Law in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, as in other common-law countries, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree is a prerequisite for practising as an advocate in a court of law. Both LL.B. and LL.B. (Hons.) degrees are offered at public and private universities. Some private universities also offer four-year LL.B. (Hons.) degrees and one-year LL.M. courses. Remarkably, the department of Law, University of Rajshahi is the first institute in South Asia to offer bachelors degree in law with honors as B. Jur.(Bachelor of Jurisprudence) and M. Jur. (Masters of Jurisprudence) from 1970 (not offered in the years 1971 & 1972). Later on they were replaced with LL. B (Hons.) and LL. M degree respectively. This institute is considered the leading institute to study legal science in Bangladesh having a great number of alumni and former members of the faculty around the world including former president, chief justice, ministers of several governments and many of the former and current judges of the apex courts and the courts of the lower judiciary of Bangladesh and many more formidable legal minds of the country. As per the number of participants in the admission tests, this is considered as one of the most desirable choices for the High school/college students of Bangladesh.
Jobs and Career Opportunities
There are a plethora of job opportunities available to candidates after they complete an LLB degree. Candidates are informed that if they want to practice law in Bangladesh then they need to clear Bar Council Exam that is conducted by Bar Council. On clearing, Bar Council exam lawyers are awarded a ‘Certificate of Practice’ which is mandatory for practicing the profession as an advocate in Bangladesh.
Some popular job profiles that candidates can pursue after securing an Law degree are as mentioned below:
- Lawyer: In this job profile, one needs to advise and represent clients in civil as well as criminal cases. Lawyers present cases in the court of law and take part in all proceedings and hearings.
- Legal Advisor: Candidates opting to work in such a job profile are also lawyers who specialise in a specific field of law. Legal advisors are usually hired by governments as well as large organisations/ companies. The main task of a legal advisor is to protect their clients from any legal implication or consequence.
- Advocate: In such a job profile one needs to do a lot of research work to gather factual data as well as physical evidence to support their claim. Apart from this, other responsibilities allocated to advocates include scrutinising and drafting contracts.
- Solicitor: In such a job profile an individual usually specialises in a specific area of law like tax, litigation, family or property. Solicitors offer legal advice to private as well as commercial clients.
- Teacher or Lecturer: After completing an Law degree candidates can also teach law at the college or university level.
