Law is The Ultimate Competition of Intellect – Gurpreet

Singh, One of The Best Lawyers in Bathinda

JULY 7, 2018

Insights

1. You’ve got smart lawyers; whose only job is to make you lose. You have
to figure out the right strategies and tactics to win.
2. The job can be very stressful because sometimes loss of case may
mean a life-altering event for your client. But on the flip side, it can also
be a very joyful profession because you feel great when you get a good
result for your clients.
3. Criminal lawyers have the riskiest profession of all lawyers for obvious
reasons.
 4. For undergraduate programmes, there are 11 National Law University
that conducts a common entrance test called Common Law Admission
Test (CLAT).
5. A lawyer cannot have the freedom to roam in a bush shirt with top
buttons off. Perforce, he has to be swathed in black, unmindful of the
fact that mercury may be in the process of bubbling out from the glass
tube.
6. A lawyer is always hungry. If he doesn’t have a decent practice he has
no wherewithal to lead a comfortable life. If he has a roaring practice, he
has no time to eat. That is the position on both the ends of the rainbow.

Personal Details

Name – Gurpreet Singh

Profession – ​Lawyer

Age – 42 years

Gender – Male

City – Bathinda

Industry – Law and Administration

Where have you been born and raised?

I was born and raised in a small village ‘Bhucho’ nearby Bathinda. I was
raised in an upper-middle-class family. My father is a landlord and my mother
is a homemaker. My elder brother is a successful businessman.

Who has had the most influence on you?

My elder brother had the most influence on me as no one else in the family
was that educated. He suggested that I make my career in law and
administration. Although he wanted me to become a Judge, I am equally
happy being a lawyer.

Please give us a summary of your career.

After completing my 12th at a local school, I went to Chandigarh for my

graduation. I opted for B.A., ​L.L.B.​ (a 5-year course) at Punjab University.

After my graduation, I went into practice under a well-established lawyer in

Bathinda.

After 2 years of practice, I started to get my own cases from the people of our
village and peers. Now, I am counted as one of the best lawyers in the city.

Which institutions are best for the education/ training of this

profession?
For undergraduate programmes, there are eleven National Law University that
conducts a common entrance test for Bachelors in Law known as ​Common
Law Admission Test (CLAT)​.

Some Universities conduct their own admission tests.

Some State Universities select on the basis of your 12th marks.

So you need to look for and collect information about this exam and decide
which one you would like to crack and focus your studies on the same.

What are the costs associated with the education/training of

this profession?

This totally depends on whether you are pursuing your course from a private
or Government University or college. The annual fees can be as less as
12,000 INR per annum and can be as high as 1,20,000 INR/ annum.

What are the typical entry-level jobs in this profession?

After graduating law school, unlike engineers, we have a lot of avenues.

I’ll just talk about the major two which are popular among fresh law graduates.

First is own Practice (litigation). This is extremely difficult in the beginning. It

takes years to establish yourself. You’ll have to survive on meager salary paid
by your senior but do all the work. If you are talented and learn quickly you
can branch off and start your own practice. Now the key is to get as much as
contacts possible while working under someone.

Second is working for Corporate. Here you could work for a large company or
a large law firm. The positive in this is that you get paid very well from the start
and you grow in your profession like other management graduates.

How much money do lawyers make?

It’s literally impossible to estimate how much an independent practicing lawyer

having his own office can earn in a month. Some are barely making Rs.
50,000- 80,000 INR per month, whereas other may roll in Rs 4–5 lakhs INR
per month easily or even more.

It all depends upon the kind of office, the kind of clients, and on advocate’s
reputation.

If we talk about how much a senior advocate can earn, we better start talking
about how much he earns per hearing, as the amount charged by a senior
advocate per hearing is more than what an average advocate earns in a
whole month. You must read this article
https://www.indiatvnews.com/lifestyle/news-these-are-the-10-highest-paid-law
yers-in-india-375827

Please describe your work.

As a lawyer, you’re really just doing homework. You’re wrangling documents,

doing basic research questions, etc. As you get more senior, you have more
and more opportunities to exercise judgment and supervise/lead junior
lawyers.

What are some of the positives, which would encourage

someone to consider law as a profession?

1. The benefits of being a lawyer include being able to select from a wide
variety of career options in the public and private sector. The financial
rewards and emotional rewards are at the top among the many benefits
of being a lawyer. Lawyers have the opportunity to earn a lucrative
income.
2. A lawyer also experiences mental stimulation and intellectual challenges
when working through complex legal theories, statues and case law to
find a solution to a legal question.
3. Becoming a lawyer will give you ample opportunity to argue and debate
legal theories and various interpretations of the law.
4. For many, the work environment is one of the benefits specifically
considered when choosing a career. Being a lawyer typically includes
the benefits of having a certain level of prestige that affords you certain
benefits that other employees may not receive i.e. office, ability to set
hours, expense accounts, decorating budget etc.

What are some of the challenges that you would want someone
to be aware of when considering law as a profession?

1. Unless the profession runs in the family or you have the support of your
village, it is challenging to start your own practice.
2. You lose sometimes when you should win and that’s hard.
Unpredictable schedules, demanding billable quotas, long hours, and a
very few days off have been a major complaint of many lawyers.
 3. Your credibility is always fluctuating as it is impossible to win all the
cases. Sometimes even small losses can lead to huge damages.
4. You need to keep researching your client’s information within the
stipulated time period. This can be very hectic. Criminal lawyers are
also faced with issues concerning job security.

What are the relevant trends/ skills/technologies that are

currently commanding a premium in your job profile?

Many law firms these days are taking in remote/virtual assistants to reduce
workload and cost.

Apart from this, telecommuting is also currently growing in this field.

What kind of person would be happy in your career?

A good lawyer should possess good communication skills. Persons who are
orally articulate, have good written communication skills and are good
listeners are a perfect match for this job. Apart from these qualities, judgment,
analytical skills, research skills, people skills, perseverance, and creativity will
be a plus point for you. Anyone possessing these skills would be happy in this
career.

Give another choice, what would you do differently as far as

your professional selections are concerned?
If I would get an opportunity to do something else, I would like to become a
doctor because I have always wanted to serve people.

What would be your advice to students or professionals who

are just starting their journey on a path similar to yours?

Despite the difficult times a person practicing this profession goes through, his
hard work would give him a fruitful result. This is a good profession, overall.

Contributing Writer - ​Pawandeep Kaur

Would you like to get career insights on the corporate law? Check out ​our
conversation with Rishabh Shah​ who runs his own law firm in Mumbai.

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