Top Law Colleges in Kerala 2024

The field of law is one of the most common professional fields chosen by students. The whole system of a country is based on the legal system. It is necessary for any person to know the laws of his/her country and abide by them. There is no excuse for not knowing the do’s and don’ts of a legal system. Knowing the law in its entirety and the procedure followed by a state gives a person an edge over others. It helps a person at large and is empowering in many ways.

There are many fields of law that are necessary for the daily functioning of a country and are helpful for the people of the country in many ways. A lawyer practices in the fields such as criminal law, civil law, intellectual property rights, marriage laws, property laws, taxation law, human rights, arbitration and many more domains.

Career opportunities in this field are immense. Once a student graduates in this field, he can go on working for a law firm, public sector undertakings, litigation in different specializations, a proprietorship firm, or he can also choose to pursue academics and research. But to pursue these, he must also pursue a PG course in law and then must clear National Eligibility test and PhD. There are many colleges in India that offer this course and Kerala is one of the states where some good law colleges exist. 

Top Law Colleges in Kerala (NIRF 2020 Ranking)

In order to provide an independent ranking system for various educational institutions in India, NIRF was set up by the Indian government in 2015. Since then every year NIRF releases a ranking for the top colleges in India based on various parameters. While Kerala has some good law colleges in the state, none of them could make it to the NIRF Ranking 2020. 

Top Law Colleges in Kerala (Careers360 Ranking)

Careers360 rankings are a way to know about the performance of a college in one look. This portal provides a clear picture of the colleges, whether private or government. Starting from the affiliations, establishment, number of students, number of faculty members to the admission process and placement details, it provides every detail of a college. Here is the list of top law colleges in Kerala that are ranked on these parameters: -

Top Law Colleges in Kerala (on the basis of placements)

Students looking for the best law colleges in Kerala must also have a look at the placement track record of the college. This will provide a fair idea regarding the career prospects that one can enjoy after graduating from college. Here is a list of the top law colleges in Kerala based on their placement track record.

Top Law Colleges in Kerala (on the basis of fees) 

The colleges can be differentiated on the basis of fee structure while making the selection. Different colleges, according to their facilities, location, and courses, have different fee structures. Students must be mindful of these criteria and should select the colleges carefully. Those who are looking for scholarships must also look accordingly. There are different criteria for scholarships. Below is the list of the best law colleges in Kerala: -

Popular Law Streams offered at the best law colleges in Kerala

1. Constitutional and Administrative Law

Constitutional law is a field of law that describes the powers, functions and structure of the decision making bodies of a state such as executive, legislature and judiciary. The law divides the rights, duties, and powers of these bodies along with the rights and duties of the citizens of a country. It describes the functioning of a state and its union territories. 

Arbitration law is a body of law that is related to the system of solving disputes without the interference of the courts. The arbitrator is appointed in the disputes to help parties to reach a particular point of negotiation. Below are the names of colleges that provide this course: -

• National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi (NUALS)

• Sree Narayana Guru College of Legal Studies, Kollam

• Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram

2. Taxation Law

Taxation law is related to the rules and regulations of the legal system which are applied in taxation. These rules are used by the central and state government to collect the taxes in a procedural way. 

• Sree Narayana Mangalam College, Maliankara

3. Commercial Law

Commercial law is related to the laws and legal systems in the business and commerce industry. The fields that it covers are sales, marketing, trade, and merchandising. Commercial law is also known as trade law. It covers all the trade-related aspects, and both public and private law are a part of Commercial law. Following are the colleges that offer this specialization: -

• Al-Azhar Law College, Thodupuzha

• CSI College for Legal Studies, Kanakkary

4. Cyber Law

Cyber law is also known as IT law. It governs the use of technology. Whichever online activity is carried out through computer systems, hardware systems, software systems and networking is governed by the Cyber law. There are definite procedures and codes describing the conduct and punishments that are prescribed for the offenders in cyberspace.

• Co-Operative School of Law, Thodupuzha

Other popular law specializations in Kerala

• IP and technology law

• Legal and Business Environment

Admission Process for top law colleges in Kerala

• For Undergraduate Course

• The most basic requirement for admission in law colleges is for the candidate to clear 10+2 examination from a recognized university or board scoring minimum aggregate marks.

• The subjects in 10+2 could be any. There is no such requirement of a specific stream to get admission in a law college because the admissions are made on the basis of entrance examinations. 

• The exams that are conducted for these admissions are on a national level such as CET, CLAT and on the level of different colleges. Likewise, different states also conduct state level entrance exams, such as KLEE.

• For Postgraduate Course

• The procedure for admission in postgraduate exam requires candidates to complete their graduation in law with any specialization and passing marks. 

• The entrance exams, as mentioned in the above section, are also conducted for PG courses.

• There is always a method for direct admissions which a few colleges undertake.

How to select the best laws colleges in Kerala

The procedure for selecting the best law college involves many aspects. First and foremost, the student must figure out the subject in which he/she wants to specialize and then start finding the best college that provides that specialization. Secondly, he/she must also do research through online portals that describe or give any sort of information regarding the performance of the faculty members teaching that subject. After doing these two things, the focus of the student must be on the placement performance of that particular college. It is important to note that the placement cells are a very important structure of any college to secure the future of the students. Half of the work is done if a college has a good placement cell within. The students, after graduating do not have to struggle to find the perfect job that they envisioned. This task is undertaken by the placement cell of a college. 

Top law firms tie-up with these colleges and are invited once a year by that college to have a placement process. The students are accordingly trained to clear the exam and interview required for that particular job with a particular firm. It is an especially important procedure, and students must be mindful of this facility in a college.

Thirdly, the students must also look for the fee structure of the college according to their requirement. Private and government colleges have different fee structures and scholarship structures. The students must carefully select the college after looking into all these aspects. 

There are other facilities which are domain-specific. In case of a law college, the student must go through the brochure of the college and look for the facilities such as academic trips that the colleges undertake to give a better understanding to the students about the field they have chosen.

These days, facilities such as WIFI, gymnasium, counselling centres, sports etc. are also available in the colleges and students could decide on the basis of all these factors before selecting the best college for them.

Top Law Colleges in Kerala Frequently Asked Questions

Q. 1. What is the entrance cut-off in top law colleges in Kerala?

The cut-off is different every year. The cut-off also depends on the category of students. Each college has a certain number of seats reserved for these students. Each category is set on a different cut-off score.

Q. 2. When will I be eligible to appear for the NET UGC exam?

The students appearing for the NET UGC exam must have completed his/her LLM, or if he/she is still pursuing it and the degree is awaited, there is still eligibility to apply for the exam. But LLM is a must if the student has to appear for the exam. The graduates in LLM have a subject option of “Law” in the NET syllabus. Recently, a subject of Human Rights and duties has also been added to the list. So, a law student is eligible for both these subjects. He/she can choose any one of them. The exam of NET happens twice a year, i.e., June and December. The exam is for 2 posts which are Assistant professor and Junior Research Fellow (JRF).

Q. 3. What is the eligibility to get admission in a PG course in law in Kerala?

For admission in a PG course, graduation in law is a must. The admission is based on merit, entrance exam or first-cum first-admitted.

Q. 4. When is it possible to appear for the judiciary exam? 

Earlier, a student was eligible to sit in a judiciary exam after completing his LLB, but now the rules have changed, and it is mandatory for a judicial aspirant to first get an experience of at least 3 years and only then he must appear for the judiciary exam.

Q. 5. Is it necessary to take coaching classes to appear for the UG entrance exam?

Coaching certainly helps, but it is not mandatory. The methodology should be to prepare by solving previous year question papers and giving mock tests as much as possible.

Q. 6. Do I have to submit my graduation certificate to take admission in Master of Law in Kerala?

If the graduation certificate is awaited, then a provisional degree is enough to submit and make you eligible to apply. If during the course, you are provided with your graduation certificate, then you can submit it thereafter.

Q. 7. What should be the preparation method to clear entrance exams in Kerala?

The most effective way to clear an entrance exam is to first go through all the question papers one by one and solve them again and again until you are familiar with the pattern of questions that are being asked. Secondly, you must sit for mock tests and try achieving a good score by practising it again and again. GK is an important part of the entrance exams, so you must read a newspaper every day to get in touch with the current affairs, or you can purchase a current affairs book that will help you develop your knowledge to prepare you to clear the exam.

Q. 8. What is the duration of the LLM course?

The duration of this course in different colleges in different colleges. Usually, the course was for 2 years, but now many colleges have turned it into a 1-year course. Not all colleges are providing a 1-year course, but a large number of colleges are.

Q. 9. What career options are open after graduating in LLB from Kerala?

There are various career options ranging from litigation in civil or criminal law, working in law firms, private firms, PSUs, prosecution, judge, academician, and researcher.

Q. 10. What is the duration of an integrated LLB?

The duration of an integrated law course is 5 years. This course consists of BA. LLB, BBA LLB and BCom LLB. But it is a 5-year commitment, so must be mindful before choosing to pursue this course.