LAW DUAL DEGREE PROGRAMS: STRATEGIC PATHWAYS TO ROBUST LEGAL CAREER
Let’s Learn About Law Degree Programs
The study and practice of law represents a discipline that allows individuals to sharpen their cognitive abilities and enhance their capacity for critical analysis, equipping them to address distinct and emerging challenges. It equips individuals with the abilities required to assess circumstances, employ rational thinking, define fundamental principles, and participate in analytical thought, all aimed at improving the overall welfare of society.
Law serves as a valuable instrument for those dedicated to making a substantial impact on society’s progress and the improvement of the world. Considering the variety of people’s goals, cognitive approaches, societal and cultural contexts, and the expectations of society, it is unavoidable that disputes and strains will organically arise in human interactions. In instances of disputes or when the interests of individuals, society, and the government intersect, there is a need for a structured and reliable mechanism for their resolution. Law is but the driver of these resolutions. Manav Rachna University is one of the best recognized institutions offering various law programs to its students and making them ready for tomorrow.
Manav Rachna University: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Legal Visionaries
Manav Rachna University presents a broad array of law programs, fostering a robust foundational understanding of law and legal studies among its students. To equip students with the requisite knowledge, skills, and practical exposure vital for excelling in the realm of law, these courses are meticulously curated. The university’s curriculum seamlessly blends theoretical comprehension with hands-on applications, enabling students to effectively confront real-world legal challenges. Furthermore, the institution boasts of distinguished faculty members, cutting-edge facilities, and an extensive library, all of which contribute to an enriching learning environment. Enrolling in these law courses opens up diverse career prospects within the legal domain, encompassing litigation, corporate law, human rights advocacy, and more. The education offered at Manav Rachna University empowers students to emerge as well-prepared, ethically driven, and socially responsible legal professionals, poised to make a positive impact on society through their legal acumen.
One should study law not just with the end of earning a degree or to be called a Lawyer, but one must aspire to be a lawyer in a true sense, with the end of helping people and organizations achieve maximum happiness with minimum friction. India possesses a rich legal heritage and a multifaceted legal environment heavily influenced by the British common law system. Consequently, an ever-growing number of aspiring young legal minds are enthusiastic about joining and making meaningful contributions to the legal community.
Qualifying Degrees of Practicing Law
If someone desires and dreams to be in the legal profession, they have many options to earn the qualification in India. There are many courses to enroll in, like, a three-year LL.B program or a five-year integrated law program. These five-year integrated programs are offered in combination with Arts, Commerce, and Management, which are called B.A. LL.B., B.Com. LL.B. and B.B.A LL.B respectively. With these combinations, the students get the option to choose from among the streams depending on their interests and professional aspirations. The combination of Arts and Law provides an all-round development. A dual-degree programme, covering aspects of liberal arts as well as law which helps in understanding law and related legal and social issues. B.Com. LL.B. is an integrated degree program that combines law subjects with commerce subjects. It is particularly useful for those aspiring to a legal profession in the finance or commercial scope. It provides a wholesome opportunity to understand the nuances of a company and its functioning and helps the legal professional to apply the legal principles to it.
B.B.A LL.B. course, on the other hand, is a wonderful combination of law with acquiring management skills. Management skills include efficiently carrying out the functions of any organization. Along with law subjects, the students get ready for the real world by studying strategic management, human resources management, principles of management, and financial management. It gives an edge to the student when he seeks meaningful job opportunities in the industry. Skills that one acquires after a Law degree are multifarious like Cultural Intelligence (gained through subjects like Human Resource Management and Human Rights), Public Speaking, Entrepreneurship, Social Skills, Emotional Intelligence and Reasoning, Decision-Making, Self-Analysis, and Evaluation, Attentiveness, Brainstorming, and Creative Thinking among others.
Difference between Three-Year LL.B and Five-Year Integrated Course
As compared to the integrated courses, which run for 5 years, but offer a dual degree, we have a three-year LL.B program that can be pursued after an undergraduate degree. Whereas the integrated programs can be pursued, right after the higher secondary exam, i.e., Class XII. LL.B can only be pursued after earning an undergraduate degree. These other undergraduate degrees are usually of three years duration, like B.A., B.Com., BBA etc. The major benefit of the integrated courses is that they save a year, as compared to the plain three-year course. A dual degree course in Law, in combination with BA, BBA, and B.Com., is a blended course that exposes students to nuances of both streams in just five years.
A three-year program, LL.B, qualifies the students in the core subjects of law and in contrast to this, a five-year dual degree course is offered to the students along with other bachelor degrees like arts and humanities, management, commerce, technology, or even science.
In this note, we are focusing on B.B.A LL.B and LL.B specifically. Both these courses have their importance and both are relevant for students these days. As stated previously, the objective of an LL.B is to prepare and qualify the students for practicing law working as legal professionals in firms or companies, or even attempting the judicial services. These objectives are not so different from that of a five-year course apart from the fact that a five-year course additionally focuses on basic graduation-level subjects.
Comparing Three- Year LL.B and Five- Year Integrated Course Curricula: exploring the Educational Variances
The undergraduate courses that are included in the B.B.A LL.B degree subjects include management like Principles of Management, Human Resource Management, Financial Management, Strategic Management, Marketing Management, Organizational Behaviour, Management Information Systems, etc. A few other subjects of accounting like Financial Accounting and Business Mathematics are also part of the curriculum. In addition to these, subjects of Economics like Business and Growth Economics are also taught in B.B.A LL.B courses. These management and accounting subjects are blended with core law subjects, like, contract, constitution, company law, property law, jurisprudence, administrative law, etc. On the other hand, the subjects that are covered in a three-year law program are only law subjects like contract, constitution, company law, property law, jurisprudence, administrative law, torts, family law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, intellectual property laws, etc.
Analyzing Eligibility Requirements: Three-Year LL.B vs. Five-Year Integrated Course
The eligibility criteria for these two courses are also different. For the LL.B course, a candidate must score an aggregate of 45% marks in the undergraduate degree. This is the minimum qualification requirement. Whereas for B.B.A LL.B, a candidate is eligible if they score a minimum aggregate of 50% marks in class XII. Aside from these minimal eligibility standards, various universities have additional criteria for admission into the five-year programme, such as entrance tests and qualifying marks in national-level exams. Among the available choices, one can find examinations such as the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), the All-India Law Entrance Test (AILET), and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Aspiring law students have the freedom to engage in these evaluations at either private or public educational institutions.
Career Opportunities
Globalization has amplified the scope of businesses worldwide. As a consequence, modern businesses have expanded regionally, nationally, and globally and they have grown and their size has become larger than ever. With the increasing size of businesses, the complexities in their organization, structures, and the external environment in which they operate increase. Companies need policies and expertise to deal with these complexities.
CONCLUSION:
The distinctions between LL.B and B.B.A LL.B are not merely academic; they extend to the career paths and skill sets they cultivate. While an LL.B program offers specialized legal education, focusing primarily on the intricacies of law, the B.B.A LL.B program combines the power of business management with legal expertise. Each of them holds unique significance in their own right. The LL.B program provides students with an in-depth knowledge of the law, molding them into specialists in their respective legal domains. In contrast, the B.B.A LL.B program shapes legal practitioners allowing them to excel in a broad spectrum of professions within and outside the legal sphere with a versatile skill set. Both degrees hold a central position in the legal realm, opening up various opportunities for individuals dedicated to the law and aspiring to contribute positively to society. The choice between them ultimately depends on individual career aspirations and interests, and both paths promise exciting opportunities for personal and professional growth in the constantly changing legal domain.
ALSO READ: BACHELOR OF LAWS (LLB) DEGREE ENTRANCE EXAMS: SUCCESS BUILDING BLOCKS
AUTHOR: MS. ASMITA PATEL, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF LAW, MANAV RACHNA UNIVERSITY.