LLD or Doctor of Law, is a Doctoral degree course in the field of law, whose duration ranges between 3 - 5 years and is pursued by students after completion of LLM / PhD degree, from any recognised University along with sufficient work experience relevant to the field. The average course fee ranges from INR 5,000 - 5,00,000.
The average salary received post the completion of the course ranges between INR 20 - 25 LPA. This will gradually increase with experience and efficiency. On average, the salary for an LLD graduate reaches up to 35 - 40 LPA, including other perks as well.
Admissions to LLD courses are done on the basis of various entrance exams such as CLAT, AILET, LSAT etc. Some of the top colleges in India offering admission to LLD courses are National Law School of India University, National Law University, Banaras Hindu University etc.
Some of the top career opportunities that can be taken up after completing LLD include those of a Judge, Professor, Assistant Professor, Researcher etc. The average starting salary for each of these professions range from INR 3.55 L PA – 5 LPA.
LLD: Course Highlights
| Duration | 3 years |
| Eligibility | Must have qualified PhD along with sufficient work experience in relevant field |
| Admission Process | Entrance Exams followed by Personal Interviews |
| Course Fees (INR) | 12,500 - 5,00,000 |
| Average Starting Salary (INR) | 20 - 25 LPA |
| Top Recruitment Areas | Corporate Firms, Law Institutions, Legal Consultancy, Law Enforcement Agency etc. |
All About LLD
The major areas focussed during the duration of the course are Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Union State Legislative Relations, Concepts of Possession and Ownership, Family law, Business law etc.
The curriculum has been designed to help train eligible candidates in effective intervention strategies, and also learn interaction and personal qualities needed to be in this profession.
Admission to the LLD program is generally done on the basis of merit obtained in various university entrance exams followed by a round of Personal Interview and submission of a research project in some institutes. Any such entrance exams conducted for an LLD course admission will vary from institution to institution.
What is LLD?
LLD is a 3 years Doctoral degree in the discipline of Law. Below mentioned points will elaborate on the LLD courses for your reference,
- Doctor of Laws is another name for a research-level degree programme in law. A Doctor of Laws or LLD degree is a dedicated postgraduate degree for candidates who already have a PhD.
- An LLD programme usually lasts three years long and admission into it is selective and highly competitive.
- LLD focuses on core subjects like Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Union State Legislative Relations, Concepts of Possession and Ownership, etc.
- Getting an LLD degree is best for people who wish to work in the academic field as professors or teachers of law. LLD candidates are also preferred for higher positions in law like judges. Various sectors of the economy seek out a high calibre candidate with a Doctor of Laws degree. Private and public sector companies hire such candidates on a regular basis.
Why Study LLD?
The ultimate decision to pursue a Doctor of Laws degree depends on the professional and career plans of each individual candidate. There are, however, some benefits that are worth highlighting. The following benefits to studying a Doctor of Laws degree are best for students who are contemplating getting admission into it.
- LLD degree helps in solidifying the base of all the previous years of education. It will help in enhancing the resume of the candidate.
- Any candidate with a LLD degree is open to a multitude of career avenues as many top organisations seek out such candidates to work for them.
- Candidates with this degree have been observed to have developed a higher sense of critical thinking and analytical reasoning capacity. This comes in handy in not only the workplace but also in day to day life.
- Lawyers and judges are powerful people in society. They get to uphold the law and create newer better laws to better society.
- Intellectually many benefits can also be observed in a candidate holding this degree. One gets to interact with and communicate with some of the best brains of the nation which helps in more ways than one.
Eligibility for LLD
To ensure that the admission process is smooth, one must be acquainted with the eligibility criteria for a Doctor of Laws. It is important to note that the eligibility criteria are different from college to college.
Listed below are the minimum criteria of eligibility required to be fulfilled for admission to the course.
- Willing candidates must have a Ph.D. degree in the relevant field.
- A good work experience of 6 to 10 years in the legal industry is preferred by top universities.
- A 4 to 5 year-long postgraduate LLM degree completed from a recognized university
- Minimum aggregate score of 50% at the LLM degree examinations.
Some colleges also require the candidates to have at least 5 to 10 years of work experience in teaching in the related field. Candidates with a track record of exceptional achievements will receive benefits during the admission process.
LLD: Admission Process
Admission in top colleges offering LLD is mainly given through entrance examinations and personal interviews. Once the candidate has qualified and achieved the minimum score required in the entrance exam, they move onto the stage of personal interview, which is the deciding stage.
- Entrance Test- Involves components of assessment such as Research Methodology, and a research proposal- specific paper.
- Personal Interview- Questions on assessment of fitness, work experience, past education, publications and statement of purpose, etc are asked.
Post submission of the report, the final candidates are then chosen based on their performance in all the stages.
Once the first two stages are successfully qualified, candidates are then required to submit a research proposal of about 10 to 12 pages. The research proposal needs to contain the title, a statement of purpose and background information on the subject, hypothesis and methodology and also a research design. The research proposal for interdisciplinary research ought to have components which have a bearing on legal theory, review and reform.
LLD Entrance Exams
The first step to the admission process of an LLD degree is the entrance examination. Only the candidates who secure the minimum passing score in the entrance exam move further.
Stated below are the popular law colleges in India, offering a Doctor of Laws degree, with the qualifying entrance examination.
- National Law School of India University, Bangalore Entrance Exam: The National Law School of India from Bangalore conducts its own admission test but also accepts other test scores too. The university’s entrance test is of 150 marks total and covers objective types questions on research aptitude, contemporary development in law and society and other questions related to law, MBL, MPP etc.
- Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi RET Entrance Test: Banaras Hindu University’s entrance test for its Doctor of Laws programme is called RET. The test covers topics related to research methodology, subject knowledge and also tests the candidates logical and analytical capacities. The paper is MCQ type and has 100 total questions. The maximum marks are 300 and the paper must be attempted in 120 minutes total.
How to Prepare for Entrance Exams
The first step in preparing for any entrance examination for a Doctor of Laws degree is to know the syllabus and paper pattern, which will be different for each university. However, in most exams, the paper is divided into two main sections.
- Part 1 usually deals with research methodology.
- Part 2 deals with questions related to law, criminal law etc.
While there are no exact formulas on how to best prepare for an entrance examination, there are certain pointers that can be referred to.
- Each university has its entrance examination syllabus and paper pattern and accessing them is the first step.
- If available, past papers must be downloaded and used for practice.
- Reading up on the current news in the field is also important to keep abreast of any developments.
- Revision must be done during the initial days of the preparation. The latter days must be utilised solely for mock tests.
- Timing while attempting a paper is important so as not to run out of time during the actual paper.
LLD: Syllabus & Course Structure
The syllabus of LLD is vast and may differ based on the university one chooses, but here are few of the most covered topics of the course by most of the law universities.
| Research Methodology | Jurisprudence |
| Relevance of Legal Research | Constitutional Law |
| Significance of Legal Research in India | Need for Legal Research and Importance of interdisciplinary approach |
| Types of Research | Legal Research as a profession in India |
| Preamble and Writ Jurisdiction | Law Reform Research |
| Directive Principles of State Policy | Fundamental Rights and Duties |
| Union State Legislative Relations | Judiciary and Nature and Source of Law |
| Amendment to the Constitution of India | Emergency Provisions |
| Judicial Process and Social Transformation | Concepts of Possession and Ownership |
| Judicial Activism and Rights and Duties | Public International Law and Law of Torts |
| Options for areas of Specialisation and Social Justice | Environmental Law and Cyber Law |
| Law of Crimes: General principles | Law of Contracts: General Principles |
| Family Law and Business Law | IPR and Human Rights |
LLD: Course Comparison
Tabulated below is the comparison between LLD and Ph.D. in Law on the basis of average annual fees, duration, eligibility, packages offered and more.
| Parameters | LLD | PhD in Law |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | LLD can be pursued by any individual even after Ph.D to gain more in depth knowledge in legal studies. | The objective of Ph.D. in Law is to enhance the idea of the aspirants on legal matters post the completion of LLM or M.Phil in the related field of studies. |
| Average Annual Fees (INR) | 5,000 to 5,00,000 | 6,000 to 3,65, 000 |
| Duration | 3 years | 5 years |
| Eligibility | Candidates must have a Ph.D degree from any recognized university. | Qualifying LLM with an aggregate of 55% from a recognized university |
| Admission Process | Entrance tests and interviews. | Merit and Entrance Based |
| Top Colleges | National Law School of India University, National Law University, The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, etc | Amity University, Alliance College of Law, Bharati Vidyapeeth, National Law University, School of Legal Studies etc. |
| Job Roles | Law Professor, Legal Researcher, Judge, etc | Jurist, Researcher, Lawyer, Solicitor, etc. |
| Average Annual Salary (INR) | 4 to 20 lakhs | 2 to 13 lakhs |
LLD College Comparison
Below we have made a comparison between the top LLD colleges on parameters like NIRF ranking and on other major grounds that any aspirant can have a look on.
| Parameters | National Law School of India University | The West Bengal National Institute of Juridical Sciences | National Law University |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | The first law university in India, NLSIU came into existence in 1987. Since then it is known as one of the popular law colleges in India. | The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences is known for being one of the fine law colleges of Bengal and also has made a rank of 5th under 15 law colleges by NIRF. It provides various other UG and PG courses. | Established in 1999, NLU is not only one of the to law colleges of the country but also has got the rank of 6th out of 15 by NIRF |
| Location | Bangalore | Kolkata | Jodhpur |
| Rankings (NIRF) | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Eligibility | Ph.D. in any discipline from any recognized university in India or abroad with relevant experience/expertise in the field. | Students must have completed PhD in the field of Law. | Ph.D. degree in the concerned discipline with research publications in journals. |
| Admission Process | Entrance-based | Merit-based | Merit-based |
| Average Annual Fees (INR) | 1, 75,000 | 67,000 | 65,000 |
LLD: Top Colleges
There are more than 500 Institutes and colleges in India who offer law courses. Some of the top courses that are offered by these colleges are LLB, BA LLB, BBA LLB, B.Sc LLB, LLM etc, Similarly some of the top universities / colleges offering LLD degrees in India are tabulated below for your reference,
| Name of the Colleges | Location | Average Fees (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| National Law School of India University | Bangalore | 1, 75,000 |
| National Law University | New Delhi | 1,15,000 |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | Kolkata | 67,000 |
| Banaras Hindu University | Varanasi | 3,900 |
| National Law University | Jodhpur | 65,000 |
| NMS University | Jaipur | 1,25,000 |
| Mansarovar Global University | Sehore | 1,50,000 |
| Sangam University | Bhilwara | 1,78,000 |
LLD: Career Prospects
LLD offers useful preparation for several different careers. The first career prospect of these is the academic work aspect, such as in academic journals, doctrinal examination, observational research. Other viable options include working for NGOs, government organizations, doctrinal or empirical research etc.
Some of the most popular professional avenues and careers open to such postgraduates are listed below along with the corresponding annual salaries offered for the respective positions.
| Job Profiles | Job Description | Average Salary (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Law Professor | Law Professors are former lawyers who are involved in the career of teaching advocates of justice. | 11,50,000-34,00,000 |
| Legal Researcher | Legal Researchers conduct research in the fields of law. Be it in support of an organization or individual these professionals express the purpose of advancing learning in a specific zone of law. | 9,80,005-23,40,000 |
| Judge | Judges review authentic briefs, conflicts and evidence presented by the obstruction and the arraignment of all kinds of cases. Judges offer assistance to juries and help direct them in their commitments and obligations. | 12,00,000-45,00,000 |
| General counselors | These officials are the one who are responsible to make legal decisions for companies.Drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts are also the day to day job of these professionals. | 8,00,000-15,00,000 |
| Compliance Officer | Compliance officers in any organization ensure to check whether all the licensing requirements are updated or not. They also comply with the legally framed regulations and laws. | 6,00,000-10,00,000 |
LLD FAQs
Ques. What is the meaning of LLD?
Ques. What is the difference between PhD and LLD?
Ques How do you get an LLD?
Ques. What is the duration of LLD?
Ques. What is the eligibility to study LLD?
Ques. What are the top colleges for studying LLD?
Ques. What is the cost to stuLLD Jobs and Career Prospectsdy an LLD?
Ques. How much can an LLD holder earn?
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