How to Become a Lawyer After 12th in 2027-28

Law Courses to Apply For After Class 12

The five-year integrated LLB course combines an undergraduate degree with legal education, allowing students to complete both qualifications in five years. The availability of each law programme depends on the college and university.

Eligibility Criteria

Though eligibility varies based on the university and the entrance exam the candidate is applying for, the general requirements are:

• Educational qualification: Candidates must have passed 12th class or an equivalent examination from a recognised board. Students appearing for their Class 12 examination can also apply for most law entrance exams.

• Minimum marks: A minimum of 45% marks is commonly required for General category candidates. Reserved category candidates get relaxation as per the rules of the respective institution.

• Stream: Students from arts, commerce and science streams can apply for most integrated LLB programmes. Some specialised courses, including certain BSc LLB programmes, require science subjects.

• Age limit: There is no upper age limit for undergraduate admission through major exams such as CLAT, AILET and SLAT.

Step-by-Step Admission Process to Becoming a Lawyer

The complete admission process can be divided into the following steps:

1. Complete Class 12 from a recognised board with the marks required in the chosen course and entrance exam.

2. Choose law courses (BA LLB, BBA LLB, BCom LLB, BSc LLB or any other course) according to interests and career plans.

3. Fill in the application form for CLAT, AILET, SLAT, or state-level exams like MH CET Law, TS LAWCET, AP LAWCET, KLEE, etc.

4. Appear for the entrance exam and check the result.

5. After the exam results, participate in counselling, fill in college choices, accept the allotted seat, verify documents, pay the admission fee and report to the college.

6. Complete a 5-year integrated LLB program (attend lectures, internships, engage in moot courts, legal research and other practical activities).

7. Enrol with the State Bar Council upon completion of the law degree.

8. Clear the AIBE (All India Bar Examination), conducted by the Bar Council of India. Candidates who qualify are issued a Certificate of Practice.

9. Once qualified as a lawyer, candidates can work as advocates or pursue other careers in the legal field according to their interest.

There are also private universities and colleges that do not conduct any entrance exams. Candidates get selected based on their marks obtained in Class 12 or based on the University’s own selection process.

Law Entrance Exams for the 2026-27 Admission Cycle

The major law entrance exams in India for students seeking admission to five-year LLB are:

CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)

CLAT is the primary entrance exam for admission to participating National Law Universities in India. CLAT 2027 registration started on August 3, 2026, and the last date to apply is October 31, 2026. Candidate can submit their application through the Consortium of National Law Universities’ website - consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The exam will be offline from 2 pm to 4 pm on December 6, 2026.

The CLAT UG paper will have 120 questions carrying 1 mark each. Candidates will get two hours to complete the paper. There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every incorrect answer.

CLAT 2027 Syllabus

Section	Questions
English Language	22-26
Current Affairs including GK	28-32
Legal Reasoning	28-32
Logical Reasoning	22-26
Quantitative Techniques	10-14

CLAT scores are accepted by 25 NLUs, one off-campus of GNLU Gandhinagar in Silvassa and IIULER Goa, and several other law colleges. NLU Delhi conduct their separate exam and is not part of the CLAT NLU admission process.

AILET (All India Law Entrance Test)

AILET is an entrance test held by National Law University Delhi for admission in its BA LLB course. The university is not associated with the CLAT counselling, and therefore students willing to apply for admission in the University will have to appear for AILET.

AILET 2027 registration began on August 7, 2026. Candidates have until November 10 to register for the exam. Candidates can register on the NLU Delhi’s website - nationallawuniversitydelhi.in. The exam will be held on December 13, 2026, from 2 pm to 4 pm. The examination will be conducted in offline mode. The AILET UG exam has a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer.

AILET (NLU Delhi BA LLB) 2027 Exam Syllabus

MH CET Law (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test - Law)

Maharashtra State CET Cell conducts MH CET Law entrance for admission to 5-year and 3-year LLB courses in Maharashtra’s law colleges. Students who have completed Class 12 have to appear for the five-year LLB examination. Registrations can be done on the official State CET Cell Maharashtra portal, cetcell.mahacet.org.

The five-year MH CET Law exam is conducted in computer-based mode. It includes questions from legal aptitude and logical reasoning, general knowledge and current affairs, English and basic mathematics. No marks are deducted for incorrect answers. The 2027 admission schedule is yet to be announced.

SLAT (Symbiosis Law Admission Test)

SLAT is conducted by Symbiosis International (Deemed University) for admission to the UG law programmes at Symbiosis Law Schools (SLS). There are four SLSs - SLS Pune, SLS Noida, SLS Hyderabad, and SLS Nagpur. The SLAT offers two types of law programmes: BA LLB and BBA LLB; and is conducted in two phases.

SLAT 2027 registration is open, and the last date to apply is December 4, 2026. Candidates can apply at the SLAT 2027 registration portal, slat-test.org. The phase 1 exam will be conducted on December 19 and phase 2 on December 26, 2026. Candidates can sit in both tests, and the higher score between the two will be considered. The SLAT paper duration is one hour, and there is no negative marking.

SLAT 2027 Syllabus

Other Popular Law Entrance Exams After 12th

Apart from CLAT, AILET, MH CET Law and SLAT, students have several state and university-level options for five-year LLB admissions.

• TS LAWCET: Telangana Law Aptitude cum Admission Test conducted for admission to law schools in Telangana.

• AP LAWCET: For admission to law schools in Andhra Pradesh.

• KLEE: Kerala state-level law entrance exam.

• CUET BA LLB: Accepted by participating universities for admission in UG law courses.

• PU BA LLB entrance exam: It is conducted by Panjab University for their 5-year integrated UG law course.

• AMU Law entrance exam: For admission to law programmes at Aligarh Muslim University.

• CUSAT CAT: For admission to Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) law programmes through CUSAT CAT.

• University-level exams: There are several private universities that conduct their own entrance exams or use scores achieved in other national law exams.

Top 10 Law Colleges in India Based on NIRF 2025 Law Ranking

Fees Structure

The fees for law courses vary from college to college. Government colleges generally have lower fees, while private law universities charge higher tuition fees.

Career Scope After Law

A five-year LLB opens up several career options. Becoming a courtroom lawyer is only one of the choices available to law graduates. After completing law, candidates can also work as:

• Lawyers and advocates

• Corporate lawyers

• Law firm associates

• In-house legal counsel

• Legal researchers

• Policy researchers

• Judicial officers, subject to the eligibility criteria of judicial service examinations

• Legal journalists

• Legal consultants

• Law teachers and academics

• Government and public-sector professionals

• Entrepreneurs

The salary after LLB depends on the college, employer, area of practice and experience. Graduates who enter into top law firms are offered a higher starting salary. Those who enter into entering litigation may earn less in the beginning, but eventually grow higher through experience and practice.