Quoting Hoodibaba:

Can some one give me the reason so many take the Solicitor Exam when it essentially has no statutory backing ? I absolutely have nothing against this exam but wondering what are the advantages of some one spending 3 years article ship and then taking the tough exam to become a solicitor.

Is there some benefit for going through this process which I am missing ? (Other than knowledge ofcourse and to challenge yourself).

I dont understand the show off too. How would some one showoff ?

I ask this for I am not from Bombay so hoping some one can help me figure this out.

Thanks to all in advance.

Great question and a genuine question with many of us from other jurisdictions who ask this with highest respect for the institutions in place in Bombay, Bombay folk and solicitors please help us elucidate...

Valid set of questions - as a solicitor, and currently working with a corporate law firm, without trying to be controversial or getting into the debate of solicitors v. law schools, let me try and answer:

1. Agreed, it has no statutory backing. It serves as a useful additional qualification - all other things equal, while consider two (non-law school) applicants for a job, a solicitor is usually preferred as clearing the exam requires both calibre and substantial preparation stretching over many months. The LLB from Mumbai University is not exactly a sign of quality recognition. Being a solicitor is not a sign of being a great quality lawyer (neither is qualification from any school, with due respect) - its just an additional CV booster that can help, and definitely doesnt harm. The day recruiters and students stop giving it importance, it will die a natural death. The idea is, this is a means to differentiate yourself.

2. It gives students the flexibility of living and working in Mumbai, and making their own money for 3 years. It is not a waste of time, as 2-3 years is usually the minimum time you spend in your first job. Also, most students start the 3 year clerkship while studying in a law college in Mumbai, and hence are bound only for 1-2 years after graduation. While some old firms had a system of discriminatory (lower) payments to articled clerks, most firms pay the same to articled clerks as well as other (normal) employees. I can say that I got paid the same as everyone else (non-articled clerks) while pursuing my clerkship.

3. In case you wish to quit, there are provisions for transfer of your articleship, and also terminating the same and re-starting it. Not sure about how easy it is to accomplish a transfer though.

4. A lot of leading Mumbai lawyers today are solicitors, and know the effort required to obtain the qualification. Hence, in my view, they would consider a solicitor with some respect. In any event, after a few years of work experience, your graduation school and qualifications hardly matter - its all about your work experience then.

5. It also serves as a useful network with other solicitors - similar to law school network that most graduates most law schools use quite frequently

Thank you. Atleast now I can make some sense out of this exam!

Quoting MU grads...:

Paper meant to select best out of Mumbai University law grads... Hope National Law grads don't start attempting this paper as well since any fresher amongst them will easily clear if not ace it...

For clarification:

There are lot of students who passed out from National Law Schools and are continuously sitting for the BILS Solicitors exam and still not able to clear the exam. Don't be sarcastic Bro.

This exam is not that easy so please try to see the other part of the world as well. As you can check the passing percentage of this exam is very less and if at all in your career you will be able to meet a solicitor of BILS who will see the amount of knowledge they carry along with the huge bag of experience.

Arre ha bhai, tum nlu vale mahan ho.. You'll are the only brilliant lawyers that are around, rest everyone is an idiot..

You'll know everything that is to know about the law, you'll are brilliant with your research, with your drafting, with your copy pasting, formatting etc..

Surely you remember every provision that you studied in law school.. You don't need to refer to books ever, the library in your firm is filled with dust because you don't have to ever refer to those books.

So beta tell me without looking or researching, what is provision that deals with conditional competing offers under takeover code? Please don't open the book.. You don't need it.. Lol

How exactly does this exam focus on 'rote' learning? Am I missing some thing in your comment?

My comment was primarily to tell you that it is now pointless to have any debate on nlu v. solicitor.. the exam is not compulsory, you do it because you want to.. it tests you on certain concepts, which some universities don't... the open book was not easy, may be easy for some, may not be easy for others.. also the example of the question i gave in the previous post was from the open book asked in the paper on wednesday (competing conditional offer)

secondly, it is a fact that it increases you job market status whether one believes this or not. yes, over the years work experience will be everything not degrees. more importantly on an all together different point, in modern day corporate law practice, at times, partners making the most money are not the ones who are brilliant with their corporate law but at times, those who are bringing in the clients, i believe eventually that will also be very important.

good luck if you are still going to be commenting sols v. nlu..