Government Law Jobs in India: Judiciary, Prosecution, Legal Officers

16 Oct 2026

Recruitment Process
Qualification

Quick answer

A law degree leads to seven distinct kinds of government job — judge, public prosecutor, legal adviser or law officer in a ministry, legislative counsel, Army JAG officer, bank law officer and PSU legal officer. This guide sets out who recruits each, the experience at the Bar each needs, how selection works and the pay, from current official notices.

Government law jobs are often treated as one career, but they are several, and the biggest difference between them is how much time at the Bar each one wants first. A bank or PSU will take a fresh graduate. The Supreme Court takes final-year students as law clerks. A prosecutor's post can need anything from no practice to five years. A legislative counsel needs seven. This guide sets the routes side by side from their current notices, so you can see which are open to you now and which to work towards.

For vacancies open now, browse judiciary vacancies, which had 37 published records on 16 October 2026, or jobs for LLB holders.

The Routes at a Glance

Route	Example notice	Practice needed before applying	Selection	Pay
Civil Judge (Junior Division)	Andhra Pradesh High Court, 2026	None for notices up to 31 March 2027; one year after that	Screening test, written exam, viva	₹77,840–1,36,520
Assistant Public Prosecutor, CBI	UPSC Advt 06/2026	None	UPSC shortlisting and interview	Level 7
Assistant Public Prosecutor, Delhi	UPSC Advt 11/2026, 140 posts	"Three years' experience at the bar"	UPSC shortlisting and interview	Level 10, Group A
Assistant Public Prosecutor, Tamil Nadu	TNPSC Notification 18/2025, 61 posts	"active practice in Criminal Courts for a period of not less than 5 years"	Preliminary, main, interview	Level 22 of Tamil Nadu's pay scales
Assistant Legal Adviser, Enforcement Directorate	UPSC Advt 06/2026, 12 posts	Three years at the Bar in criminal or fiscal law (one year with an LLM)	UPSC shortlisting and interview	Level 11, Group A
Assistant Legislative Counsel, Indian Legal Service	UPSC Advt 12/2026, 8 posts	Seven years in practice or in a legal department, among other routes	UPSC shortlisting and interview	Level 11
JAG officer, Indian Army	JAG Entry Scheme 125th Course	None; CLAT PG 2026 score required	SSB interview and medical	Lieutenant, Level 10 (₹56,100–1,77,500)
Law Officer, public sector banks	IBPS CRP SPL-XVI, 125 posts	None, but enrolment as an advocate is required	Preliminary, main, interview	Scale I, basic ₹48,480
Legal officer, PSUs	NTPC Advt 15/25; POWERGRID CC/06/2025	None; CLAT PG score required	CLAT PG score, then the PSU's own stages	NTPC E0 (₹30,000–1,20,000); POWERGRID E2 (₹50,000–1,60,000) after training
Law Clerk-cum-Research Associate, Supreme Court	2026-27 term, about 90 positions	None; final-year students may apply	Objective test, written test, interview	₹1,00,000 a month, consolidated

The Judiciary

Judges in the district courts are recruited state by state, through the High Court or the Public Service Commission. The Supreme Court's judgment of 21 August 2026 lets any law graduate apply to a notice issued up to 31 March 2027, followed by a year of training and a year of law clerkship on half pay. From April 2027, a year of actual practice comes first. This is the most changed route of all, and the judicial services exam guide explains it in full.

Prosecution

Public prosecutors conduct criminal cases for the state. The same post title can carry very different requirements:

CBI's Assistant Public Prosecutor needs only a "Bachelor Degree in Law from a recognized University or Institute". It is a Group B gazetted post at Level 7, for candidates up to 30 (unreserved).
Delhi's Assistant Public Prosecutor needs "Three years' experience at the bar", with "Experience as government advocate" desirable. It is Group A at Level 10, for candidates up to 35 (unreserved), and the 2026 advertisement had 140 posts.
Tamil Nadu's APP Grade II asks that the candidate "Must be a member of the Bar and must have had active practice in Criminal Courts for a period of not less than 5 years", with adequate knowledge of Tamil. The minimum age is 26 and the maximum 36 for "Others".

Read the experience clause before anything else. It decides whether you can apply this year or in three.

Legal Advisers and Law Officers in Government

Ministries and departments recruit legal staff through UPSC. The posts in the 2026 advertisements show the range:

Assistant Legal Adviser, Enforcement Directorate: Level 11, needs three years as an advocate "dealing with criminal laws or fiscal laws".
Assistant Legislative Counsel (Grade IV, Indian Legal Service), Legislative Department: Level 11. Applicants need, for example, seven years in a State Judicial Service or legal department, or to be "a qualified legal practitioner". The advertisement defines that as someone who has "practiced as such for at least seven years".
Law Officer, Delhi Land and Building Department: Level 7, needs "Two years' experience in Legal work as a Legal Practitioner", or two years' legal work in a government office.

UPSC shortlists for interview by one or more methods, which can include "holding a Recruitment Test". The Group A, B, C and D guide explains the classifications these posts carry.

The Army's JAG Branch

The Judge Advocate General's Branch takes "unmarried male and female LAW GRADUATES" for a Short Service Commission. Candidates need 55% in the LLB, an age of 21 to 27 as on 1 January 2027, and a CLAT PG 2026 score, which "is mandatory for all candidates". Shortlisting for the five-day SSB interview is "based on CLAT PG score", and the 125th course had 10 vacancies. Officers are commissioned as Lieutenants at Level 10, after 49 weeks at the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, for an initial ten years extendable to fourteen.

Banks and PSUs

Bank Law Officers are recruited through IBPS's Specialist Officer process. CRP SPL-XVI has 125 Law Officer (Scale I) posts, for candidates aged 20 to 30 who hold "A Bachelor Degree in Law (LL.B) and enrolled as an advocate with Bar Council". The main examination's merit is decided by the Professional Knowledge paper alone. See the IBPS SO exam page.

PSUs such as these two shortlist on CLAT PG scores instead of running their own entrance test:

NTPC recruited six Assistant Law Officers at E0 level through CLAT-2026, requiring an LLB with 60% (55% for SC and PwBD) and an age of up to 30.
POWERGRID recruited Officer Trainees (Law) with a 60% LLB and an age of up to 28. It weighted "Marks in CLAT 2026" at 85%, the group discussion at 3% and the interview at 12%.

In both cases, "CLAT score of any other year" does not count, so the CLAT you sit decides one cycle only.

The Supreme Court's Law Clerks

The Supreme Court engages law clerks for one term at a time, on "a consolidated remuneration of ₹1,00,000/- per month". It is a contractual assignment, not a permanent post. Final-year students may apply, the age range is 20 to 32, and selection runs through an objective test, a written test and an interview. It also helps towards the judiciary: the May 2025 judgment counted law-clerk work towards the practice requirement.

Which Route Fits

If you are in your final year, the Supreme Court clerkship is open to you now. Plan for CLAT PG too if you want the PSU or JAG routes, since only the current year's score counts.
If you have just graduated, the judiciary's transitional window (notices up to 31 March 2027), bank Law Officer posts, CBI's APP post and PSU posts need no practice.
If you have three years at the Bar, Delhi's APP posts and the Enforcement Directorate's legal adviser posts open up.
If you want the Army, take CLAT PG in the right year and watch the JAG age limit of 27.

For a qualification-first view, including posts where an LLB is one of several accepted degrees, see government jobs after LLB.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which government law jobs need no experience?

Among current notices: Civil Judge posts advertised up to 31 March 2027, CBI's Assistant Public Prosecutor, bank Law Officer (Scale I), the Army JAG entry, PSU legal officer posts filled through CLAT PG, and the Supreme Court law clerkship.

Is CLAT PG needed for government law jobs?

For some. The Army's JAG entry and PSUs such as NTPC and POWERGRID shortlist on CLAT PG scores, and only the current year's score counts. The court, UPSC and IBPS notices in this guide do not use it.

What is the salary of an Assistant Public Prosecutor?

It depends on the post. CBI's APP is at Level 7 and Delhi's at Level 10 of the central pay matrix, while Tamil Nadu's is at Level 22 of the state's own scales.

Can I join the Army as a lawyer?

Yes, through the JAG Entry Scheme, with 55% in the LLB, a CLAT PG score, and an age of 21 to 27. Selection is by SSB interview, and officers are commissioned as Lieutenants.

Is a Supreme Court law clerk a government job?

It is a contractual assignment for one term, paid ₹1,00,000 a month, and not a permanent post. It does count towards the judiciary's practice requirement.

In Summary

Government law jobs range from judge and prosecutor to legal adviser, legislative counsel, Army JAG officer, bank law officer and PSU legal officer. What separates them most is the practice they need before applying: none for banks, PSUs, the Army, the Supreme Court clerkship and, until March 2027, the judiciary; three years for Delhi's prosecutors and the Enforcement Directorate's legal advisers; five for Tamil Nadu's prosecutors; seven for a legislative counsel. CLAT PG matters for the Army and PSUs, not for courts or UPSC.

Sources

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