Since the last few years the legal profession in India has undergone a paradigm shift. In today’s industry women are at par with their male counterparts. Like all other industries the work of women knows no bounds.

Today, other than the court presence, career opportunities for women in corporate houses, law agencies, litigation and administrative services, have gone higher substantially.

So, after acquiring your degree in law there are ample opportunities available. Skill sets like perfection, attentiveness to minute details, logical interpretation and details, perfect judgement along with the professional skills help women in assuming legal career in different organisations.

Expressing concern, The Bar Council of India has at times shared their concern that the fresh graduates usually do not join the Bar and they tend to explore other opportunities.

A close watch on the market dynamics reveal that several international firms are opening their offices and branches in India and a fair number of fresh passouts are being absorbed for back office work.

In addition, LPOs are on the hiring spree for fresh law graduates. In fact, the dynamics have expanded so much that even people with other professional backgrounds are seeking admission in short term courses in allied fields having fair amount of legal understanding.

Legal career: Gone are the days when people believed that in order to become a lawyer you required to have a lawyer at home. In the beginning of the career, fresher lawyers face several difficulties and it is suggested that they should train under a counsel having fair experience in field of law.

Learning in law is a continuous process and the art to assimilate high volume of information and knowledge should be developed in the initial phase itself. Strong communication skills and good grasping abilities are the key to become a successful lawyer.

The choice of courses available under law starts from pursuing LLB can go up to doctorate in law. LLB, LLM, diploma courses in various branches of law like Civil Law, Taxation, Arbitration, Law of Contract, Criminal Law, IPR, Companies Law etc., the doctorate in law, and the choice is wide and phenomenal.

Even professionals, from other streams also pursue course covering law and legal aspects to be aware and up-to-date with developments in the field of law and to have an edge in their respective fields.

Women can practise as an advocate in a court of law and appear to argue cases. It is worthwhile to mention that Indian women were denied the privilege to practice law until the High Court of Allahabad took the lead and allowed the application of Miss Cornelia Sorabji by its major judgment of 24 August 1921 to practice. She was the first woman who was enrolled as an advocate in India.

As a result, women lawyers have ample opportunities today. They can practice as an independent lawyer, join judiciary, a firm or an LPO. They can work as Legal Advisor/Consultant or Counsel for Corporate Houses, pursue teaching in law and work with NGO.

Today, women are being designated as senior advocates and even elevated as Judges directly from the Bar.

Pay packet: The skies the limit expression is true for the legal profession. While one should not expect big money from day one, as one gathers experience and utilises the skills to invite and attract clients based on legal acumen and hard work, there is no limit to earning in this profession.

While a fresher may earn Rs 10,000-15,000 initially, a lawyer with fair experience of 7-10 years can expect to earn more than Rs 1,00,000 a month. The pay packet grows exponentially with experience and quality of work.

Today’s woman has proved that they are equal in all aspects as compared to men. The dedication and sincerity along with the ability to handle their domestic front as well as the professional front with the utmost zeal make them successful and worthy of all the praise.

Not only the legal profession but in all other professions as well, women have proved to be better than men. From being the president of our country to be the first astronaut in space, women in India have proved to be unstoppable.

The writer is an advocate