Civil Law

What is Civil Law

The civil law focuses on the legal code and asks the judge to act as fact-finders, deciding whether a particular party has violated a code.  
 

All modern civil-law systems have made use of uncodified statutory law to regulate broad areas of social and economic life. Influence and salience of classical codes have receded, as many code-based legal systems now rely on extensive areas of non-codified “special legislation” as well as the case and civil law of national and supranational courts. The civil laws will increase in power with global economic activity and the growth of international and supranational legal institutions. An effective balance can be reached through a civil code that would seek to reconcile the traditional civil-law codes with modern legal developments.

The civil lawyers are in huge demand and have a great scope for reaching heights in their career with wisdom and expertise. The following article describes every detail of the civil law course along with the course fees, availability of jobs and expected salaries.

Civil Law: Degrees and Levels 

Integrated course after class 12 (5 years): Students determined to build an illustrious career in the legal profession after class 12 can opt for a 5-year integrated course which awards an LLB or Bachelor of Laws degree upon completion. This programme has a civil law course included in its curriculum.

Undergraduate level (LLB- 3-4 years): Students deciding to study law later in their career can join an LLB course after 3 years’ graduation in any stream. This will again be considered as a graduate degree in law. There is no separate LLB Civil Law course in India. Civil law is taught as a part of the LLB curriculum.

Postgraduate level (LLM- 2 years): Master of Law or LLM is a two years’ programme which can be done by individuals having an LLB degree. LLM Civil Law course is a postgraduate programme having immense value in the Indian legal system.

Diploma level: A diploma in civil law can be pursued only after graduation. The duration of the course is 1 year. It can be done in:

1. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) 

2. Alternation dispute resolution system 

3. Arbitration, conciliation and alternative dispute resolution system

Candidates can also opt for a postgraduate diploma in any of the following branches of civil law:

1. Securities law

2. Taxation practice

3. Taxation law

4. Patents law

5. Tax management and administration

6. Patent law and practice

7. Media laws

8. Labour laws

9. Labour practice 

10. Labour law and welfare

11. Industrial law

12. IPR and patent law

13. Business law

Minimum and Maximum Duration of a Civil Law Course

The minimum duration of civil law course is 12 months. The integrated course after class 12 has a minimum duration of 5 years i.e. 60 months. Some extensions can be allowed to students who need to clear their backlogs but that totally depends on the law institute or university where the course is being pursued. Graduation takes 36 months to complete while post-graduation is of 24 months duration. The maximum duration for a diploma course is 24-36 months. The research-based programmes can take 48-60 months. The duration is largely dependent on the institute’s policy, chosen research area and the guidance and resources available.

Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of Civil Law

As mentioned earlier, there is no undergraduate civil law course as such; it is taught as a part of the LLB curriculum. Civil law courses are available only at the postgraduate level. For being eligible to get an LLM degree in civil law course, one must possess an LLB degree from a recognised university. There are entrance examinations held for the admission into the master of law course. One must pass those exams with the stipulated cut off marks. 

Admission Criteria for Civil Law Course after Class 12 

One cannot study civil law after class 12 as it is not offered in India in any undergraduate course. The students have to enrol themselves into the LLB programme. For LLB course of 3 years, the candidates have to score a minimum of 45% marks in the class 10+2 examination from a recognised board. For admission into the BA LLB course of 5 years, the criteria remain the same. However, there is relaxation in the marks percentage for reserved category students.

Entrance Examinations for Civil Law

Different types of entrance examinations are held that determine the level one can get admission into. There are individual college or university-based admission tests for diploma programmes. There are 17 National Law Universities (NLUs) in India and CLAT examination grants admission into these. The admission process for every college varies. Some of the common entrance examinations are:

• AILET - All India Law Entrance Test

• AIBE - (All India Bar Examination)

• AP LAWCET - Andhra Pradesh Law Common Entrance Test 

• SAAT - Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University Admission Test 

• LSAT - Law School Admission Test 

• CUSAT - Cochin University of Science and Technology Common Admission Test BBA LLB 

Fees and Expenses of the Civil law Course

The tuition fee and college expenses for civil law courses are as follows:

a) Diploma level: The fees for diploma degree range between Rs.5000 and Rs.25, 000 for a one-year duration. 

b) Undergraduate level: It varies with different colleges. The fee of the undergraduate degree lies between Rs.22, 000 and Rs.2, 00, 000.

c) Postgraduate: The LLM civil law course students have to pay fees in the range of Rs.5000 to Rs.5, 00, 000 for the entire duration of 2 years. 

Required Skillset for Civil Law

Analytical skill: Clients come to civil lawyers with issues and problems or disputes that they have to solve. Thus possessing strong analytical skill is necessary as that will help them analyse the information as provided by the client, understand the relevance of the facts and explore viable solutions.

Logical thinking and ability to stay unbiased: Yes, as a lawyer, one needs to defend his client(s) but while preparing the case, he has to take every aspect into consideration and for that, he should not be biased towards any side. Only then, he can think logically and build a strong case against the opponent.

Research skill: As a civil lawyer, one has to prepare legal advice for a client and represent him/her. This calls for substantial research. Thus research skill is important which would allow the civil lawyer to identify which regulations and laws are suitable for the particular case at hand.

Interpersonal skill: The relationship with the client must be full of confidence and respect towards each other. This can be achieved by efficient interpersonal skill. This way the client feels comfortable with the lawyer and does not hold back information.

Verbal communication skill: A civil lawyer represents the client and speaks on his behalf only. Good speaking skill in a civil lawyer helps him present the evidence and explain them to the jury and judge clearly.

Problem-solving skill: It is mandatory for civil lawyers to listen and understand the client’s situation in an objective manner and evaluate the same accordingly. Problem-solving skill helps them prepare defence and recommendation in the best interest of the client.

Writing skill: A lot of civil lawyer’s work involves documentation of wills, power of attorney, and trusts etc. Thus this skill is also important.