What the notice says
UPSC Advt 12/2026 law officer recruitment is Advertisement No. 12/2026 dated 25 September 2026. Online forms opened on 26 September 2026. Last date is 16 October 2026, 1800 hours. Apply only on upsconline.nic.in. The full notice is the UPSC PDF: upsc.gov.in Advt No. 12/2026.
If you are in Class 12 or the first year of law, read this page to learn the posts. You cannot apply yet. A law degree is the starting line. For these two posts you also need years of work in court, a government legal office, or teaching. UPSC is the Union Public Service Commission. It recruits people for central government jobs. This advertisement has 13 posts in all. Only 11 are law posts. The other two are a sugar-technology officer in Kanpur and a cardiology specialist in New Delhi Municipal Council. Do not apply to those two unless you have that science or medical degree.
- What the Union Public Service Commission actually does
- What kind of role this is
- Who should apply — and who should skip
- Dates and fee
- Available positions and category breakdown
- 1. Assistant Legislative Counsel (Grade IV, Indian Legal Service) — Pay Level 11 8 vacancies
- 2. Law Officer — Pay Level 7 3 vacancies
- Educational qualifications
- Selection
- How to prepare (free, official)
- How to apply without getting played
- FAQs
What the Union Public Service Commission actually does
UPSC conducts recruitment by selection for ministries and for some Delhi government posts. For this window it is not the Civil Services exam. It is a separate online form for named vacancies. You first create an account, then a Universal Registration Number (URN), then a Common Application Form, then a post-specific form. The URN stays the same. The application number changes for each post.
What kind of role this is
Both law posts are permanent. Assistant Legislative Counsel (Grade IV of the Indian Legal Service) is Group A Gazetted in the Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, New Delhi. Probation is two years. Pay is Level-11 of the 7th CPC pay matrix. Law Officer in the Land and Building Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, is Group B Gazetted, non-ministerial. Probation is two years. Pay is Level-7. Headquarters for the Law Officer post is in Delhi. These are jobs, not internships and not a panel of private lawyers.
Who should apply — and who should skip
Apply for Assistant Legislative Counsel if you hold a degree in law from a recognised university or equivalent, and you match one of the printed routes: member of a State Judicial Service for at least seven years; or a superior post in a State legal department for at least seven years; or a Central Government servant with at least seven years in legal affairs; or a Master’s degree in law plus at least five years teaching or research in law; or you are a qualified legal practitioner who is at least 30 years old. The notice says a qualified legal practitioner means an advocate or pleader who has practised for at least seven years, or an attorney of the Bombay or Calcutta High Court who has practised as such for at least five years. Preference is for legislative drafting.
Apply for Law Officer if you have a degree in law from a recognised institute or university, and either two years’ experience in legal work as a legal practitioner, or two years’ experience in legal work in a government office.
Skip if you only have a fresh LL.B. and no two years of legal work. Skip the sugar and cardiology posts. Skip if a website asks you to pay a “form fee” on WhatsApp. The only fee on this notice is Rs 25 on the UPSC portal, and women, SC, ST and persons with benchmark disability do not pay it.
Dates and fee
| Item | On the official notice |
|---|---|
| Advertisement | No. 12/2026, applications invited from 26 September 2026 |
| Apply start | 26 September 2026 on upsconline.nic.in |
| Last date | 16 October 2026, 1800 hours |
| Eligibility date | Closing date of the online form |
| Fee | Rs 25 by card, UPI or net banking. No fee for SC, ST, PwBD and women of any community. OBC, EWS and unreserved men pay Rs 25. No fee means the form is rejected. |
Available positions and category breakdown
1. Assistant Legislative Counsel (Grade IV, Indian Legal Service) — Pay Level 11 8 vacancies
Eligibility criteria
Vacancy No. 26091202226. Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice. Degree in Law of a recognised university or equivalent, and one of these: State Judicial Service for not less than seven years; superior post in the legal department of a State for not less than seven years; Central Government servant with experience in legal affairs for not less than seven years; Master’s degree in Law with teaching or research in Law for not less than five years; or a qualified legal practitioner not less than 30 years of age. A qualified legal practitioner means an advocate or pleader who has practised for at least seven years, or a Bombay or Calcutta High Court attorney with at least five years. Time in one of these offices can be counted towards the other, as Notes 2 and 3 print. A superior post is not a clerical post and needs a law degree. Age on the closing date: 40 years for UR/EWS, 43 for OBC, 45 for SC, plus up to 10 years for PwBD. Duties: legislative drafting and scrutiny of statutory rules and orders. Post is permanent, Group A Gazetted, Grade IV of ILS, probation two years, headquarters New Delhi. The notice says the post is suitable for PwBD category Autism Spectrum Disorder (Mild), ASD (M).
| UR | EWS | OBC | SC | ST | PwBD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 of the 8 |
The PwBD seat is inside the eight, not an extra seat. The notice marks it PwBD-01*.
2. Law Officer — Pay Level 7 3 vacancies
Eligibility criteria
Vacancy No. 26091203226. Land and Building Department, Government of NCT of Delhi. Degree in Law from a recognised institute or university. Experience: two years in legal work as a legal practitioner, or two years in legal work in a government office. Age: 30 years for UR and 33 years for OBC, plus up to 10 years for PwBD. Duties printed: assist the government advocate on writ petitions in the High Court and Supreme Court on land acquisition and alternative plots; conduct land acquisition cases and civil suits before the Additional District Magistrate and subordinate courts in Delhi; other work of the legal branch. Permanent, Group B Gazetted, non-ministerial, probation two years.
| UR | EWS | OBC | SC | ST | PwBD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 of the 3 |
The PwBD seat is inside the three. The notice marks it PwBD-01*.
Law posts on this advertisement — 11. Full advertisement total — 13, including one Junior Technical Officer (Sugar Technology), Level-10, OBC-1, Kanpur, and one Specialist Grade II (Cardiology), Level-11 plus non-practising allowance, which is not a law post.
Educational qualifications
| Post | Degree | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Legislative Counsel | Degree in Law of a recognised university or equivalent. One route needs a Master’s in Law. | 7 years in State Judicial Service, State legal department (superior post), or Central Government legal affairs; or 5 years teaching or research with an LLM; or qualified legal practitioner aged 30 or more, with the practice years in Note 4 |
| Law Officer | Degree in Law from a recognised institute or university | 2 years as a legal practitioner, or 2 years of legal work in a government office |
Selection
- Online application only. Wrong details can lead to rejection at shortlisting.
- If applications are many, UPSC may shortlist on desirable qualification, higher degree, higher experience, or a recruitment test.
- Interview. Printed minimum suitability out of 100 interview marks: UR 50, OBC 45, SC/ST/PH 40. If there is a recruitment test, you must also clear the test cut-off the Commission fixes for that case.
- Interview date is told separately. Shortlisted candidates bring the printout and documents to UPSC.
How to prepare (free, official)
How to apply without getting played
- Open only upsconline.nic.in. Read the instructions on the home page before you upload files.
- Finish account, URN and the common form, then the post module before 16 October 2026, 6 pm.
- Pay Rs 25 only if you are not a woman, SC, ST or PwBD candidate. Keep the payment proof and the application number.
- A separate form is needed if you apply to more than one post on this advertisement.
- Do not pay any coaching centre or agent to “submit UPSC” for you.
FAQs
What is the last date?
16 October 2026, 1800 hours, on upsconline.nic.in.
Who can apply?
Law graduates who also meet the experience line: about seven years for Assistant Legislative Counsel (five if you have an LLM and teaching or research), and two years of legal work for Law Officer.
How many vacancies?
8 Assistant Legislative Counsel and 3 Law Officer. The advertisement total is 13 including two non-law posts.
Where do I apply?
upsconline.nic.in.
What is the fee?
Rs 25. Women, SC, ST and PwBD candidates pay nothing. OBC and EWS men pay Rs 25.
Can final-year students apply?
No. You need a law degree already, plus the experience printed for that post. Age and experience are counted as on the closing date.
More openings for law students: internships on AAG Legal.