and judicial magistrate.
Due to a great demand for legal experts in taxation, many students go for the LL.M course in Taxation Law. The course offers them an expert knowledge of rules and regulations applicable to all types of taxes imposed on individuals and businesses.
Taxation Law Job Prospects: All types of tax employers like accounting firms, consulting firms, revenue departments, international law firms, and taxation courts require attorneys with specialisation in taxation law.
The LL.M course specialisation of Banking Law equips students with the knowledge of compliance and regulatory aspects of banking and financial services. Students not only learn about banking and financial regulations but also about securities law and corporate law.
Banking Law Job Prospects: After completing this specialised course, students can explore job opportunities in banks, financial institutions, corporations and law firms. They can also offer financial legal advice to organisations by starting their own practice.
While it is an emerging field, the specialisation of Cyber Law under the LL.M course is highly in demand. Students pursuing this course deal with legal issues related to the use of information and communication technology. They are trained to handle cyber-crime against government, individuals, businesses, and property.
Cyber Law Job Prospects: As a cyber-lawyer, professionals can work with IT and other organisations having legal or cyber cells to keep track on the malicious activities in the cyber world and to handle IT-based arbitration and computer security audits.
The LL.M course in Public Policy trains students in relevant legal and governance issues and policies. They learn about areas like human rights, governance policies in private and public domains, and even international law.
Public Policy Job Prospects: Students can take up the roles of policy makers in government departments or work as lawyers in domestic or international firms.