LLM in Family Law

One of the lesser-known specialisations in Law, Family Law covers different aspects such as marriage, divorce, civil partnership, and child welfare, to name a few. To become a family lawyer in India, you will first have to pursue LLB and then you can opt for LLM in Family Law to gain this specialisation. LLM in Family Law is a 2-year postgraduate course that covers this specialisation in all its aspects such as divorce, family violence, child custody, abuse, financial settlement and related legal issues in a family. Read this blog to know all about LLM in Family Law, eligibility, admission process, jobs, best law schools for family law in India and abroad and more.

Highlights

Course	LLM in Family Law
Duration	2 years
Eligibility	Undergraduate degree in law with 55% in law
Average fees	2-4 lakh
Admission Process	Entrance based
Employment areas	High Court of India, Supreme Court of India, District Court, Block Offices, Family Planning Offices, etc.
Jobs	Lawyer, Legal Advisor, Lecturer, Law Inspector, Magistrate, Family Law Expert, etc.

LLM Family Law: Overview

LLM, or Masters of Law, is a postgraduate law degree that allows aspiring lawyers to gain experience in exploring various areas of law in depth. An LLM can also help middle-aged or established lawyer increase their expertise in other laws and broaden their area of practice by gaining specialisation in that field.

• So, for an undergraduate lawyer, LLM Family Law is all about gaining in-depth knowledge in the fields of civil and family law.
• After completing the LLM Family Law course, students can work in a variety of fields such as district courts, NGOs, law firms, government and private offices, and colleges/universities as a Judge, Lawyer, Law Inspector, Lecturer in Colleges or Universities, and so on.
• LLM candidates must have an interest in research, intelligence, public speaking ability, confidence and integrity, mental strength, and presentation skills.

Why Study LLM Family Law?

The following are some of the reasons why you should pursue an LLM in Family Law:

• Specialization in a subject that will broaden your legal knowledge and experience.
• It will not only help you improve your resume, but it will also help you expand your legal network, which is the main reason why you should pursue an LLM degree.
• Upgrade your university-If your previous degree was not from a renowned or highly ranked college, you could pursue an LLM at a high-ranking institute to improve your CV and chances of employment.
• The legal education sector becomes available to you, and if you want to work in education or research in the legal field, the minimum requirement is an LLM (family law), which is also considered a stepping stone to the PhD.
• Finally, ask yourself and analyse whether this degree will help you in your career or simply be a piece of paper.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for LLM in Family Law vary from one university to another. Here are the basic eligibility requirements for LLM in Family Law:

• The applicant must have completed a 3-year LLB or 5-year BALLB/BBA LLB/BSc LLB
• To apply for law schools in India, you will have to submit scores of CLAT-PG/IPU-CET/MH CET or any other university-specific entrance exam.
• To apply for law schools abroad, you will have to provide LSAT scores or any other entrance exam scores specified by your chosen university. Additionally, language proficiency scores of IELTS/TOEFL/PTE are also needed as well as SOP, LORs and professional or research experience is also preferred.

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Admission Process

The admission process varies by college, and candidates must meet the specific college’s selection criteria.

Entrance Exam

• CLAT is a national-level entrance exam that is accepted by national law universities as well as various private and semi-private universities throughout India. LSAT India, MH CET Law, All India Law Entrance Test, and IPU-CET are some other entrance exams.
• Candidates seeking admission must meet the eligibility criteria to be considered for the selection process and must also meet the cut-off set by the college of choice.
• Candidates who want to pursue an LLM from a good college should be familiar with the syllabus and pattern of law entrance examinations. Here are some pointers to help you ace the entrances.

Merit-Based

• Register for law entrance exams based on the college you want to attend. The application forms and deadlines are available on the official website.
• Keep your documents ready at the time of registration, including those pertaining to educational qualifications and personal information.
• Follow the exam conducting authority’s guidelines for referent CLAT-PG is conducted by a consortium of NLUs who issue various guidelines in general as to how the exam would be conducted and the etiquettes that students must follow.
• Visit the websites of the colleges you are interested in to learn about any additional steps required to participate in the admissions process.

Entrance Exams 

There are several LLM entrance exams in India for LLM courses and candidates need to qualify any of them to apply for these courses at Indian universities. Here are the major LLM in Family Law entrance exams that you must qualify for:

• CLAT-PG
• LSAT
• IPU-CET
• MHCET
• ULSAT
• SLAT
• BVP-CET

Here are the important dates for these LLM exams:

Exam name	Dates	Mode
CLAT-PG	December 18, 2022	Offline
AILET	December 11, 2022	Offline
DU LLM	June 2023	Offline
MH CET	August 2023	Online
LSAT	January 22, 2023	Online

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Best Law Schools for Family Law in India & Abroad

Take a look at the best law schools for Family Law in India and abroad:

Best Law Schools for LLM in Family Law in India 

College Name	Fees
NLU Delhi	INR 65,000
NALSAR, Hyderabad	INR 65,000
Amity University, Noida	INR 90,000
Jindal Global Law School, Sonepat	INR 4,00,000
Banaras Hindu University	INR 60,000
Delhi University	–
ILS Pune	INR 65,000

Best Law Schools for LLM in Family Law Abroad  

College	Fees
Harvard University	INR 52,00,000
University of Oxford	INR 22,00,000
University of Cambridge	INR 29,00,000
Yale University	INR 50,00,000
Stanford University	INR 46,00,000
London School of Economics (LSE)	INR 23,00,000
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	INR 48,00,000
Columbia University	INR 53,00,000
New York University (NYU)	INR 50,00,000
University of Melbourne	INR 23,00,000

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Syllabus 

Given below is the syllabus for the 2 year LLM course in Family Law.

Year 1	Year 2
Family Law I	Family Law III – Nuclear and Extended Family Rights
Family Law II – Marriage and Matrimonial Remedies	Family Law IV – Penal Laws on Family Affairs
Law and Justice in Globalizing World	Family Law V – Family Property and Succession
Legal English and Research Methodology	Family Law VI – Family Disputes Resolution
Foreign Business Language	Dissertation
Comparative Public Law	Foreign Business Language
Open elective courses and Outdoor Activity-Based Courses	Outdoor Activity-Based Courses

Future Scope 

LLM in family law has a fairly broad scope. Students can appear for government exams to qualify for Judges, attorneys, and Solicitor General or as Public Prosecutors in various departments. Students can also opt for a PhD and get into academics.

• LLM (Family law) graduates are eligible to take a variety of government exams, including the SSC, UPSE, PCS-J, and PSC. There are opportunities to be appointed as Judges, Attorneys General, and Public Prosecutors in various departments.
• Students who want to continue their education can pursue a PhD in the same field. For advanced studies, one can pursue an MBA or Mphil to sharpen one’s skills.
• Graduates of the LLM(human rights) programme can work in the above-mentioned job profiles for exams, such as family lawyers, legal advisors, legal assistants, and others.

Jobs and Salary

Here is an overview of salary and jobs after an LLM in Family Law:

Lecturer/ Professor	INR 400,000-700,000
Legal Researcher	INR 200,000-600,000
Family Lawyer	INR 300,000-800,000
Legal Advisor	INR 400,000-800,000
Law Assistant	INR 200,000-500,000

The following are the top firms and recruiters that hire LLM candidates:

• NGOs, Government of India Offices, District Courts, High Courts, the Supreme Court of India, and various government and private universities offer roles to LLM (family law) graduates based on their skills. The salary ranges from 4 to 10 LPA depending on the field of practice and experience.
• There are various opportunities in the government sector for LLM(Family law) qualified students, such as magistrates, judges, legal advisors, litigators, and others, as well as in the academic sector in government universities as lecturers, assistant professors, and so on.

FAQs

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