How to Become a Lawyer After 12th
Do you know India has over 20 Lakh registered lawyers or advocates, with a workload of over 5 crore pending cases, including lower courts, high courts, and the Supreme Court. In this case, becoming a lawyer is a highly in-demand, rewarding, and as well as responsible career option.
How to Become a Lawyer After 12th
Students who have completed their schooling and want to know “How to become a lawyer after 12th” must read this article to learn the clear path and the best law courses after 12th.
In the article, we have covered the eligibility to become a lawyer, the top exams to become a lawyer, career options in law, and many more.
Explore colleges based on SLAT
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
- Eligibility Criteria to Become a Lawyer after 12th
- How to Become a Lawyer After 12th: Top Entrance Exam
- Why AIBE Exam is important to become a lawyer?
Eligibility Criteria to Become a Lawyer after 12th
To become a lawyer after 12th, you have to fulfill the eligibility criteria explained below. You have to complete a 5-year Bachelor’s law degree program, such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, BSc LLB, from a recognised university.
If the candidates is not satisfied with the CLAT seat allotment result, they can either accept or opt for upgradingt the college alloted. The Freeze option is used by candidates to confirm their choice of NLU. Apply for upgrade option is used when candidates want to change the allotted institute to his or her higher choice (upward shifting).
Yes, with a CLAT Rank of 1500, you have a very good chance of getting into several good NLUs. Some fo the NLU where your chances are high are NLIU Bhopal or NLU Jodhpur.
You can pursue a law course from a private as well as a government college. For admission to the private law college, they conduct either their own exams or admissions are based on CLAT or CUET scores. However, if you want to pursue LLB from a government college, there are many top law exams in the country, such as
Explore more Law exams with upcoming dates
7 Jan '26
AILET
8 Jan '26
1 Nov '25 - 15 Jan '26
16 Jan '26
15 Dec '25 - 16 Feb '26
27 Feb '26
28 Feb '26
| Law Exam |
Eligibility |
Syllabus |
| CLAT |
|
GK, English, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques, and Legal Reasoning |
| AILET |
|
English, GK, and Logical Reasoning |
| SLAT |
|
Gk, Legal Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Logical Reasoning |
| MH CET Law |
|
Legal Aptitude and Reasoning, GK and current affairs, Logical and Analytical reasoning, English, and mathematics |
Candidates who want to become lawyer after 12th must pursue a 5-year LLB programme. Whereas those who have completed their bachelor’s degree can pursue a 3-year LLB course.
Also Read: Difference Between 3-year LLB and 5-year LLB
Top Law Exams in India After 12th
- CLAT- Common Law Admission Test
- AILET- All India Law Entrance Test
- SLAT- Symbiosis Law Admission Test
- MH CET- Maharashtra Common Entrance Test
These are some of the top law exams in India. However, there are many other state law exams as well to become a lawyer, such as BHU UET Law, CUET (UG) Law, etc.
How to Become a Lawyer After 12th: Top Entrance Exam
1. CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)
CLAT is one of India’s most prestigious law entrance exams in India. The CLAT exam is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities. This exam is for admission to the (UG) 5-year BA LLB program and (PG) 1-year LLM program.
There is no restriction as such for the CLAT exam. Thus, one can give CLAT any number of times they want to. Candidates should not feel bad if they are not able to clear the CLAT exam in first time.
No you can not get admission to 24 participating NLUs without clearing CLAT Exam. For admission to NLU Delhi, you need to clear AILET Exam.
No, candidates were not allowed to appear for the examination without a valid photo ID. Candidates were advised to keep the following three things ready with them, a day before the examination; a valid photo ID proof, AILET admit card 2026, and a recent passport-sized photograph. These were the mandatory documents to be produced during entry to the AILET exam centre. The valid photo identity card which would be allowed at the AILET 2026 exam centre include Aadhaar card/ Driving Licence/ PAN Card/ Passport/ Voter Id. The admit card should also have the passport and postcard-sized photographs pasted on it.
Based on CLAT score, candidates can get admission in 24 National Law Universities(NLUs) in India for the BA LLB course. Moreover, the CLAT score is also accepted by many private universities.
Also Read: List of NLUs in India
2. AILET (All India Law Entrance Test)
The AILET Exam is conducted by National Law University, Delhi (NLU, Delhi). This exam is also for admission in the 5-year BA LLB program and the 1-year LLM. To get admission in the NLU Delhi, candidates have to exclusively sit for the AILET exam and score the minimum qualifying marks.
3. SLAT (Symbiosis Law Admission Test)
SLAT or Symbiosis Law Admission Test is for admission in four of Symbiosis Law Schools (SLS) in India- SLS Pune, Noida, Hyderabad, and Nagpur. You can pursue many other law courses from Symbiosis, such as BA LLB (Hons), BCom LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), etc.
The SLAT exam is conducted in three stages: the first is a computer-based test for 60 marks (60 MCQs), then, Personal Interview, and a Written Ability Test. Based on PI and WAT scores final merit list will be made.
4. MH CET Law (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test)
The MH CET Law exam is for admission in 5-year LLB (for 12th graduates) and 3-year LLB (for bachelor’s graduates). It is a state-level exam for admission to various law colleges of Maharashtra.
Why AIBE Exam is important to become a lawyer?
Getting a law degree will not make you a lawyer. To practice in a court of law in the country, you need to have the Certificate of Practice (CoP). For that, it is mandatory to clear the All India Bar Examination (AIBE). The AIBE exam is conducted by the Bar Council of India.
Law Education & Competitive Exams Content Specialist
Role: Senior Content Writer, Shiksha.com
Swayam writes content specializing in the law education and competitive exams domain, with around two year of experience
Read Full Bio
In order to know if you are eligible or not check the official notification and the eligibility criteria. There is no other way to check the the eligibility criteria. Do not fill the form without checking the eligibility criteria.