B.M.S., LL.B. (Hons.)
– Bachelor of Management Studies, Bachelor of Laws (Hons)
*BCI Approved vide BCI Notification BCI: D: 755: 2023 (LE / Std: 27.05.2023) dated 17.06.2023
The 5-Year Integrated (UG) Law Program was conceived by the (Late) Padma Bhushan Prof NR Madhava Menon who pioneered a new model of legal education. This is now a widely acclaimed model for legal education. The 5-year Law Program at Vidyashilp University provides a multidisciplinary education integrated with both foundational and emerging domains of law, with a progressive curriculum for modern legal scholarship.
Learning for an Innovative Economy
Established in the heart of Bengaluru, Vidyashilp University and innovation go together. To empower students to think differently, VU promotes specific focus areas that will help students emerge as change-makers in a fast-evolving globalized society. These focus areas include diverse opportunities and challenges in Intellectual Property and Technology Law, a significant domain of law, internationally. It also places critical emphasis on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR). These areas or domains of law reimagine ‘dispute resolution from a courtroom’ to ‘a service that can be collaborative and availed from anywhere’.
With an aim to advance the frontiers of legal education and research in India, the program will help cultivate a new generation of lawyers who are equipped with cutting-edge knowledge, skills, and values for serving their clients in a changing world.
Program Structure
5 YEARS
10 SEMESTERS
230CREDITS
- Communication Skills
- Problem Solving with Design Thinking
- Learning to Learn
- Leadership and Teamwork Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Community Engagement and Service Experience
- Introduction to Psychology
- Visualizing Data for Storytelling
- Foundation Seminar
- Introduction to Epistemology
- Introduction to Writing
- Legal Writing and Research Methodology
- Legal English
- Introduction to Economics
- Managerial Economics
- Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis
- Macroeconomics and Indian Economy
- Essentials of Business Management
- Organisational Behaviour
- Indian Societies and Cultures
- Strategy & Decision Making
- Marketing Management
- Financial and Management Accounting
- Financial Institutions, Markets and Services
- Project Appraisal
- Language
- Learning the Law
- Law of Tort including MV Accident and Consumer Protection Laws
- General Principles of Contract Law (Law of Contracts I)
- Constitutional Law I
- Special Contracts/Commercial Agreements (Law of Contracts II)
- Constitutional Law II
- Family Law I
- Jurisprudence
- Law of Crimes Paper I: Penal Code
- Administrative Law
- Labour and Industrial Law I
- Law of Crime Paper II: Criminal Procedure Code
- Law of Evidence
- Public International Law
- Family Law II
- Environmental Law
- Labour and Industrial Law II
- Civil Procedure Code and Limitation Act
- Company Law
- Transfer of Property Law
- Principles of Taxation Law
- Legal Drafting: Pleading, Conveyancing and Document Preparation (DPC I)
- Judicial Writing and Judgment Analysis (DPC II)
- Advanced Courtroom Advocacy: High Court and Supreme Court Procedures
- Bar and Bench Relationships and Ethical Frameworks for Legal Professionals
- Introduction to Alternate Dispute Resolution
- Conflict Resolution Techniques Workshop
- Moot Court Exercise and Externship Moot Court and Trial Advocacy: Practical Skills in Legal Argumentation
- Court Room Observation and Interviewing Techniques: Exploring Pre-trial and Trial Proceedings (Externship)
- Advocacy for Social Justice: Legal Aid and Paralegal Services (Externship)
Law Honours Courses are specialised courses that are designed to provide a more rigorous and advanced level of instruction within the field of law. These courses often delve deeper into specific areas of law, offering more comprehensive and in-depth coverage compared to standard courses. They may involve intensive research, advanced legal analysis, and critical thinking exercises. These courses are designed to challenge students intellectually, foster independent thought, and develop advanced legal skills. The inclusion of honours courses in Honours Law programs allows students to pursue a more specialised and enriched educational experience. These courses provide opportunities for students to engage with complex legal concepts, engage in advanced legal research, and participate in discussions and debates on cutting-edge legal issues.
- As stipulated by the BCI Rules, the School offers 08 (eight) Law Honors Courses with 04 (four) credits each.
- A student enrolled in the 5-Year Integrated Law (Honors) Degree Programs of the School shall study the 08 (eight) Law Honors Courses and shall earn a total of 32 credits.
- For specialized and/or honours course, a student can take eight papers in specialized/honours course in any Group as stipulated below. However, if eight papers are taken from multiple groups, honours can be given in general law without mentioning any specialization.
Example: “A” has taken eight honours papers selected as follows: two from Constitutional Law, three from Business Law, one from International Law and two from International Trade Law, his Honours shall be in Law. “B” takes eight papers from Constitutional Law group, his honours shall be mentioned in Constitutional Law.
Law Elective Courses refer to courses that students can choose to take from a selection of options based on their
individual interests, career goals, or areas of specialisation within the field of law, in a Law (Honors) Degree Program.
These courses provide students with the flexibility to tailor their academic curriculum according to their personal preferences and academic aspirations.
Elective courses in Honours Law programs offer a variety of legal courses beyond the core curriculum. They allow students to explore
specific areas of law in more depth or pursue interdisciplinary studies by selecting courses from related fields.
As stipulated by the BCI Rules, the School offers 06 (six) Law Electives Honors Courses.
A student enrolled to the 5-Year Integrated Law (Honors) Degree Programs of the School shall earn a total credits of 22.
Honours and Elective Course List
- Legal Philosophy including Theory of Justice
- Indian Federalism
- Affirmative Action and Discriminative Justice Comparative Constitution
- Human Right Law and Practice
- Gender Justice and Feminist Jurisprudence
- Fiscal Responsibility & Management
- Local Self Government including Panchayat Administration
- Right to Information
- Civil Society and Public Grievance
- Government Accounts and Audit
- Law on Education
- Media and Law
- Health Law
- Citizenship and Emigration Law
- Interpretation of Statutes and Principle of Legislation Legislative Drafting
- History of Courts
- Law and Economics
- Banking Law
- Investment Law
- Financial Market Regulation
- Foreign Trade
- Law of Carriage
- Transportation Law
- Insurance Law
- Corporate Governance
- Merger and Acquisition
- Competition Law
- Information Technology Law
- Direct Taxation
- Indirect Taxation
- Equity and Trust
- Law on Project Finance
- Law on Corporate Finance
- Law on Infrastructure Development
- Special Contract
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
- Prevention of Money Laundering Act
- SARFAESI Act
- Patent Right creation and Registration
- Patent Drafting and Specification Writing
- IPR Management
- Copyright
- Trade Mark and Design
- Trade Secret and Technology Transfer
- Other Forms of IPR creation and registration
- IPR Litigation
- IPR Transactions on Life Patent
- Information Technology
- IPR in SMEs
- Criminal Psychology
- Forensic Science
- Penology and Victimology
- Offences Against Child & Juvenile
- Offence Women & Criminal Law
- Criminal Sociology
- Comparative Criminal Procedure
- Financial and Systemic Fraud
- Introduction to AI and Technology Law
- AI and Data Privacy Law
- Technology and Intellectual Property Law
- AI Regulation and Policy
- Technology Transactions and Licensing
- Cybersecurity and Technology Law
- AI and Emerging Technologies Law
- Legal and Ethical Issues in AI
- Introduction to Cyber Law
- Cybersecurity Law and Policy
- Data Privacy and Protection
- Internet Law and Regulation
- E-commerce and Digital Transactions
- Cybercrime and Computer Forensics
- Intellectual Property in the Digital Age
- Social Media and the Law
- Cyber Ethics and Legal Implications of AI
- International Cyber Law
- Cyber Insurance and Risk Management
- Cybersecurity Compliance and Regulations
- Introduction to Public Health Law
- Public Health Ethics
- Legal Epidemiology
- Health and Human Rights
- Infectious Disease Law and Control
- Environmental Health Law
- Food and Drug Law
- Health Law and Policy
- Maternal and Child Health Care and Law
- Mental Health and Law
- Sanitation and Law
- Private International Law/Conflict of Laws
- Sports Law
- Space Law
- Aviation Law
- Maritime Law
- National Security Laws
- Commercial Arbitration including the Commercial Courts Act
- Internships
- Practical Legal Experience Assessment (Internship)
Mandatory Internships
The Internship Program enables students to gain legal experience beyond that available in the classroom setting, by working under the supervision of legal functionaries in a governmental or non-profit setting.
Every Law student at Vidyashilp University will need to undergo a minimum of 20 weeks internship during the entire period of the Program. Internships can be with:
- Trial and Appellate Advocates
- Judiciary
- Legal Regulatory Authorities
- Legislatures and Parliament
- Market Institutions
- Law Firms, Companies
- Local Self Government
- NGOs
- Media Organizations
- Other bodies as the University shall stipulate, where law is practiced either in action or in dispute resolution or in management
Students must complete at least one Internship with Trial and Appellate Advocates.
As per BCI Norms for all Integrated Five-Year Courses:
- There shall be a minimum of 14 Discipline Courses with a minimum of 3 subjects (Streams/Areas). In addition, there shall be 2 compulsory English Courses
- In the Core Legal Education Component, there are 20 prescribed compulsory Courses and 4 compulsory Clinical Courses
- There shall be at least 6 Elective (Law) Courses. In addition, for the Honors Program, there shall be at least 8 (Law) Courses
- Vidyashilp has fused the “VU Core” with the Discipline and English Courses to construct a curriculum aimed to produce legal graduates with depth in legal studies and committed to citizenship
Legal Career Paths
The changing nature of the legal profession is creating unprecedented demand for qualified lawyers who can offer their services in innovative ways. This had led to a myriad of new career opportunities for law graduates.
Indian Judiciary is the structured system for the proper implementation of law and administration of justice in the society. Judicial Services Exam, popularly known as the PCS (J) — Provincial Civil Service-Judicial Exam is entry-level tests for law graduates to become a member of the subordinate judiciary. The Judicial Services have two entry levels. The first is for fresh graduates through an entrance exam conducted yearly by the respective State Public Service Commissions. The second avenue through which one may join the judicial service is known as the Higher Judicial Service (HJS). This service is open for lawyers with a certain prescribed minimum year of litigating practice, usually seven.
Advocacy is one of the most sought-after careers for Law graduates to choose from. Graduates who choose this pathway get the opportunity to practice in the District Court, High Court of the State, and the Central Supreme Court. But it is important for aspirants to clear the All-India Bar Council examination and enroll with the State Bar Council in order to qualify to practice law in court.
Additionally, while Public Service is part of every legal career, one can practice law at the highest levels across the Private Sector—from global law firms and corporations to start-ups and boutiques.
Further, these alternative career paths offer opportunities to specialize in niche services that grow their audience each day. A few examples of new career avenues for law graduates are:
Legal Design involves the application of design thinking to legal services. The goal of legal design is to help create more accessible, usable, and customer-centric legal systems and services. A legal designer will need to rethink delivering legal services in the most client-focused way. There is the need to redesign the legal services of a law firm or law practice to meet the needs of its clients. The crux of legal design as a law career in India is to be able to identify and design legal products and services that simplify the lives of people that use them. It also includes creating solutions that help the clients and improve the way legal service is delivered
The roles and responsibilities of in-house General Counsels and their teams are changing rapidly. Unprecedented market and regulatory conditions demand new technology that simplifies legal processes and cuts down operational costs. This demand has created the role of a legal technologist. This career arc involves developing technology solutions that can easily address the legal problems being faced by the business. Legal technologists collaborate with legal process designers to employ the right technologies that greatly speed up the delivery of repetitive tasks. This law career in India brings the best of the legal and technology worlds for creating more cost-efficient and productivity-driven legal tech solutions.
With the emerging technology and digitalization, cybersquatting has become a common practice in today’s era. To curb the same, cyber law is an emerging practice in India. Cyber lawyers deal with cases of cybercrimes against an individual, company or government. A cyber lawyer should be aware of internet activities and should have knowledge of the latest technology like cryptocurrency, cybersecurity etc. Cyberlaw also includes e-commerce, e-contracts and digital signatures, intellectual property rights, cybersecurity, etc.
Alternate Dispute Resolution is a mechanism where the parties in dispute come to a solution peacefully. It can be a matter involving a dispute of civil, criminal, matrimonial or corporate nature. Since the advent of ADR as a dispute resolution mechanism, it has played a very crucial role in reducing the number of court cases in India. ADR is appealing as it is cost-effective, less time-consuming, no fear of court, an efficient mechanism and preserves the best interest of the parties.
Legal audits in simple terms mean checking the position or health of the business in terms of legal compliances. Legal audits include reviewing contracts, agreements, documents, legal compliances, and conducting IP audits. Legal audits help in reducing legal disputes and hurdles and are important for risk management. Legal audit lawyers are highly required and preferred by MNCs and Corporate firms.
Legal Process Management (LPM) involves the identification, optimization, and continual management of processes involved in the day-to-day legal operations of an organization. LPM applies continuous improvement and change management principles to legal processes, maximizing both the micro- and macro-effects of those changes with the end goal of providing greater value to the client. LPM is increasingly becoming the global standard for excellence in legal service delivery models. A Legal Process Manager helps design, conceptualize, implement, monitor, and improve such processes.
Legal Studies and Research offers significant challenges to explore formulation of law and policy in many emerging areas, for instance Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change, Cyber Terrorism, etc. Vidyashilp University is committed to provide support and resources to graduates keen on exploring careers in Legal Academia.
Eligibility
An applicant who has successfully completed Senior Secondary School course (10+2) or equivalent, or (11+1) ‘A’ level in Senior School Leaving certificate course from a recognized Board in India or abroad.
Minimum marks in qualifying examination for admission
Minimum percentage of marks in the qualifying or higher examination for General Category shall be 45% and for SC/ST 40%.
Other details
- Students who have appeared & cleared any one of the National Level Law Entrance Examination viz., CLAT/LSAT/AILET shall be given preference.
- Students are required to appear for Personal Interview conducted by the University.
