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Finishing an LLB does not make you an advocate. It makes you eligible to become one. Between your last semester and your first appearance in court sit two steps, a State Bar Council enrolment and the All India Bar Examination, and then a choice about what kind of lawyer you want to be.
How do you enrol with a State Bar Council after LLB?
Enrolment means your name goes on the roll of advocates kept by the Bar Council of the state where you plan to practise. Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961 sets the basic conditions: you must be an Indian citizen, at least 21 years old, and hold a law degree recognised by the Bar Council of India (BCI).
The same section fixes the fee: ₹600 to the State Bar Council and ₹150 to the BCI, or ₹100 and ₹25 for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe applicants. On 30 July 2024, in Gaurav Kumar v. Union of India, the Supreme Court held that Bar Councils cannot charge more than the fee in Section 24. In October 2025 the Court went further, warning that councils charging above ₹750 (₹125 for SC/ST) would face contempt action and must not withhold applicants' original documents, as LiveLaw reported.
Forms and documents differ by state, so download the current checklist from your own State Bar Council's website.
What is the AIBE and when should you take it?
The AIBE is the BCI's exam for new advocates; passing it earns you a Certificate of Practice. The official AIBE site describes it as a multiple-choice, open-book exam, framed under the Advocates Act and mandatory for law graduates from the 2009-10 academic year onwards. "Open book" has a narrow meaning: the AIBE XXI exam guidelines allow only bare acts without notes or comments inside the centre.
In February 2023 a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court upheld the exam and left it to the BCI to decide whether it is taken before or after enrolment, Bar and Bench reported. For AIBE XX, a BCI Trust notification of 27 September 2025 let final-year, final-semester students with no backlogs register, along with graduates still waiting for their degree, provided their college is BCI-recognised.
Check the AIBE home page for current dates and eligibility rules.
Litigation or corporate law: which should you choose?
Ask yourself four questions:
Do you want to argue in court, or to draft, negotiate and advise behind the scenes?
Can your family support a few lean years? Court practice often starts with a modest stipend, while law firms pay a salary.
Do you want to sit a judiciary exam later? That route counts court experience.
Which city do you want to work in? Firms cluster in a few metros; courts are everywhere.
If you answered "court", "yes", "yes" and "near home", start in litigation. If you leaned the other way, try a firm or an in-house team.
On money: the BCI in October 2024 recommended a minimum monthly stipend of ₹20,000 in urban areas and ₹15,000 in rural areas for juniors in their first three years, but said it could not make this mandatory, LiveLaw reported.
If judiciary is your goal, the rules changed in August 2026. The Supreme Court replaced its three-year practice rule for entry-level judicial service: until 31 March 2027 graduates can apply without practice, and from 1 April 2027 they need one year, with a year of academy training and a year of clerkship after selection, according to LiveLaw. Our guide to a judiciary career after a law degree covers that route.
What does a junior advocate actually do?
In a litigation chamber, your week is mostly preparation. You read case files, draft petitions, replies and applications, research judgments, track hearing dates on the court's cause list, and sit in court beside your senior. In a corporate team, you review contracts, help with due diligence on companies, write research notes and prepare first drafts that seniors mark up.
A script for asking a senior advocate for a place in their chamber:
"I enrolled with the [state] Bar Council this month and am preparing for the AIBE."
"I have read your recent matters in [area] and would like to learn that practice."
"I can research, draft and attend court daily. Could I join your chamber, and what stipend do you offer juniors?"
A 90-day plan from final results to first brief
Days 1-30: confirm your college is BCI-approved, register for the AIBE if eligible, and download your State Bar Council's enrolment checklist.
Days 31-60: gather your documents, file your enrolment once your results are out, and prepare for the AIBE with bare acts.
Days 61-90: approach three chambers or firms with the script above and start attending court.
If you are still choosing your degree, read our comparison of the three-year and five-year LLB. And if a science subject is the gap between you and that choice, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for the session, so you sit down to a clear next step.
