Taking up law as a career is rewarding

Keshav Gharti Magar

The term “law” was derived from an old Teutonic root “lag”. We call it “Kanoon” in the Nepali language originating from Arabic.

Generally, it is understood as a system of rules created and enforced primarily through government organs or agencies to regulate human behaviour. In other words, laws are made, applied or enforced by the authorities to regulate certain behaviours or actions of natural persons and legal persons.

In fact, different jurists have defined the term “law” in many ways, but in general, law consists of certain rules and regulations that must be followed by the people in society. Thus, law is defined as both the science of justice and the art of justice and the main purpose of it is directly linked to justice.

Law is complex as well as multi-faceted subject which is dynamic in nature. We need to be clear that the law is useful from any point of view. In fact, all of us human beings, from the sea to the sky to the various planets, are bound by the law.

Today, the world is getting advanced day by day with the pace of time and the need of law is very broad which can’t be defined in a single sentence. So, I don't think there is any kind of fear or risk in taking law as a career. Yes, there is a risk if you are not dedicated to this field and this kind of risk is there not only in the field of law but in every field.

As a career, law has been bringing excellent results in Nepal especially since the beginning of LLM and BALLB study and teaching.

As a career, law has been bringing excellent results in Nepal especially since the beginning of LLM and BALLB study and teaching. Even abroad, especially in the western countries, it is of amazing importance and has wide scope. I would say that law is a life-changing area for many as it has huge and broad scope. That’s why, law cannot be taken as a career option only because it is a big career in itself and is in great demand now.

To become an advocate in our country, a person must join a BA.LLB (5 years program) or LLB (3 years program) & pass the Bar exam conducted by the Bar Council. To enter law campus, students must pass the entrance exams conducted by universities. After the completion of high school (10+2) in any discipline, students can study BA.LLB directly but for studying LLB, students must have completed bachelor’s degree in any discipline. Both BA.LLB & LLB comes under undergraduate courses & the major difference between them is that BA.LLB includes some subjects relating to arts/humanities along with law subjects whereas LLB includes law subjects only. Apart from it, there is no big difference. So, it depends upon the interest of the students either to choose BA.LLB or LLB for higher studies.

Career in law is definitely life changing in terms of both financially & reputation. On the one hand, according to the nature of the case, the fee can be determined by oneself, on the other hand, the lawyers can enhance their own reputation by informing the society about the rights and duties of the individual. And careers in law are mainly divided into two categories i.e. Careers inside the courtroom & Careers outside the courtroom. Law carriers coming under courtroom are judge, clerk, court administrator, prosecutor, lawyer & etc. whereas Careers outside courtroom can be legal researcher, professor, legal/social activist, legal expert and so on.

In an overall view, there are many options in law as a career such as Advocacy, Legal researcher, Legal consultant, legal academician, Legal officer, government sectors, NGO/INGOs, banking sectors, Law firm & etc. Besides these, there may be various options for settling the future in the legal profession. One of them is lawyer/attorney. It is said that lawyers are considered as a highly respected profession among the most prestigious professions in the world. They are considered as trustworthy in the eyes of the peoples & are therefore respected in the society. When a client comes to a lawyer with his or her problem, all the actions that needs to be done on behalf of the client is commonly done by the lawyer to win him/her over. To be frank, winning or losing any case banks to a large extent on the lawyer's ability, qualifications, experience, theoretical knowledge, logic, attachment to the case, etc.  This is why, they are considered as the reliable and respected persons in the society. They can make a great change in the livelihood of the people by helping them to get justice.

Lawyers are, in truth, agents of social revolution.

Lawyers are, in truth, agents of social revolution. Opportunities and challenges are probably the best and most valuable things for lawyers. Many opportunities and challenges come in the life of the lawyers. A lawyer can deal with the case from a layman to the head of the nation, from the national to the international level which is a very golden opportunity. In the legal profession, there is less chance of being boredom as new things, facts, provisions, etc. are explored along with the cases that make the case interesting. Lawyers can be as flexible as they want because they have their own schedule, timing, fees, & even clients. They aren’t bounded by or tied to anyone. So, they can perform their tasks staying in their own office or staying away from the office on their own time.

One of the good aspects in the legal profession is that it has alternative legal careers which is like getting extra bonuses while purchasing things. In law campuses, many kinds of law programs are organized & in that situation, mentors are needed to guide law students. People having obtained Bachelor or master’s degree in law can be mentors/legal instructors in law campuses/colleges. Similarly, law journal writers, legal education experts, law school teachers / professors, etc. can also be considered as an alternative to this profession.

Writer Magar

Considering all these things, it can be concluded that there are various legal career options in law such as lawyers, judges, counselors, professors, mediators and so on where exploratory and fruitful experiences can be gained day by day. Yes, as a career, law is a multidimensional field that includes everything in the world. Also, as being dynamic in nature, it brings a lot of opportunities as well. However, maximum use of knowledge and wisdom is required to capture the opportunities. Financially, the legal profession also has a satisfactory value. In today's market, this profession has become the most attractive profession in the world. According to Salary-survey 2022, a person working in the legal field in Nepal earns around 1,58,000.00 per month. Salaries range from 72,700 NPR (lowest) to 251,000 NPR (highest) which is enough to support a living. But the point to be kept in mind here is that earning depends on the individual’s experience, skills, gender, or location.

In a nutshell, there are plenty of benefits in choosing law as a career. There is undoubtedly a need and existence of law from the ground to the sky and beyond. Frankly speaking, there is nothing in the globe that is not touched or covered by the law. In other words, there is no area where the law is passive or silent in the universe. Therefore, choosing a law with a multifaceted and ubiquitous nature as a career is not risky. Having said that, one should have a good knowledge of legal process, communication skills, client servicing, logical capacity based on jurisprudence, written skills, etc., and only then it can firmly be said that law can be taken as a career.

The writer is pursuing BA.LLB (4th Semester) at Lumbini Buddhist University.

Published on 15 June 2022