Being a lawyer at the apex court amidst a milieu of the best legal minds of the country is indeed a massive challenge, but should the immensity of the task deter you from aspiring to be one of the best?
Follow these steps
After passing your Class XII or any other equivalent exam, qualify Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) or any other equivalent exam to get into a five-year integrated law course for Bachelor of Arts and Legislative Law (BA LLB), Bachelor of Commerce and Legislative Law (B Com LLB), and Bachelor of Science and Legislative Law (BSc LLB), or you can enroll into a three-year LLB course if you have completed your graduation. The law degree must be obtained from an accredited university or law school in India, affiliated with the Bar Council of India (BCI).
Candidates are encouraged to intern with advocates or law firms during their time in law college. This will help them gain industry insights and practical experience, preparing them early on for courtroom practice once they complete their course.
It is mandatory for lawyers to get themselves registered with their respective bar councils, and with the state where you aspire to practice. To practice at the Supreme Court of India, candidates ought to enroll with the Bar Council of Delhi.
To practice successfully as a lawyer in the Indian courts, one needs to clear the AIBE, which is conducted twice every year by the Bar Council of India. Once they pass the examination, they are eligible to practice at any of the courts in the country.
After obtaining their license, candidates are eligible to practice in courts. They can work as junior assistants to any Supreme Court advocate, or practice their litigation skills at any of the lower courts, thereby, gaining understanding of the trade.
Budding lawyers tend to score many more opportunities in lower courts rather than the Supreme Court, which is usually the domain of senior advocates and advocate on record. To gain foundational knowledge on practices and procedures of the courts, one should begin with these subordinate courts first.
It is important to specialise in specific areas of law such as criminal law, constitutional law, corporate law, or family law. Strong knowledge in your particular field of law is highly valued when representing clients.
To start practicing at the Supreme Court, it is important for you to accrue insights into the workings of the top courts, after initial years of practice. To gain that experience, you have to practice for more than five years in any of the district courts or high courts. After this, the advocate must train themselves under any Supreme Court advocate.
AORs are a special category of lawyers in the Supreme Court. Lawyers have to pass the exam to practice law in the Supreme Court, and to be eligible to file petitions, affidavits and vakalatnama. One can also practice independently by representing their respective clients at the court or be appointed by the court as a prosecutor to represent the state in special cases.
Once the candidate clears the AOR exam, they are required to hold an office within 10 miles of the court’s premises. They also need to adhere to all the other formalities, as required.
