I am about to graduate my BCom Hons from a DU College.

I wanted to know whether pursuing CA or LLB would be better for me from an overall perspective ( monetary and work life balance)

Heard the starting salary at T-1 law firms start at about 10 to 14 lakhs per annum which does not match the average starting salary of a Chartered Accountant which is 7-8 lakh per annum.

CA exams are also tough, requires dedication and a 3 yr articleship as compared to a 3 year LLB.

But CA gives you flexibility and a lot more options such as audit, tax and other fields which would be missing if I chose law.

From career progession point of view, CAs can rise up to the level of CFO and CEO of the company and I have hardly seen people with law degree being the CEO of the company other than chief legal officer.

Please help in making me decide by telling the pros and cons of the legal field in India.

Etna confuse ho raha hain toh dono karle. Harish Salve is a CA as well as a LLB. Also, CA as a profession is extremely respected kyuki to become a CA there is a certain level of hours you will have to put in. Lawyers are different in the sense that ki if you are not from a T1 law school you will be treated differently. My friends thought extremely hard-working and talented are having a horrible time. Firms don't even bother seeing their CV because they are from a T3 NLU. So my advice would be CA karle and then get a law degree from a nearby college as well. After that choose whatever you like more, if you are good enough you will always make money.

Anonymous l*du justifying his namesay,
"My friends thought extremely hard-working and talented are having a horrible time. Firms don't even bother seeing their CV because they are from a T3 NLU".

Anyone reading this, this is partially bullshit, because then why would anyone bother studying in Tier 2/3 colleges. LI as a platform is based out of T1 bias due to its readership. It'll be difficult for you but not as "horrible" as sir here is making it seem to you. If you know your trade they don't give jackshit about your college. Anonymous l*du speaking like a final year student or a virtual A0 at best.

"why would anyone bother studying in tier 2/3 colleges": you're making a wild assumption here, mainly that 18-year-old students know what's good for them, especially when they so easily put MNLU above NUJS. They don't. They should, but they don't.

"If you know your trade they don't give jackshit about your college" : hmm, possibly true. But it is no lie that you will have a much harder time getting in.

No not at all. But it's an opinion, not a fact. The OP hasn't claimed he / she is the one recruiting. And I am reading the same threads as you, so what I gather is that OP is talking about fresher level recruits at T1 firms. The competition being extremely tough there means T1 law schools get preference. Post a few years PQE, law school barely makes a difference as the work experience is something the recruiters are more interested in. For T2, T3 firms, firms which are strong local firms, dispute chambers, in house jobs - I don't think this is true. Again this is my opinion. No real basis Apart from some thing like the Lexygen thread, where the MP has directly addressed the questions, everything else here is mostly conjecture and experience.

- R

Not everyone can do a CA, whereas anyone can do LLB anytime (so long as not crazy about top law school). You learn hard skills in CA whereas you need soft skills to be successful as a lawyer. I have seen CAs providing legal advice (though not permitted by bar council) but rarely is a non CA lawyer able to do basic accounting. Big 4 firms also hire lawyers, and some law firms (tax) hire CAs but growth is limited.

So decide based on your aptitude and goals in life.

bhai according to me agr du faculty of law , glc mumbai mil raha h to llb krle
ca ka fyda first / second attempt walo ko hi h jese llb k bad fayda teir 1 school walo ko h ya mba krle top 12 schools s ya du k sahi college s h to big 4 m tax , audit m work ex k 1 ya 2 saal to us/canada s ms krle finance ya mkt m ya 3 saal work ex k bad us/can s mba krle

The basis of your decision should not be the outcome(s) you seek but the process- of studying for law entrance exams and later, law as a course vs CA, typical day(s) in various profiles as a CA vs lawyer etc and how your choice will impact those around you and your relationship with them.

If you can slog it out for the next 3 - 4 yrs, you may consider doing both. A fair bit of warning though, pursuing both together will not be an easy journey. Be mentally prepared first.

Some examples from the profession -

Harish Salve, Senior Advocate (CA, LLB)
Arvind P. Datar, Senior Advocate (CMA, LLB) - CMA is Cost Accountant. Similar to CA, but not as popular due to various factors.
Percy J. Pardiwala, Senior Advocate, Bombay HC (CA, LLB) - Leading income tax lawyer at the Bombay Bar
Ajay Bahl, Co-founder and Managing Partner, AZB & Partners (CA, LLB)
V. Sridharan, Co-founder, LKS and Senior Advocate, Bombay HC (CA, CMA, LLB) - Leading indirect tax lawyer at the Bombay Bar
Justice Anil Dave, Judge (Retd.), Supreme Court of India (CA, LLB, LLM)
Dr. Justice Vineet Kothari, Acting Chief Justice (Retd.), Gujarat HC (LLB, LLM, CA, CS, PhD)

Some others who I think have also done CA (or its equivalent) but I could not find substantive proof on the internet. Faintly remember reading/hearing about their education - DISPUTED -
Ajay Vohra, Senior Advocate (CA, LLB) - Former Managing Partner - Vaish Associates
Jehangir D. Mistry, Senior Advocate, Bombay HC (ACCA-UK, LLB) - Leading income tax lawyer at the Bombay Bar

There are plenty more, I am sure. It is not easy to find them all across the internet. These are just the ones off the top of my head. As you can see, most of them practise tax litigation. However, the first two, (i.e. Mr. Salve and Mr. Datar) practise across a wide gamut of laws - company, securities, constitution, criminal, etc.

YOU SHOULD PURSUE CA PROFESSION AS IT WILL GIVE MORE SATISFACTION.IT HELD BY INVESTMENT BY ONCE YOU BECOME IT GIVES YOU RETURN WITH INTEREST THROUGH OUT OF YOUR LIFE.AND IT A COMBO OF MULTI KNOWLEDGE AND SPECIALLITY.WHICH GIVES YOU A RESPECT AND DIGNITY IN SOCIETY.YOU WILL BE EYE OF THE WORLD.A VVERY DEMANDING PROFFESION IN NOT ONLY INDIA BUT ALSO COSIDERING WHOLE WROLD

I'm pursuing CA after completing my 5 year LLB. CA is extremely helpful if you've interest in tax, company law and allied matters since it'll help you understand the back end of the issues lawyers help with. However, considering the new scheme, you'll likely be around 28 (presuming you're around 21 now) by the time you finish both if things go smoothly and you clear all your papers in the first attempt. I'd suggest you do law first since you'll have a back up if CA doesn't fall in place. Additionally it'll help you learn the legal aspects within a shorter span. Cheers.

Dont look at CAs as just being a CA. Look at CAs being CFAs as well. Get into investment banking. A friend of mine bagged 16LPA in his first job as a CA and CFA, chill working hours, load of perks. Heard a 29 year old investment banker earned 45LPA as bonus (dont know the fixed component, this 45 is in addition to the fixed component). Life as a corporate lawyer is very stressful and you have long working hours - with little to no perks. If I knew what I know now, I would have explored investment banking as a CA/CFA for sure.