IKON
Harish Salve: The man who saved Salman Khan from going to jail.
Salman Khan the Indian actor did not spend the night at Arthur Road jail. He thanked 56-year-old senior advocate Harish Salve for that.
Just moments after Khan was convicted of culpable homicide and handed a sentence of five years in prison, Salve, a former Solicitor General of India, had framed his appeal. Hours later, Salman was being driven home.
It is this capacity to think on his feet that has made Salve the counsel of choice for corporate czars, celebrities and politicians, making him one of the best-known lawyers in India.
Salve was designated senior counsel by the Supreme Court in 1992 and appointed Solicitor General of India in 1999.
In 2012, Salve helped Vodafone win a Rs 11,000-crore tax case against the government.
But his help does not come cheap. Salve’s fees can reportedly go up to Rs 30 lakh a day. Ambani is said to have spent a whopping Rs 15 crore on lawyer fees alone.
What is the Job all about?
Lawyers defend clients in various types of situations, i.e. Property disputes, Murders, theft, Divorce ,Company disputes etc.
Besides Court room matters (Criminal & Civil law) – Corporate Law and International Trade Law has become challenging and paying. Due to changes in the way International Companies now operate, Acquisitions, Mergers, etc. have become the order of the day. Apart from all these, Taxation Laws, Constitutional Law, Patent Law, Cyber Law, are all the areas, which are both interesting and rewarding.
Some lawyers may prefer to specialise in handling civil suits or handle criminal matters as they find it more challenging.There are several branches of Law and each person must decide, based on his/her personal qualities, which area she/he should specialise.
Cyber law
Cyber law is a new profession. A career in Cyber Law is an exciting one because it is a growing field. The biggest challenge of a Cyber Lawyer is the immense hard work and patience that is required for the job. An eye for detail and an inherent understanding of technology.
India has become the second largest country by the number of internet users after China with 354 million users actively using the net.
Laws that protect both from perpetrators and intruders are called Cyber Laws. Across the globe, these laws are in their nascent stage, growing along with the ever-expanding purview of information technology.
Can you go for it?
You will need, power of logical reasoning, a quick brain, concentration, research, memory, patience, perseverance and ability to discuss matters with all types of people and in front of Judges.. In addition to self-confidence you will need a good command over written and spoken language, and presentation skills. You must have the confidence and ability to convey the client’s case in a clear and lucid manner to the Judge.
Legal Education
As a cyber lawyer, there is great opportunity to support IT and to make the best of the opportunity, particularly because of the rise on technology and use of the internet. The field also needs new talent to make laws and execute them.
If you are interested in making a career as a Cyber Lawyer, you will need to be trained in specialized education related to the field. To step into the legal arena as a Cyber Lawyer, the first step is to a Bachelor’s degree in Law. Furthermore, post the degree, you will have to successfully clear national-level exam to obtain the license to practice.
The course fees for a law degree vary from college to college and therefore proper research into the course curriculum, affiliation and fee structure should be carried out before taking admissions.
As a Cyber Law expert/ or a Cyber lawyer, there are many opportunities that you can have apart from the legal firms and court-rooms – lawyer, legal advisor or assistant. You can also lend your talent to IT firms, police department, business houses, public and private organisations, education and many more.
What are the job roles? The starting salary of a cyber lawyer can be around Rs. 7.5 lakh – Rs. 9 lakh per year.
Is there a future in this field?
Yes, there is tremendous scope in this field –provided you are prepared to spend time to prepare yourself in advance. Reading case law (previous history of similar cases) – and generally working hard; to make sure you know the full history of the matter on hand.
India and Rising Cyber Crime
In India the Information Technology Act, the first cyber law act was introduced in 2000. According to National Crime Record Bureau reports, there has been an increase of 60.06% in cases registered and 64.15% in arrests made under IT act since 2012 and the number continues to rise.
Kind of Cyber Threats :– Cyber terrorism, Industrial espionage, Phishing, Credit card frauds, Viruses, Spam, etc.
Where to Begin?
In Goa
There is the Salgaonkar College of Law at Miramar in Panaji and the Kare College of Law in Margao.
Join Law College after 10 + 2 or after Graduation in Arts, Science or Commerce. After 10+2, it is a five-year program, leading to a B.A., L.L.B. (Hons). After Graduation, it is a 3-year program and the eligibility is based on an Entrance Test.
Please Note that if you join the 5 year Program it is much cheaper than the 3 year program
Outside Goa
There are several prestigious Law Colleges in the country, where admissions are in the same league as the IIT entrance exams (IITJEE) or MBA (CAT/XAT) programs.
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), is an all India entrance examination conducted by these Law Universities for admissions to their under-graduate and post-graduate degree programmes (LL.B & LL.M) www.clat.acin. e.g. NLSIU in Bangalore www.nls.ac.in. and NALSAR in Hyderabad.
Education
A candidate who aspires to be a cyber lawyer needs to study more then what his basic law degree offers by undergoing training in internet processes, and understanding technicalities of computers, communication devices and the internet space. There are many short-term online certification courses that range from 6 months to a year for people who want to be consultants or are existing lawyers. These courses are tightly-packed to give you the basic understanding of cyber laws.
Law Schools in India
National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru nls.ac.in/
ILS Law College, Pune Ilslaw.wordpress
INDIAN LAW INSTITUTE, Delhi ili.ac.in
Symbiosis Society’s Law College, Pune symlaw.ac.in
NALSAR University nalsar.ac.in
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning scdl.net
Asian School of Cyber Laws asianlaws.org
International Forensic Sciences Education Department ifs.edu.in
These courses range from Rs. 3,000 to Rs 10,000 for the entire course duration. If you are a lawyer, these kinds of courses will aid you in exploring cyber law. However, if you belong to a non-legal background, you may become a consultant or an adviser to a company.
To qualify for legal practice, one-year apprenticeship in a law firm is required. This can be done even during the final year of the course. Also you have to register yourself with the Bar Council as per the Advocates Act 1961. However you can enroll yourself in only one Bar Council.
Employment avenues
Start practice – In the early years,you invariably should work under an experienced Lawyer, to learn the ropes as it were. After a spell of 2-3 years then embark on your own practice or Join a law firm, which may specialize in litigation or chamber work or both.
Join an industry as a Law Officer. There are several top law firms in India viz. Amarchand & Mangaldas,, Billimoria & Daruwala, Luthra & Luthra, Dua Associates etc. These days top Law Companies have started the Campus Interview process at top Law Colleges of the country where salaries offered are quite attractive.
Join the Judge, Advocate General’s office/Law Cadre of the Defence Services.
Go in for the Company Secretary-ship or the Human Resource Management studies.
Join Public and Banking sectors or the Defence Services, where law graduates are recruited as Trainees or probationary Law Officers.
Opt for a government job such as Law Officers, Legal Advisors and Legal Assistants to administer different Departments.
Further, legal professionals are also appointed as Public Prosecutors, Solicitors, Deputy or Additional Advocate-Generals, or Advocate-General.
Join the State judicial service. Here, officers are recruited through a competitive examination. The selected candidates are appointed as Sub-Judges or Munsifs in law Courts or also as Chief Judicial Magistrates.
Become a Legal Journalist and specialise in informing readers of various aspects of Law, (especially changes that take place) or answer questions put by them in letters to the Editor.
LPO –this is the latest in the ever-expanding areas of work for Lawyers. This is equivalent to (BPO) Call Centres, but in the legal field. You can earn good money too.
Monies:
Like in most professions, early years are tough. Especially if you begin as a Practicing Lawyer – because you have to build a reputation and naturally this takes time. Once this is accomplished, then the going from that point is very rewarding.
Initial salary levels could be around Rs.10,000/- to 15,000/- p.m. But as you continue, thereafter it could go to Rs. 25,000 to a lakh per month and more. Lawyers in higher Courts command payments by the time spent. Some command lakhs per appearance in the Supreme Court.
Please do not be satisfied with just acquiring a Degree/Diploma – try and enhance your CV by doing online learning programs (with a certificate) of programs relevant to your choice of career. Your chances of employment will be much better than just a plain degree/diploma.
Please check this website under other details for places you can learn online. Also try and develop your confidence by doing a public speaking training program with people like Toast Masters International.
For government jobs: please check : http://www.employment-newspaper.com/