Students from commerce backgrounds are often confused about whether they can become lawyers after completing Class 12. Such students are informed that they can become a lawyer even if they are from a commerce background. Explore this article to understand how to become a lawyer after finishing 12th grade in commerce.
Every major law entrance exam allows students from a commerce background to appear. Students with commerce subjects in their Class 12 can compete in these exams and get an LLB seat for themselves. They can even get admission to prestigious National Law Universities (NLUs) after clearing national-level law entrance exams. The legal profession in India has relatively low entry barriers. It has helped students from different backgrounds to fulfil their dream of becoming a lawyer.
Major law entrance exams like CLAT and AILET allow students from commerce backgrounds to appear for the exam. If you have finished your Class 12th in Commerce and aspire to become a lawyer, this article is for you. We offer a comprehensive career guide to help you understand how to become a lawyer after Class 12th in Commerce.
- Scope of Legal Career After Commerce Education
- How to Become a Lawyer after 12th Commerce?
- Companies Hiring Commerce Background Lawyers
Scope of Legal Career After Commerce Education
Commerce stream deals with economic activities of buying and selling goods and services. It is an auxiliary field to businesses. Therefore, the career options for Commerce students are generally related to businesses. Considering this, commerce education paves the way to the following legal careers:
- Corporate Lawyer
- Tax Lawyer
- Intellectual Property Lawyer
- Banking and Finance Lawyer
- Commercial Lawyer
- International Trade Lawyer
- Real Estate Lawyer
- Academic or Legal Researcher
- Compliance Officer
Also Read: Top 5-Year Law Colleges in India
Commonly asked questions
No you can not get admission to 26 participating NLUs without clearing CLAT Exam. For admission to NLU Delhi, you need to clear AILET Exam.
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.
The CLAT cutoff means the minimum rank or score required to get admission into a National Law University (NLU). Candidates must get the cutoff to participate in the counselling process.
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).
How to Become a Lawyer after 12th Commerce?
Now that you understand legal career options available for commerce students after Class 12th, you can explore the steps to becoming a Lawyer. These steps are detailed below:
1. Pursue BCom LLB
The best undergraduate law course for commerce students is BCom LLB. It includes a substantial number of commerce subjects in its syllabus. Therefore, the first step to becoming a lawyer after completing your 12th grade in commerce is to pursue a BCom LLB course to gain a comprehensive understanding of law.
2. Internships & Practical Training
Candidates pursuing either a 3-year LLB or a 5-year LLB degree after 12th Commerce will have to go through practical training in courts under lawyers or corporate entities to gain hands-on experience of legal sector work. Internships are important for practical experience; however, many law firms mandatorily have internship programs.
3. Appear for AIBE exam
Candidates will have to register and appear for All India Bar Examination (AIBE). Candidates will then have to be awarded a Certificate of Practice (COP) for practising law in India.
3. Get registered with a State Bar Council
All aspiring legal professionals must register with a State Bar Council to obtain permit to work as a lawyer. Candidates are advised to carefully read instructions on respective Bar Council's website before proceeding with registration.
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4. Completing LLM with right specialisation
For students who complete their Class 12th in Commerce, studying BCom LLB and then becoming a lawyer, an LLM with a specialisation in one of the following fields can help you become a specialised corporate lawyer, tax lawyer, intellectual property lawyer, banking and finance lawyer, commercial lawyer, or international lawyer.
- Corporate Law
- Tax Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- Banking and Finance Law
- Commercial Law
- International Trade Law
5. Build a professional resume
Now, when you are done with legal education, you must build a professional resume mentioning your internship experience, key strengths, qualifications, and area of expertise. This can help you land great job opportunities or attract big corporations as your clients.
Companies Hiring Commerce Background Lawyers
Many MNCs or Indian firms look for fresh Law Graduates with a commerce background, given the unique combination of legal and business acumen. Below are the notable firms or companies that hire Lawyers with a commerce background:
1. Corporate Law Firms
- Amarchand & Mangaldas Law Firm
- Khaitan & Co.
- AZB & Partners
- J Sagar Associates
2. Other Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
- Tata Group
- Reliance Industries
- Infosys
- Wipro
3. Financial Institutions
- HDFC Bank
- ICICI Bank
- State Bank of India
4. Consulting Firms
- Deloitte
- PwC
- KPMG
5. Real Estate Firms
- DLF
- Godrej Properties
- Oberoi Realty
6. Technology Companies
- Microsoft
- Amazon
- TCS
7. Government Sector
8. LPO Firms
- QuisLex
- Pangea3
- Integreon
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Student Forum
Answered a week ago
Choose Commerce if you want an early foundation in business and finance for corporate law, or Arts (Humanities) if you prefer subjects that align closely with reading comprehension and current affairs for the CLAT exam.
Both streams make you fully eligible for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) and
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Ministry of Education can release the NLUs NIRF Ranking soon on its official website. There is no time line announced by the ministry in this regard.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
NLSIU Bengaluru, which has held the top spot in the Law category every year since NIRF introduced it in 2018.
R
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
No, the NIRF Law Ranking 2026 will be released soon by the Minsitry of Education on its official website.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, the Consortium removed two Test Cities from the CLAT 2027. The removed test cities are Vellore and Tiruvarur. CLAT 2027 exam date is December 6.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 weeks ago
Candidates are required to pay the CLAT Registration/Form fee as per their category. The Consortium prescribed the category-wise form fee. Without submitting the CLAT form fee, the registration will not be completed.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, a domicile certificate is not mandatory for all candidates. It is only required if you intend to claim a reservation/ seat under state quota (offered by specific NLUs). Students can skip this document if they are applying solely under the All-India open category.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 weeks ago
No, candidates who fulfill OP Jindal Global University BBA LLB (hons) eligibility criteria cannot apply with a CLAT-UG score. This institute only accepts admission based on LNAT-UK exam. No other entrance exams are accepted during admissions to this course.
Y
Contributor-Level 10
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