How to Become A Legal Advisor In South Africa

Legal advisors are lawyers who are employed by the government, large companies and other organizations to provide legal advice and services to the organization and its employees.

What does a legal advisor do?

As a legal advisor, you will be responsible for handling a company’s legal responsibilities. Duties may include preparing contracts and documentation, and providing a variety of legal support.

What is the role of Legal Advisor?

Legal advisor jobs usually consist of working in law firms or act as a part of a legal counsel team hired by companies and enterprises for their expertise on legalities.

In the career as legal adviser, the company leaders and CEOs usually ask advice from them in the aspect of legalities before the company takes a step further. In other words, a company legal advisor helps their clients arrive at the right decision.

What is the job outlook for Legal Advisor?

In the career as legal advisor, individuals generally work in the legal departments of large corporations. According to research their employment category of lawyers will realize six per cent job growth through 2024.

Legal advisors work in teamwork with members of the legal services department of a corporation on matters connecting to commercial power, authoritarian issues, and profit-making contracts and several other things.

Below are Types of a Legal Advisor In South Africa

When it comes to a legal advisor in India, there are several career opportunities available. Not just in the corporate sector but there are legal advisor jobs in banks as well. Some opportunities in the career as legal advisor are mentioned below:

Legal Advisor:

Individuals who specialize in the field of law are called legal advisors. Their job is to protect their clients from any sort of legal implications. A legal advisor works with a company or an organization, wherein he or she does work like documentation of contracts or providing legal advice and many other legal situations.

Senior Counsel:

The job of a senior counsel is to take care of several legal matters that a law firm goes through. Their job is to provide legal advice. Their specific responsibilities may vary depending on the firm they work in.

What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Legal Advisor?

If you are wondering how to become a legal advisor, then apart from the required law courses one should possess some skill sets. We have mentioned below major legal counsellor skills.

Commercial Awareness:

Legal advisor jobs require an individual to have commercial awareness as one of the most important attributes a candidate can have. It basically means possessing knowledge of current developments in local, national, and world business, particularly any issues that may impact a law firm and its clients.

Firms expect their legal advisors to market their services to prospective clients, as well as develop trusting relationships with existing ones.

People Skills:

In the career as a legal advisor in India one will have to work alongside a variety of people and more often than not winning a case will be a team effort. Legal advisors do not work alone, they need to collaborate with colleagues and partners in their firm, as well as liaise with clients.

Legal advisors need to foster a close working relationship with their clerks and will often work high-profile cases alongside other legal advisors, as workloads on such cases are too heavy for one representative.

Communication Skills:

Communication in the workplace is essential to businesses as it helps organizations to be competitive and function efficiently therefore, it is an important skill in the career a legal counsellor. Workers will experience an increase in performance, efficiency, and engagement if they can collaborate inside an entity.

Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Legal Advisor?

We have mentioned below certifications that individuals may opt who want to establish a career as Legal Advisors.

A Law Student’s ToolkitProfessional Certificate in Media Ethics and Law
America’s Unwritten ConstitutionBiotechnology and Intellectual Property Law
Certified Intellectual Property Rights and Legal ManagerCertified Business Law Analyst
Certified Company Law ProfessionalCertified Competition Law Analyst
Certified Compliance OfficerCertified Consumer Law Professional

Below are steps to Become A Legal Advisor In South Africa

1 Clear 10+2

Wondering how to become a legal advisor? The first step is that the students are required to complete the 10+2 level of school education in any subject or stream with an aggregate of 50 per cent of marks or equivalent to it from a recognised board.

2 Entrance Examination

Several universities and colleges conduct entrance examinations to provide admissions. Students are required to prepare and appear in the entrance examinations for law programmes in order to make a career as legal advisor.

On the basis of candidate’s performance in the entrance examination and personal interview (optional) admissions are provided in the respective colleges and universities. 

Top Legal Advisor Entrance Examination 

AILET: All South Africa Law Entrance TestUPES Law School Admission Test
CLAT: Common Law Admission Test PRETORIA University BA LLB Entrance Test
LSAT: Law School Admission Test, South AfricaMH-CET: Maharashtra Common Entrance Test for Law
DU LLB Entrance ExamAMU-EE: Aligarh Muslim University Entrance Exam
SET: Symbiosis Entrance Test 

3 Bachelor

After clearing the entrance examinations, students are offered admissions in various colleges and universities on the basis of rank acquired in the entrance examination. We have mentioned the popular bachelor’s degrees for a legal advisor career.

Legal Counsellor Courses List

L.L.B. (Bachelor of Legislative Law )B.Sc.-L.L.B.  (Bachelor of Science-Bachelor of Legislative Law)
B.A.-LL.B. (Bachelor of Arts- Bachelor of Legislative Law)B.Comm.-L.L.B. (Bachelor of Commerce-Bachelor of Legislative Law)
B.B.A.-L.L.B. (Bachelor of Business Administration -Bachelor of Legislative Law)
B.Tech.-L.L.B. (Bachelor of Technology-Bachelor of Legislative Law)

4 Post Bachelor

There are several options that one can choose post-bachelors to lead their career as legal advisor. We have mentioned the two major options for a legal advisor career path below:

Option 1: After completion of an L.L.B., students can further continue their studies and opt for an L.L.M. without any gap in the academic year. After that, they can start working as a legal advisor.

Option 2: After completion of an L.L.B. candidates can start working in the law firms, corporate offices, media houses or NGOs in an entry-level role. After gaining an experience of a few years, they can further resume their studies and opt for an L.L.M. to establish a successful career as legal advisor.

What qualifications do you need to be a legal advisor In South Africa?

You could qualify as a legal advisor by completing a Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice or a Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice. After completing a college qualification, you would need to complete a further three-year period of qualifying employment.

How much does a legal advisor earn in South Africa?

In South Africa a legal advisor with 1-3 years of experience can expect to earn between R350 – 550k whilst a qualified lawyer with over 10 years experience would earn R1. 1m+

What is a legal consultant in South Africa?

The terms ‘corporate counsel’ / ‘legal advisors’ / ‘corporate lawyers’ / ‘in-house counsel’ / legal counsel’ are used to describe practitioners who hold a legal degree/qualification and who are employed by companies and other organizations (public and private sector) for the purpose of providing in-house legal counsel, .

How do I become a legal counsel in South Africa?

The South African law requires that a lawyer obtain a law degree, work several years in a legal setting and pass an admissions exam. You must also be at least 21-years-old and a citizen or legal resident of South Africa.

What is the work of legal advisor In South Africa?

Legal advisors help companies in providing guidance about laws. They help their clients with contracts, legal drafts, and documents, and resolve disputes. Legal advisor jobs in banks and financial sectors require the individual to do so.

Is a legal advisor a lawyer In South Africa?

A Legal Advisor is essentially a lawyer who provides legal counsel to a large corporation or organization. They also provide general legal advice about corporate decisions regarding corporate growth, mergers or other practices. Legal Advisors generally work in the legal departments of large corporations.

Can you become a lawyer without a bachelor degree In South Africa?

Yes, aspiring lawyers can become a lawyer and practice law without a law school JD. No, you don’t need law school or a college degree to become a lawyer in several states, including California.

Can I call myself a legal consultant In South Africa?

People who call themselves paralegals may also use titles such as Legal Adviser, Legal Assistant or Litigation Executive. Anyone can use these titles.

How do I protect myself as a consultant In South Africa?

Protect yourself: Put your guidelines in writing and stick by them. Have a very clear discussion laying out your professional boundaries and ask your client to do the same. Come to an understanding about working hours and response times and agree on how you will schedule calls, meetings, and Skype sessions.