Difference Between Company Secretary and Law Courses

Having plenty of career options is good on one hand but it also leaves you confused at the same time. One such combination is Company Secretary and Law. Both these career options have many things in common, yet they are different in their own ways. Read on to find our more.

Company Secretary

A Company Secretary (CS) has nothing to do with the role of a regular secretary. He is a professional, the vital pillar of any corporate organization.  His job is that of an advisor of legal matters in a corporate setup. A company secretary plays a vital role in the company’s management.

Role of a Company Secretary

Depending upon the size of the company, a Company Secretary is expected to take crucial decisions regarding legal matters, tax, finance, excise laws, corporate laws, labour laws and corporate planning. He is the most important link connecting the shareholders, regulatory agencies and the board of directors. He or she also acts as the registrar of the company performing important secretarial functions like filing company returns with the Registrar of Companies and other authorities.

Eligibility

Anyone who has passed class 12th in any stream is eligible to join the eight month long Foundation Course. You can even eligible for provisional enrolment for the Foundation Course, if you are about to appear for the Class 12 examination.

You can complete the compulsory postal coaching and pass the Foundation Course and register for the Intermediate Course. Those who register on or before March 31 can appear for the examination in December. Those who register on or before September 30 can appear in June.

This course is a combination of postal tuition and optional coaching classes. Study material is provided to the students at the time of admission. On completion of postal coaching and contact classes, if the student has opted for it, he or she is eligible for appearing for the examinations conducted by the Institute. Examination is held across 36 centres in India and is conducted by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

Pattern of CS Course

The student who would like to join the Course after 10+2 has to undergo three stages to pursue the Company Secretaries Course i.e.

• Foundation Programme – eligibility 10+2
• Executive Programme – eligibility graduation from all streams except Fine Arts
• Professional Programme – Only after clearing the executive Program

In addition, the student has to undergo Practical Training for about 15 months which a student may opt to start after passing the Executive  Programme. 

On completing of the training can a student become a member of the Institute of the Company Secretaries of India. He or she and is assigned a professional membership number and can use the suffix ACS (Associate Company Secretary) after his / her name. A Fellow Member of the Institute who is normally a senior pro can use the suffix FCS after his / her name.

Scope

As per the Companies Act, 1956, every company with a paid-up share capital of Rs. Two Crores or above has to appoint a whole time Company Secretary. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has developed and regulated the profession of Company Secretaries in the country. If the paid-up share capital is Rs. 10 lakhs or more but less than 200 lakhs, the company should engage a practicing Company Secretary.

The corporate sector is a fast moving one in today’s India especially with the importance to globalization. With the growth of companies, there is also an increase of legalities of various kinds. Here comes the role of a Company Secretary since he is the one to provide advice on legal matters, tax, corporate policies.

Job Options

A Company Secretary can seek employment in government organizations like Bureau of Public Enterprises, government financial institutions and stock exchanges. Other government openings are the Accounts branch of the Central Government Law Services; the finance, law, accounts and merchant banking divisions of nationalised banks. You can also be a practicing Company Secretary for some privately owned companies and can start at a monthly salary of Rs 20,000 to 25,000.

Law

Legal profession is probably one of the oldest professions in India but it is still in great demand in India. In our daily lives, one way or the other legal advice is required. Lawyers are today also in great demand in companies for giving them legal advice and fighting legal battles for them.

Role of a Lawyer

There are various areas that a lawyer today can specialize upon. These include Civil Law, Tax Law, Criminal Law, Corporation Law, International Law, Labour Law, Real Estate Law and Patent Law. You can become either an advocate or an advisor on behalf of the client. As advocates, you can represent either the plaintiff or the defendant and as advisors you can advise clients on how the facts of their particular case apply to the law.

Eligibility

After Class 10+2 you can pursue a five year course leading to a BA (LLB. Hons) which is sponsored by the Bar Council of India.  You should have passed the 10+2 examination with minimum 50% marks in aggregate for being eligible to appear for Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). CLAT is conducted for admission to the undergraduate program for the eleven National Law Universities across India.

Scope and Job Prospects

Though the traditional options like that of a civil or a criminal lawyer or that of joining the Judicial Services is still open among law graduates, the global economy has thrown up various options to a graduate. As a law graduate you can work in:

• International Law Firms
• Indian Law Firms
• Consulting and Advisory Companies
• Corporate Legal Departments
• Legal Process Outsourcing (L.P.O.) Companies
• NGOs and Global Organizations
• Higher Education in World’s Best Universities

New areas of legal practice have emerged like that of Corporate Laws, Securities Laws, Taxation Laws, Economic Laws, Intellectual Property Laws, Arbitration Laws, Real Estate Laws, Cyber Laws, Environment and Consumer Protection Laws. A law graduate and/or a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries can be employed as a company secretary in a firm. If you have an aptitude for teaching you can do your LLM and can take up a job in the university or Institute offering law courses to students.

Company Secretary	Law
Professional Course and staggered through three stages after 10+2. Number of years to complete the CS course is not fixed but a candidate’s registration may be extended beyond a period of five years on year-to-year basis for appearing in the Professional Programme (Final) examination.	It is a bachelor’s program and stretched through 5 years
CS is not taught in any university or college. One should complete the Postal Coaching given by the ICSI.	NLUs and other law institutes enroll students based on CLAT or individual entrance examinations
A CS can only be associated with a company and is an expert in corporate policies, legal and tax matters of the company, finance, and chief advisor to the board of directors.	A law graduate can be a CS if he is a member of the ICSI. He can also be a criminal lawyer, a civil lawyer or specialize in Cyber Laws, Environment and Consumer Protection Laws and other new areas of law.
A CS cannot sit for UGC NET and qualify for a lecturer in the university	After completing your LLM (postgraduate degree) you can apply for lectureship if you have an aptitude for teaching.
Admission to the CS Course is open throughout the year.  Examinations are held twice a year in June and December.	You can apply to the 5 year BA LLB course only once a year when CLAT is held.