Demand for such professions are expected to rise in the coming years, providing more employment but as of now, even the Kolkata and West Bengal police are finding it difficult to find lawyers who could achieve convictions and corner criminals.
Senior officials of the state police force went to the extent of saying that the matters were too complicated even for judicial officers to tackle with confidence.
The demand for such services was expected to rise sharply as the huge growth in issue of credit cards and other financial instruments permitting electronic transactions including mobile phones would inevitably lead to larger cases of abuse or crime, said the official.
The scope for a cyber lawyer was at present limited by lack of people, besides lack of awareness and initiative. Even now, the number of cases filed against criminal offences over the Internet was still far less compared to that abroad.
Most cases are settled out of court, with service companies helping with background information and the police bringing criminals to book, but only informally.
Few cases hit the headlines or were pursued till the conviction stage. Cyber law continued to be an optional segment in the LLB course and only a few institutes in India offered it.
There were not enough books on cyber law, cyber crime, etc. and most had to depend largely on the Internet just as it was difficult to find qualified experts in cyber law. Under the IT Act of 2000, electronic documents and digital signature have been given legal recognition.
The Act also lays down laws that determine how to deal with cyber crimes. "These include laws related to cyber crimes like obscenity, hacking and disruption of computer source codes," says Anirban Mazumder, lecturer at the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata.
The profession requires a high level of intelligence and the field is immensely competitive. "A cyber law student should be able to appreciate the interface between law and technology," he adds.
"One could earn a diploma through distance education as well. Again, a degree will not be very different from a diploma as long as you understand and know your work," confirmed Mazumder.
"The pay packet for a cyber law professional depends strictly on the law firms that they choose to work in, in India and/or abroad, their experience in the field and how well they understand their subject", he added.
"Those who take up cyber law as a vocation could be a legal professional dealing with cases in cyber crime. One could operate individually or be part of a law firm, where the demand for personnel trained in cyber law is on the increase. Also, there is a huge scope for research and teaching," Mazumder adds.
Cyber crimes, be it sale of illegal articles, pornography, online gambling, e-mail spoofing, forgery, defamation, or hacking, the nature of these offences could be extremely subtle and difficult to prove.
In fact, ideas about whether a particular activity on the Net is of a transgressive nature or whether it is legally permissible are difficult to ascertain. To resolve these issues one would have to take the help of specially-trained cyber law professionals.
Cyber law is a profession of the future and for those who wish to make a career in cyber law it is one of the most sought-after area of specialisation.
The idea is to help nab cyber-criminals, predict the crime patterns and motives for such crimes, and assess their impact.
Students who have pursued a course in cyber law would initially find work as trainees or junior lawyers, and go on to become a law personnel, followed by senior counsel, deputy manager - legal, and finally, the legal manager.
A degree in cyber law has to be offered by a university, whereas a diploma can be awarded by any institute. Students can pursue cyber law at the graduation level. They should score at least 50 per cent in plus two to be eligible.
There would, of course, be an admission test and admissions would depend strictly on merit. Also, if someone would want to pursue a career in cyber law after graduating in any discipline, he/she may do so by enrolling in a diploma course.
Again, securing a 50 per cent in Part II exams and the marks secured in admission test would determine to a large extent whether or not he/she would be able to make it. The money, therefore, is unpredictable. It may vary from a few thousands to a six-figure earning, and more, he adds.
