Although CS and Law are legal professions, the area of study and work atmosphere of Company Secretaries and Lawyers are poles apart. Company Secretary is a top designated professional who carry out the statutory duties in an organization like statutory book and record keeping, Company’s house filing and so on. However, a Lawyer is an official who is authorized to practice law by carrying out legal proceedings and advices.

CS career opportunities

Institute of Company Secretaries of India offers the Company Secretary course within our country. Aspirants can pursue the program in ICSI. Aspirants who clear the 3 levels of the Company Secretary course have to undergo convenient training so as to be eligible for the membership as a Company Secretary. On completion of the CS program, professionals can seek out for employments in financial institutions, banking sector, Department of company affairs, Government or private sector companies and in other regulatory bodies.

Lawyer career opportunities

There are so many law institutes in India that offers diverse law courses. A graduation in law is required to turn out to be a Lawyer. There are so many courses in Law that, these professionals can specialize as part of their higher studies. Some of the specializations in Law include Criminal law, Civil law, International law and so on. Lawyers can specialize in their desired subjects so as to continue their career in the respective areas. After completing the Law programs, legal professionals can seek out for career in the Judiciary, private industries or in public interest organizations. Most of the Lawyers prefer carrying out private practice in a law firm or unaccompanied practice as it is more profitable.

Key differentiators between Company Secretary and Lawyer

• It is the prime responsibility of a Company Secretary to guarantee that the company meets the legal obligations whereas the lawyers assist people by being in lieu of them on legal matters.
• A Company Secretary is an advisor of legal affairs in a corporate setup whereas a lawyer does the same in a Court of Law.

Even though Company Secretary and Lawyers carry out their profession dealing with legal matters, the former have to concentrate in other activities also like fiscal, secretarial, personnel and administrative departments of companies whereas the latter deals only with legal proceedings.