Government Exams after LLB

Introduction

Many legal students enter the domain with the aspiration to work in the government sector. After finishing an LLB degree; working for the government gives not just financial stability but also respect and prominence in society.

Students will have two options: take a competitive test and acquire a government/private sector job, or pursue higher study. As for the first option, LLB graduates can take several discipline-specific competitive tests, which can lead to a job in the legal profession.

Some of these exams are: 

• PCS-(J) Exam
• IBPS Law Officer Exam
• JAG Exam
• PSU Exam
• RBI Exam

In this article, we’ll go over the mentioned exams along with providing names and posts of some others.

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Government Exams After LLB: Provincial Civil Service Judicial Exam

Fresh law aspirants also get to become judges and straightaway transfer to the other side of the courtroom table. The Provincial Civil Service Judicial Exam (PCS-J) is an entry-level exam for law graduates to be appointed as subordinate judiciary members. Every State government conducts the Judicial Service examination for the position of civil judge or judicial magistrate.  

Requirements

The requirements for the judicial service examination may vary from state to state.

• It typically consists of 2 rounds:
  • Written exam
  • Interviews

Note: The syllabus and selection process keeps changing, so aspirants have to keep a tab on the exam dates with the information regarding the examination.

Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates must have a law degree from a recognized university
• Candidates are enrolled as advocates in the Bar Council of India or any State Bar Council.

Age Limit

The age limit generally falls within the age of 21 to 35 years, with some relaxation for reserved categories.

Stages for Exams

The Judicial exam contains 3 Stages, i.e.,

1. Prelims
2. Main Examination
3. Interview

Government Exams After LLB: IBPS Law Officer Exam

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) exam is held for the selection of various kinds of officers in the public sector banks, SBI, Associate Banks of SBI, NABARD, RBI, SIDBI, LIC & Insurance companies, and other regular members. Banks of the IBPS society. The IBPS department conducts exams for multiple posts and positions such as

• IBPS SO exam for Specialist Officers
• IBPS Law Officer Exam
• IBPS PO Exam for Probationary Officers
• BPS RRB Exam for Officers and
• Office assistants in Regional Rural Banks

Online registrations for the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) happen in November every year, while the Prelims and mains happen in December-January.

Exam Eligibility

The IBPS all have very different exam eligibility criteria. Candidates are advised to check the data of the individual exam from their respective pages. The general criteria for attending an IBPS exam are as follows. 

• Candidates applying for the exam must fall under the age category of 20- 30 years.
• Candidates must hold an LLB Bachelor's degree (For some exams).
• Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university (For some exams).
• Candidates must be enrolled with Bar Council as an Advocate.

Exam Pattern

All IBPS exams also have different exam patterns. Although all of them are divided into three stages. 

Stage 1: Preliminary

Some of the major sections that are present in Preliminary exams are as follows.

Stage 2: Mains

Some of the major sections in the Mains exams are as follows.

Stage 3: Interview

In the final stage, the interview is for a total of 100 marks, and the candidate will clear the cut-off at 40%. (Different for each exam. The above example is for the IBPS SO exam)

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Government Exams after LLB: JAG Exam

The JAG or Judge Advocate General Exam Entry Scheme was officially issued by the Indian Army. Short Service Commission by JAG Entry Scheme (also known as Judge Advocate General’s Corps) falls under the military branch of justice and law. 

The responsibilities of a Judge Advocate General include advising the military officers, draft filing, court appearances, and tribunals. They are also required to master the practice of Military Laws and equal to the rank of a military lieutenant.

The vacancy details for the Indian Army JAG Recruitment 2024 (April 2024, 32nd round) are as follows-

• 5 posts for men
• 2 posts for women
• Location of the job: All over India

Refer to the official notification by the Indian Army for more information on the 32nd round of the JAG Exam.

Exam Eligibility

Below are the exam eligibility criteria for taking the JAG exam.

• Candidates should either be a citizen of India, a subject of Bhutan, or a subject of Nepal, a Tibetan refugee who settled in India before the 01st of Jan. 1962, or a person of Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia, and Vietnam immigrant with Indian origin with a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Govt. of India.*
• Candidates should be between 21 to 27 years of age while applying for any specific round of the JAG exam.
• Candidates must hold an LLB degree (five years course after the 10+2 examination or three years after graduation) from a college recognized by the Bar Council of India.
• Candidates should hold a minimum of 55% aggregate marks in LLB degree
• Candidates should be eligible for registration with the Bar Council of India/State

*Candidates belonging to the Gorkha subjects of Nepal need not present the Certificate of eligibility.

Selection Procedure

The selection for the post of Judge Advocate General Department is based on the SSB (Service Selection Board) procedure.

• The first shortlisting round is done by the Recruiting Directorate, Integrated HQ of MoD (Army).
• The DG Recruiting makes the final selection decision.
• The result of the shortlisted names is displayed on the Join Indian Army website.
• The selected candidates are called for the SSB interview.
• The SSB selection procedure consists of two stages based on the Psychological Aptitude Test.
• Candidates who qualify for the stages and are found to be fit medically by the Medical Board are selected in the order of merit.
• The final selection is made based on the vacancies available at that time

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Government Exams after LLB: PSUs Exam

PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) units are owned by the Indian government, individual states, or businesses and offer great opportunities to LLB graduates. The Public Sector Undertakings hold exams regularly and individuals who clear the exam are employed in the PSUs.

Every year, PSU Recruitment via CLAT LLM Score is conducted to fill various positions such as Trainee Legal Advisor, Legal Executive Trainee, Assistant Legal Advisor, and others. Candidates are then shortlisted after many rounds of group discussions and interviews.

Some PSUs that conduct their recruiting through CLAT scores are given below.

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Government Exams after Law: RBI Recruitment

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducts the RBI Recruitment Exam to select candidates for different officer positions. The selected candidates are offered jobs in the various RBI branches across the country. Every year thousands of people apply for the exam. 

While the seat vacancy is limited, the competition for the exam is very high due to the many participating candidates. The exam is conducted in three phases, and they are the Preliminary examination, the Main examination, and the Interview. RBI Recruitment exam offers law graduates the post title of Legal Consultant.

Exam Eligibility

The exam eligibility criteria for Legal Consultant Grade F and Grade C/D are given in the table below. 

Selection Procedure

Just like the IBPS exam, the selection procedure for the RBI recruitment exam is divided into three stages.

• Preliminary examination
• Main Examination
• Interview

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Other Recruitment options

Government exams after LLB aren’t the be-all and end-all of your career. There are some companies or government organizations that recruit based on your LLB scores, ability, work experience, etc. Here are two more prominent recruitment options for LLB graduates.

SEBI Grade A Recruitment

The Security and Exchange Board of India seeks legal officers and assistant managers for its legal section. Candidates who have finished their legal degree and postgraduate studies can apply for SEBI recruiting, which includes a test followed by interview stages.

Recruitment Eligibility

• The candidate must hold a bachelor's degree in law.
• The candidate should not be older than 30 years.

DMRC Recruitment

Every year, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation holds DMRC recruitment for the positions of general manager and legal officer. DMR recruitments are open to LLB grads as well as LLM candidates.

Recruitment Eligibility

• The candidates must be LLB graduates with a minimum of 55% aggregate marks.
• The candidate must have a 5-year experience working in the legal department of the government of India or any other

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Best Job Options for LLB Graduates

Apart from government exams after LLB, these are some prominent career options for LLB grads can acquire.

• Legal Analyst - A legal analyst performs legal research and deciphers laws, assists individual attorneys, and manages legal records and databases. A legal analyst may operate individually or as part of a team.
• Chief Judicial Magistrate - The Judicial Services Examination can lead to the office of Chief Judicial Magistrate. Practicing attorneys are chosen for the position of Chief Judicial Magistrate, who has the authority of a Judicial Magistrate (First Class).
• Government lawyers - government lawyers work for the government and advocate its cases. The top post for a government lawyer is Attorney General of India, which is a constitutional office. There are also more profiles, including Solicitor General. A law graduate can also work for the government in its capacity, as the government hires attorneys to represent itself in court proceedings.
• Civil Judge (junior division) - A Civil Judge is chosen through the Judicial Services Examinations and has the authority of a Judicial Magistrate (second class). A recent law graduate may apply for the job of Civil Judge.
• Civil Litigation Lawyer - Law graduates can practice as civil litigation lawyers. A litigation lawyer advocates for their clients' cases and participates in case studies. Additionally, the litigation lawyer files pleadings on a variety of issues.

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Other LLB/BL Law Graduate Government Exams

The table below lists some other LLB / BL exams for law graduates.

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Conclusion

The Legal sector has a massive range of professions, and a brilliant career progression- the possibilities are endless. The challenge sure exists in the law sector but it’s also one of the most exciting, respected, and rewarding professions. Make sure to pick exams best suited for you, and ace them!

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