Career in Cyber Law

With the emergence of the Internet as a basic need in the technology-driven world, we are becoming more inclined to Information and Communication Technologies. Whether it is financial transactions, bookings, sharing of data or simply chatting with family and friends, we want cyberspace to be secure and private. This gave rise to the need for stringent laws to keep the online world safe. To cater to the need, the specialised branch in law dedicated to the issues related to the Internet was established. Like other branches of law which include business law, corporate law etc, Cyber Law has taken the shape of a full-fledged career option. Students are showing great zeal in pursuing the subject as it has vast applications. For those who want to deliver justice and be the guardians of the virtual world, the career in Cyber Law is for them. 

What is Cyber Law?

A branch of law that deals with the issues that are related to the Internet. The widespread use of the internet in every aspect of our lives has made our life easy but comfort comes at a risk. The rise of criminal activities has led to the creation of a separate legal domain that deals with the prevention of cybercrimes like phishing, hacking, unauthorised data collection, harassment, threats and other frauds that are committed using the Internet as a medium. Cybercrimes can be broadly classified into three broad categories which include crimes against people, crimes against property and crimes against the government. To keep the cyberspace safe for the use of masses, Cyber Law has emerged as a specialization or an extension of the normal law degree.

The major challenges that are tackled by the cyber lawyers to ensure cybersecurity are listed below:

• Copyright
• Trade Secrets
• Patents
• Contracts
• Defamation
• Jurisdiction
• Privacy
• Domain Disputes

Also Read: Law Subjects

Why Pursue a Career in Cyber Law?

• We are entering into the digital era. More the use of technology & the internet more the potential for a career in cyber law to grow. In comparison to other sectors, the growth of cyber law is booming.
• After building a career in cyber law one of the best perks is you will receive handsome pay. The average salary of professionals in cyberlaw ranges between Rs. 7,00,000 to Rs.15,00,000.
• You will not just be restricted to one field & will have the opportunity to work in different sectors such as corporate, academic, private & public organizations.
• At present, there are more job opportunities in cyberlaw than the no. of professionals available. Also, a career in cyber law is not just available at the national level it is in more demand at the international level.
• By building a career in cyber law you will be learning something new every day, technology is changing every day &  professionals of cyber law have to constantly learn & grow with it.

How to Become a Cyber Lawyer?

Here is the step-by-step career roadmap to becoming a Cyber Lawyer:

1. Complete your secondary education: The first step towards becoming a cyber lawyer or kickstarting your career in any field is to complete your schooling first. To make a career in cyber law you can be from any stream. 
2. Appear for a law entrance exam: Select the college/university where you wish to study at & fill out entry forms for admission into best law colleges in India & abroad. Some top entrance exam in India is CLAT, AILET & ULSAT. For applicants that wish to pursue study abroad can appear for LSAT & LNAT.
3. Pursue LLB: The next step after the exam is to clear your undergraduate degree. You can choose a 5-year integrated degree, complete an undergraduate degree & then pursue LLB. Most of the students go for integrated courses because it saves a year for them & the hassle of readmission. You can also find degree courses that offer specialization in cyber laws.
4. Opt for a Specialization in Cyber Law: After completing your graduation, you can go for further studies & also do specialization in cyberlaw. It can either be a postgraduate diploma course or a postgraduate degree course. Both the course will help you in better understanding Cyber laws.
5. Enrol at Bar council of India: After the completion of your course, Enroll yourself at the Bar Council of India. Afterwards, you can work under a senior lawyer for a few years & practice. If you want, you can also enrol at the Bar council of India after graduation. Practice for few years & then pursue postgraduate studies

Also Read: Law Entrance Exams: India & Abroad

Types of Cyber Laws

Here are the different types of cyber laws.

• Copyright: Copyright protects the rights of companies and individuals to get profit from their creative work. 
• Defamation: Defamation means the communication of a false statement made about someone on the internet which unjustly harms the person’s reputation and usually constitutes a crime.
• Fraud: Cyber Law to prevent online fraud like credit card theft, identity theft, and other money-related crimes.
• Harassment and Stalking: Cyberstalking is a criminal offence under various state anti-stalking, slander and harassment laws. It includes sending manipulative, threatening, lewd or harassing emails from one or different email accounts.
• Freedom of Speech: The cybercriminal offence also includes any communication of any information that is grossly offensive, with the knowledge of its falsity, and is sent through an online resource. 
• Trade Secrets: Cyber Laws also include trade secrets (IP rights) which help businesses preserve their trade secrets like algorithms, confidential information, etc.
• Contracts and Employment Laws: This includes the terms and conditions for an application, website or any other software.

Problem with cyberbullying is everything. If you have something mean to say, look in the mirror & say it to yourself. Maybe you’ll think twice- Unknown

Types of Cyber Law Courses

Here are the types of cyberlaw courses you can choose from:

1. Integrated Courses: There are many universities that offer 5 years of integrated courses at the undergraduate level. It can be BBA, BA, BSc, BCom + LLB. Btech + LLB is also available but the duration of the course will be 6 years. Students usually prefer integrated courses over others because they save a year & less time-consuming.
2. Postgraduate Degree: If you completed your undergraduate degree in any course & now want to build a career in cyberlaw or you completed your law degree, wish to pursue a specialization in cyber laws you can apply for a postgraduate degree.
3. Postgraduate Diploma: You can also pursue a postgraduate diploma like PG Diploma in Cyber Security or Cyber Law after completing your undergraduate degree. The duration of a postgraduate diploma is one year.

List of Cyber Law Courses

Given below is the list of cyberlaw courses at different levels of study.

Diploma Courses	Professional Diploma in Cyber Investigations and Law PG Diploma in Cyber Law and IT Diploma in Information Security and Cyber Law Diploma in Internet Law and Policy PG Diploma in Cyber Security and Law
Certificate Courses	Advanced Certification in Cyber Law Practice Certificate courses in Cyber Forensics and Cyber Laws
UG Courses	BTech LLB Computer Science Engineering in Cyber Laws BA LLB with Cyber Law Specializations
PG Courses	LLM in cyber Law LLM in Cyber Law and Cyber Security Master of Cyber Law Master of Cyber Law and Information Technology M.Tech in Cyber Law and Information Security

Subjects

The following are the core subjects taught during the course of Cyberlaw:

• Digital Signature
• Intellectual Property Rights
• Cybercrime Law in India
• E-commerce
• International Legal Regime
• Information Technology Act, 2000
• Copyright Issues
• Trademark Issues
• Cyber Terrorism
• Credit card frauds
• Pornography 
• IPR violations
• EFT frauds
• Regulation of Cyber Crimes

Also Read: Law Courses in India

Scope of Cyber Law in India & Abroad

All around the world we are evolving into the digital age. Everything is online now our bills, health insurance, news, our vacation pictures, movies & even this blog you are reading. All of this has made our life easier as well put us into a great threat. A picture once on the internet even for a second even after deleting can stay on the internet. Cybercrime has now turned into a whole thing. To protect & manage this, cyber laws are formed. With cyber threats & frauds increasing worldwide the need for cyber laws has also been increasing. Cyber laws have a great potential to grow in corporate fields, academic fields, private & public organizations & even in big MNCs. Cyberlaw is not restricted on geographic grounds & has immense scope in foreign countries as well. Every organization hires cyber lawyers to protect their information & computer software. Cyberlaw is going to be a booming career in India & abroad. 

Skills Required

If you are hardworking & able to learn more you will reach new heights in cyber law. However, if you have few skills required to build a career in cyberlaw, it will act as a plus point. Here are all the skills needed for a career in cyber law.

• Critical thinking
• Research Skills
• Communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure
• Observational skills 
• Technical aptitude
• Analytical skills

Also Read: DU LLB

Top Universities for Cyber Law Courses Abroad

Below given are some of the comprehensive courses in Cyber Law offered at various universities:

• University of Maryland
  The university offers an online MS in Cybersecurity Law which is designed for students interested in legal and public policy aspects of cybersecurity. The coursework includes internet governance and jurisdiction, cybercrime, privacy legislation, data breaches, policies and regulations. This course is best for a high-quality learning experience in flexible study format for students across the world.
• Northumbria University
  This 1-year full-time LLM program offers specialisation in Cyber Law to meet the needs of cyber legal practitioner and professionals working in the technology field. With the reputation of being one of the largest law school in the UK, the university’s postgraduate program provides a remarkable opportunity to enhance your career in Cyber Law. 
• University of Tartu
  Designed for lawyers interested to build a career in Cyber Law, Security and IT, can pursue an MA Information Technology Law from this national university in Estonia. The course trains students in real-life situations with the aim to synchronize the legal education with technological development. This 1-year program aims to build the skills necessary for practising in this area.
• Drexel University
  The institution provides LLM in Cyber Law and Data Privacy allows students to specialise in a specific area or topic of Law. The online course focuses on EU data privacy and internet law. Other than this, the university provides online LLM in Health Care and Pharmaceutical Compliance is also available.
• Georgia Institute of Technology
  The technology focused college focuses on teaching security principles and emerging techniques for software, computer systems, and networks through an MS Cybersecurity. Selected courses for the Information Security track include applied cryptography, network security, secure computer systems, etc.
• Michigan State University
  The university offers Intellectual Property, Information & Communications Law Program (IPIC) attracting thousands of scholars to teach courses in international copyright, patent and computer-related law. The study curriculum has no prerequisites as such and offers coursework essential to all lawyers working in today’s information economy.

Also Read: Law Colleges in Canada

Top Institutes in India for Cyber Law

There is plenty of institution in India offering Cyberlaw. Here is the list of institutes offering Cyberlaw at PG diploma level & postgraduate degree and institutions offering 5-year integrated law.

Top Institutes Offering PG Diploma in Cyber Law

1. Indian Law Institute, New Delhi
2. IGNOU, New Delhi
3. Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tamil Nadu
4. Osmania University, Hyderabad
5. National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi

Top Institutes Offering Integrated Degree in Law

1. National Law School of India University Bangalore
2. National Law University Delhi
3. Symbiosis Law School Pune
4. National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi
5. Faculty of Law, Delhi University

Top Institutes Offering Postgraduate degree in Cyber Law

1. National Law Institute University, Bhopal
2. Shantaram Potdukhe College of Law, Chandrapur
3. JLU School of Law, Bhopal
4. Kalinga University, Raipur
5. Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur

Career Prospects

Offering lucrative salaries with a higher prospect for growth, the Cyber Law has become one of the most sought after courses. The surging growth of the Internet-based business platforms suggests the increase in job creation in the field. The top recruitment areas after the degree includes law firms, public agencies, international organizations, IT companies and consulting firms. The fresher in the field in India can expect a yearly income of 5-8 Lakh while as in countries abroad, the salary is comparatively higher and in some cases can go up to a whopping amount 20-25 lakh a year. 

Some of the popular job profiles suitable after the specialization degree include:

• Cyber Lawyer
• Legal Advisor
• Cyber Assistant
• Cyber Security Specialist
• Cyber Security Manager
• Security Architect
• Network Security Engineer
• Cybersecurity Analyst

Top Recruiters

Aspirants looking to work as cyber lawyers can work for various IT, or many other firms to provide legal consultancy. The top recruiters that are looking for cybersecurity professionals are mentioned below.

• Trilegal
• Nishith Desai Associates
• Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
• Kochhar and Co.
• AZB and Partners
• General Motors
• Capital One
• Apple
• Cisco
• Intel

Salary in Cyber Law

There is an immense scope of cyber laws in India as well as abroad. Cyberlaw has just started to grow & has great potential. There are plenty of jobs available all around the world. Here are some major job profiles along with their salary structure per annum.

Job Profile	Salary in India	Salary in USA	Salary in UK
Cyber Lawyer	₹8,00,000	$105,200	£70,000
Cyber Security Manager	₹18,21,000	$134000	£68,000
Security architect	₹ 24,11,000	$124000	£73,000
Network Security Engineer	₹527000	$112000	£57,000
Cybersecurity Analyst	₹538000	$76000	£38,000

Also Read:

• Law Courses in India
• Law Entrance Exams: India & Abroad

FAQs

A degree in Cyber Law can give your career in cybersecurity a jumpstart. With a great number of job openings worldwide, a recognized degree can help you work anywhere in the world. If you have set your mind to achieving your goal, let Leverage Edu lend you a helping hand. Our experts have a network of mentors worldwide who will help you secure admissions in any of the top law schools in the world.