Career In Cyber Law

Career in Cyber Law In 1820, the world recorded its first cyber crime. Nearly two centuries later, cyber crime is something which is affecting the lives of millions of Internet and computer users. Be it actress Esha Deol declaring that someone created a false profile of hers on http://www.facebook.com/ , young girls unwittingly getting caught in the web of e-pornography, embezzlement of funds through e-commerce, or even your own e-mail password being hackedanybody can be a victim of cyber crimes.

Currently three kinds of cyber crimes are being committed in India. Cyber crime against people, which involves harassment, stalking and social networking crimes; cyber crime against property in the form of hacking, damage to computer source code or spreading virus in computer and crime against nations in the form of cyber war. It is against such crimes that a cyber lawyer wields his powers. A statistics-check reveals that in India, some 142 cases of cyber crimes were registered under IT Act, 2000 during 2006 and a total of 311 cases were registered under IPC sections in 2006 (as per the report of National Crime Records Bureau). But these figures are merely the tip of the iceberg as typically people hesitate to get a formal complaint registered. Moreover, India has seen only two cyber crime convictions in the last 12 years. However, dont let this dismal picture convince you that there will be a famine of cases for those who aim to be cyber lawyers. On the contrary, there is a growing demand for cyber lawyers in India. Says Pavan Duggal, advocate, Supreme Court of India, and president of http://www.cyberlaws.net/ , It would be inaccurate to say that there will be shortage of work. In fact, there are a lot of new and interesting cases that pose real challenges for lawyers. Even though in its nascent stages, cyber law has tremendous scope and prospects in India. With almost 42 million Internet users in India, companies taking to digital storage and dissemination of data, increasing popularity of e-banking, e-commerce, e-ticketing and even e-governance, there will undoubtedly be a need for good cyber lawyers in the future. To become a cyber lawyer, all you need is to be a qualified lawyer, and earn a diploma in cyber law. Although there are no UGC-approved institutes providing courses in cyber law, there are private institutes like Asian School of Cyber Law, Mumbai, Indian Law Institute, Delhi, NALSAR, Hyderabad, and Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Allahabad, offering cyber law courses. Although you dont need to be an IT specialist, but a bit of technological bent of mind and a knack for the cyber world will only add a cherry to the cake. As Duggal explains, You require the right blend of technological and legal knowledge. Inadequacy of technological know-how can deeply hamper your work as a cyber lawyer. Since a cyber lawyer has to inevitably deal with criminal law, intellectual property law, commercial and civil law in his cyber law cases, it is best to have a sound and in-depth knowledge of these laws apart from cyber laws to give your practice a real edge. Talwant Singh, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Delhi says,

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Scope of cyber law increases when combined with intellectual property rights laws as in many cyber law cases, the question of violation of copy rights is also involved. As far as job opportunities are concerned, the field of cyber law is full of them. For example, you can choose from private practice, litigation, corporate advising and international cyber law work. Although litigation may take some time to firm its roots, consultancy has a lot of instant money to offer. Says Rahul Matthan, partner, Trilegal, Bangalore, A big law firm can give you a monthly salary of Rs 50,000-90,000. However, there is no fixed initial salary that you can look forward to and you may even start with a basic monthly salary of Rs 10,000-15,000. The amount you get will depend on the law firm/company you join and also on your own capabilities. It will also vary from case to case and, if you establish yourself as a successful cyber lawyer, then there is no upper limit to what you can earn. But, the path of a cyber lawyer is full of challenges. Indian law is like a Hindu wife, it walks ten steps behind the husband, as the popular saying goes. Although the IT Act 2000 seems adequate enough, yet, keeping pace with the changes in a forever-in-flux field like information technology may prove to be an onerous task. The laws do need to catch up to give more teeth to cyber lawyers. Also, you need to be forever updated about the changes. However, computer security consultant Ankit Fadia is of the opinion that instead of trying to tighten cyber laws, we need to concentrate more upon training the law enforcement agents and police departments. He says, Unfortunately, as of now, if somebody were to become a victim of cyber crime and tried to explain what happened to the personnel at the local police department, then a lot would be lost in cyber-real world translation. These are the challenges which a cyber lawyer shall have to arm himself against. But they definitely do not rob this field of its charms. Says Debasis Nayak, director, Asian School of Cyber Laws, Mumbai, The job can be summed up in one word, exciting! You are always at the cutting edge of law and technology and at the forefront of development since in many ways this is still virgin territory. Cyber crime transcends geographical boundaries. Hidden behind the veil of anonymity, a cyber criminal could do his work sitting right next to you, without your even realising it. The task of a cyber lawyer is not only to suggest a cure but also to his/her prepare clients to prevent such things from happening. If you are fascinated by the unknown and dare to tread the uncharted paths, then cyber law is your cup of tea. Go for it. Cyber law Cyber law deals with legal issues concerning the use of computer, computer systems and computer networks as well as the Internet. Although it is an emerging field in India, it is making rapid progress. Salary: Rs 10,000-Rs 90,000 Fast facts: Consultancy pays better than litigation here. Since it is still developing as a field, the challenge here is to keep upbreast about the latest developments in the field of information technology. Additional knowledge of intellectual property rights and criminal law serves your interests better. Introduction The virtual world of Internet is known as cyberspace and the laws governing this area are known as Cyber Laws and all the netizens of this space come under the ambit of such laws as these laws carry a kind of universal jurisdiction.

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In today's techno-savvy environment, the world is becoming more and more digitally sophisticated and so are the crimes. Internet was initially developed as a research and information sharing tool, and meant to be a pool of knowledge but it was in an unregulated manner. As the time is passing by it is becoming more transactional with e-business, e-commerce, e-governance and e-procurement etc. All the legal issues related to the internet crimes are being dealt through the Cyber-Laws. As the number of internet users is on increase with the changing times, the need for cyber laws and their application is gathering a great momentum. India has passed an IT Act 2000, which has laid down stringent laws against those committing cyber crimes like hacking, credit card frauds, cyber stalking, blackmailing, pornography and the crimes related to Intellectual Properties, Copyrights, and Trademarks etc. So now there is a new field, opening up as a branch of law i.e. the Cyber Law. More and more youngsters would like to opt for this branch of law as the technology firms are growing up along with the dotcoms, which would provide these Cyber Lawyers a lucrative job opportunity. Now all the electronic records would be kept under a legal framework of Cyber Laws. Nature of Work A cyber lawyers has to crack down cyber crimes like hacking,credit card fruads,protecting digital signatures to safeguard business transactions or encryption codes or electronic records etc.He has to deal with the cases of Intellectual Property laws or Copyrights, Software patents, Net Banking etc Personality He who wants to be a cyber lawyers should have the capability of analysing the problem along with an eye for details. Intellecutal ability as well as ability to assimilate and observe, is also one of the pre-requisite. The person should be adept in handling computers and should be well informed with changing times. He should be quick witted and needs to be oriented to look web as an information provider. Professional Courses The courses carry a multi-disciplinary task as it a multi dimensional subject. While studying such a subject one needs to acquire knowledge of technology as well as laws governing Personal Laws, Telecom Laws, Company Laws and Intellectual Property Laws. These courses are oriented to support e-business. There are many short term and long term courses available online or offline, in this exotic subject of Cyber Laws. Eligibility These courses would be helpful to all those who want to be aware with the world of Internet and work in modern technological environment. As an individual one can study about Cyber Laws to know about ones rights and the kind of help available when ones rights are violated. Lawyers and law students can study about Cyber Laws to have an edge over the others and help themselves to move along with changing techno-legal times. Studying Cyber Laws can help the IT Professionals to provide better organizational security to their firms and let them know about the better legal aspects of the issues related to e-business. Even chartered accountants and banking professionals can gain by studying about the Cyber Laws. To opt for a course in Cyber Law you should have passed your Higher Secondary (10+2) exams and to pursue a Post Graduate course one needs an LLB degree. You should be able to work with lots dexterity and dedication and should have proper knowledge of Cyber world and its ways along with the commitment to learn its different aspects. To have a deep knowledge of the subject you can also work as an intern in some niche law firm.

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Colleges, Institutions and Universities For List of institutions; click here Career Prospects As this branch of law is gaining a stronger foothold, several job opportunities are on their way for those who would like to be " Sherlock Holmes" on the Internet. Apart from being a full-fledged lawyer, one can get the job of Cyber Consultant in an IT firm, police department or in banks. Research assistants in a law firm . Research assistants in a technology firm. Advisors to the web developers. Advisors in the Ministry of Information and Technology or in Corporate Houses. Security Auditors and Network Administrators in Technology firms. Trainers in law schools and Multinational Corporations. Remunerations Salaries of this new age breed of techno-savvy legal eagles can range from Rs. 15000 to Rs. 20000 in a solicitor's firm. If one is able to find a job in a corporate or a law firm one can earn from Rs. 20000 to a handsome amount of Rs. 40000.

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