7 reasons for BA LS

Authored by Kavita Rai

An urban millennial probably must have grown up watching Mike and Harvey’s thrilling escapades with the law in Suits.

Immortalised by legal drama series, films and literature like ‘Suits’, ‘The Practice’, ‘Boston Legal’ or ‘Ally McBeal’ to the all-time-favourite Julia Roberts-starring’ Erin Brockovich’, or attorney-turned-author, John Grisham’s bestselling legal thrillers like ‘The Firm’, the legal profession has become glamorous in every way.

Especially with expanding economies, evolving international relations and trade, and changing social, political and environmental situations, the legal profession is high in demand across the world.

Mr NR MadhavaMenon, the ‘father of modern legal education in India’ and spearheaded the launch of the five-year B.A. LL.B. programme at National Law School Bangalore in 1987. with this, Legal education has also evolved to keep pace with industry needs and growth opportunities.

The B.A. Legal Studies programme has been popularly offered by top American institutions like the University of California, Berkeley or Northwestern University so that more people can enter the legal realm in a variety of capacities.

It is a unique opportunity for youngsters to foray into legal and allied fields without taking the long road — the five-year B.A. LL.B.—to become a lawyer. It’s attracted a lot of students across the world.

Reasons to take up this multidisciplinary undergraduate programme:

1. Interested in law, but not take up a career as a lawyer.

Many young people enamored by law. What’s not to love about a subject that’s challenging, intellectually stimulating and oh-so-interesting?

It’s essential to make the right call right off the bat. If one has an interest and aptitude for the law but are convinced about becoming a lawyer—the BA (L.S.) degree is a perfect choice. It will give time to explore the depth and breadth of legal studies. One can then go on to pursue a three-year LL.B. programme.

2. Discover rewarding careers with law

Rachel Zane – An ambitious, a hard-working personality from Suits.

B.A. (L.S.) prepares young people to enter law-related fields, particularly as paralegals, legal assistants or policy professionals as the demand for these job profiles is exploding the world over.

The course focuses on critical skills like quantitative and qualitative analysis, professional communication, legal research and writing, logical thinking and problem-solving. You’ll learn how to identify, analyse, assess and address legal issues and their social impact.

3.Keeping options open for studies & careers beyond the law

While the B.A. (L.S.) degree can be a gateway to a career in law, it also opens other doors. Different from the mainstream B.A. LL.B. intensely focus on law, the B.A. (L.S.) programme balances law with liberal arts perspectives.

Such a multidisciplinary curriculum allows students to explore a variety of interests and plans.

One could quickly pursue higher studies and careers in social sciences.

Multidisciplinary training equips with skills that are transferable across the board. Having a sound knowledge of the law, being conversant in the legal language and comfortable with traditional landscapes, being able to form ideas, opinions and articulate effectively, be it legal or otherwise—can all be valuable in any line of work.

Be it legal or non-legal, and one can find roles in domains as far and wide as business to international affairs, public policy or journalism, think tanks, NGOs and start-ups.

4. A chance to explore the role of law in the world

If one is interested in the dynamics of the world around them and are curious about how the law works in the real world, they’ll enjoy the interdisciplinary themes of the course.

For instance, learning about ‘gender and society’ in a world that’s still fighting for equal pay may give an edge to rally for women’s rights. Or if one is committed to doing your part in saving the environment, the course on ‘legal protection of the environment’ it will give the primary exposure needed.

Or if someone is engrossed in high school economics, they’ll get to look at economic theories through a legal perspective; for example, how demand and supply related to the law—giving a different idea from a purely social sciences approach.

There are courses on the criminal justice system, human rights, international law, international relations, commercial transactions, corporate governance and more that could inspire to decide what a student is looking for from the Career.

5. Perfect Career for an analytical bent of mind

A quintessential pillar of multidisciplinary is learning not what to think, but how to think.

Through an analysis of society, culture, human behavior, and the many variables at play in the world, one will learn to inspect, explore and discover themselves, the reasons and implications of the law.

6. The right blends of theory and hands-on learning experience

A part of the programme is all about creating a strong foundation for legal studies: understanding legal thought, logic, language, history, the Indian Constitution and traditional world systems. You’ll also explore the social sciences. With a sound footing, one can branch out with discipline-focused elective courses. It’s the time to nurture interests in specialized areas of study.

7. Training in legal research, analysis and writing, which is in high demand today

Courses on legal research and methodology and advanced traditional writing skills will train students for an extra mile. Internship experiences will also help students develop strong communication, observation and organizational skills.

With some of the best faculty in the field of law, JGLS can mentor students to understand Indian and international legal systems—and become not only well-versed with the legal context, but also the major legal and political discourses across the globe.

Some of the top law schools in India to pursue the law degree are:

National Law School of India University, Bangalore
National Law University, Delhi
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata
National Law University, Jodhpur
National Law Institute University, Bhopal
Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur
Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat (JGLS)

JGLS is ranked as the number one law school in the country, followed by NLSIU Bangalore, by the Q.S. World University Subject Rankings 2020. In a historic moment, JGLS now features among the top 150 law schools in the world. For the first time, a private law school in India has achieved this feat.

So, if you possess the following skills, then you are apt to pursue a B.A. (Hons) in Legal Studies could be the right career option for you