How to Become a Civil Judge: Career Guide, Courses, Entrance Exams, Eligibility, Qualifications, Top Colleges, Skills, Jobs, Salary

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The Civil Judges hold the highest authority in the court and make the final decision for any legal proceedings. Civil Judges who rule in civil proceedings are also referred to as district magistrates or judicial magistrates. Besides this, there are other responsibilities outside the courtroom like researching over law and staying updated with laws and rules. Candidates aspiring to become Civil Judges must complete their education in law. One can pursue various Undergraduate and Postgraduate law courses such as LLB, LLM, PG Diploma in Law, BA LLB or any other relevant courses from any recognised University. The average fees for law courses range between INR 10,000 to 7,00,000. The admission process is usually based on law entrance exams such as CLAT, AILET, SET and LSAT. After completing the courses to become a Civil Judge one can find lucrative and highly-paid job opportunities across various courts and judiciary departments. A career as a Civil Judge is a lucrative option in terms of salary and job opportunities. The average salary of a Civil Judge in India ranges between INR 6.48 LPA – 13 LPA.

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Table of Content

Duties of a Civil Judge
Eligibility to Become a Civil Judge
Courses to Become a Civil Judge

3.1 UG Courses

3.2 PG Courses

Top Law Colleges
Salary of a Civil Judge
How to Become a Civil Judge: FAQ

Duties of a Civil Judge

As already discussed above being at the pinnacle of the Indian Judiciary system, the Civil Judge is entitled to a lot of crucial decision-making and taking the final call over any legal cases that come under their purview. Listed below are some of the most essential lists of duties that are performed by a Civil Judge.

A civil judge records the witness's statement (of both parties).
The allegations made by the parties who are suing and being sued are recorded by a civil judge.
A civil judge issues rulings following the testimony and evidence offered.
The civil judge determines whether the defendants are guilty or innocent.
A civil judge decides on the guilty party's sentence while also giving the jury instructions.

Eligibility to Become a Civil Judge

Some of the basic eligibility criteria for becoming a Civil Judge including their educational qualifications, age limit, nationality and other prerequisites are discussed below.

Candidates aspiring to become a Civil Judge must foremost be a citizen of the country and the age limit ranges from 23 - 35 years.
They must pursue their graduation in Law Courses such as BA LLB, BCom LLB or BSc LLB from any of the top Law Colleges in the country.
There are Law Entrance Exams such as CLAT, LSAT, and AILET that must be cleared to be eligible to pursue the above-mentioned Law courses
Candidates can also choose to pursue postgraduate Law Courses such as LLM to become a Civil Judge
Finally, they must clear the judiciary exams that are conducted to enrol candidates for the position of a Civil Judge.

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Courses to Become a Civil Judge

Some of the top Law Courses that can be pursued to become a Civil Judge are tabulated below for your reference.

UG Courses

For Undergraduate courses, candidates are eligible after 12th from any stream from a recognized institution. Admission is generally entrance based, however, some institutions are offering direct admission.

The major and the popular undergraduate law courses are tabulated below with important details:

Courses	Course Details	Average Fees
Integrated BA LLB	Eligibility: Candidates should have passed 12th grade in relevant subjects with a minimum aggregate mark of 45%. Entrance Exams: LSAT Duration: 5 years	INR 30,000 to INR 3,00,000 per annum
LLB	Eligibility: Candidates should have passed 12th grade in relevant subjects with a minimum aggregate mark of 50%. Entrance Exams: CLAT, AILET, SET Duration: 3-Years	INR 35,000 to INR 1,50,000 per annum

PG Courses

Candidates after completing their bachelor's in law can also pursue various postgraduate law courses. Postgraduate courses are crucial as it gives additional qualification and experience in understanding the legal dimensions. One of the most important and most opted PG courses is mentioned below with relevant details:

Courses	Course Details	Average Fees
LLM	Eligibility: Candidates must have a qualified LLB or any other Graduate Law degree with a minimum aggregate mark of 50%. The minimum age for LLM is 17 years or more. Entrance Exams: AILET, CLAT PG, and IPU CET Duration: 5 years	INR 1,00,000 to INR 2,50,000

Top Law Colleges

India is home to more than 1,721 Law Colleges out of which few are private law colleges and few are government law colleges. Tabulated below are the top law schools in India along with their average fees.

College Name	Fees (INR)
National Law School of India University, Bengaluru	INR 85,000 – 2,15,000
National Law University, New Delhi	INR 13,000 – 1,39,000
Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad	INR 20,500 – 7,20,000
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata	INR 1,19,000 – 1,83,000
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur	INR 3,55,000
Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar	INR 1,000 – 2,44,000
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi	INR 10,400
National Law University, Jodhpur	INR 55,000 – 3,15,000
Symbiosis Law School, Pune	INR 1,65,000 – 2,50,000
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar	INR 2,79,000 – 4,19,000

Salary of a Civil Judge

Civil Judges are compensated a decent amount of salary in India. The average salary for a Civil judge is around INR 39,000 to INR 60,000 per month and it increases with working experience. However, the salary of a Civil Judge varies depending on various factors such as state, experiences, and position of profession.

The average salary of a Civil Judge across various states is tabulated below.

State Name	Average Monthly Salary
Haryana	INR 27,700 to INR 63,070
Karnataka	INR 27,700 to INR 44,770
Chhattisgarh	INR 27,700 to INR 44,700
Madhya Pradesh	INR 27,700 to INR 63,700
Delhi	INR 30,800 to INR 68,600

How to Become a Civil Judge: FAQs

Ques. What are the professions available for an LLB Graduate student?

Ans. There are different professions available for an LLB Graduate as Law Officer, Advocate, Litigator, and Corporate Lawyer, and so on.

Ques. Name some industries where a Civil Judge can work?

Ans. Some of the industries where a Civil Judge can work are Courts & Judiciary, Law Firms, Legal Consultancies, Judiciary, Business houses, MNCs and News Channels, and so on.

Ques. What are subjects’ covers in 3 years or 5 years LLB courses?

Ans. Some of the subjects covered in LLB courses is: Labour Law, Criminology, Constitutional Law, Professional Ethics, Law of Insurance, Law of Evidence, Jurisprudence, Human Rights and International Law, Legal Writing, Training in Moot Court, Code of Criminal Procedure, Company Law, Administrative Law and so on.

Ques. Name of the Colleges in Abroad to study Law for Law Aspirants?

Ans. Some of the top colleges to study Law are: Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Yale University, Stanford University, and so on.

Ques. Who is a Corporate Lawyer?

Ans. Corporate Lawyers are professional experts in commercial law and ensure the transactions of the company under all corporate law, rules, and regulations.

Ques. What is the average salary of an Advocate?

Ans. The average salary of an Advocate is around INR 4,50,000 to INR 8,00,000 per annum.

Ques. Name some of the institutions which provide Law courses through Distance Mode?

Ans. Some of the institutions which provide Law courses through Distance Mode are Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Kurukshetra University, Karnataka State Open University, Andhra University, and many more.

Ques. What are the benefits of a Civil Judge?

Ans. Some of the benefits as a Civil Judge are: Continual Learning, Decent Salary Package, Job Security, and medium for providing justice to the people.

Ques. How many levels of examinations are there in JSE Examinations?

Ans. There are broadly 3 levels of examinations in JSE as Prelims, Mains, and Interview.

Ques. What is the minimum qualifying mark in Prelims of JSE?

Ans. Candidates need to score 60% marks to qualify for the Prelims of JSE.

Ques. How to become a Civil Judge after 12th?

Ans. After completing 12th, to become a Civil Judge one has to go for a law degree of 3 or 5 years and then clear the JSE or apply in any private law institution.

Ques. How to become a Civil Judge after completing LLB?

Ans. After completing LLB, one can either apply for JSE or opt for LLM and then apply in some law institution to become a Civil Judge.