UPSC Law Officer Vacancy 2026: Posts, Eligibility, Salary & Application Details

The UPSC Law Officer vacancy 2026 has been notified under Advertisement No. 12/2026 has 11 legal posts in total.

• It offers 8 posts for Assistant Legislative Counsel (Ministry of Law and Justice) and 3 Law Officer posts in the (GNCTD)
• Candidates need an LLB plus 2 years of legal experience, and the upper age limit is 30 years for UR candidates. 
• Apply on upsconline.nic.in by 16 October 2026, 6:00 PM.
• The Law Officer post needs an LLB and 2 years of legal work, either as a practising advocate or in a government office.
• Age is counted as on 16 October 2026. The limit is 30 years for UR and 33 years for OBC, with up to 10 extra years for PwBD candidates.

UPSC Law Officer Vacancy 2026 

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) notification the UPSC Law Officer notification as part of Advertisement No. 12/2026, dated 25 September 2026. 

Particular	Details
Recruiting body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Advertisement number	12/2026
Post	Law Officer
Department	Land and Building Department, Government of NCT of Delhi
Law Officer vacancies	3 Posts (UR-2, OBC-1; 1 reserved for PwBD)
Other legal post in the same advertisement	Assistant Legislative Counsel, 8 posts (Vacancy No. 26091202226)
Pay level	Level 7, 7th CPC (Group B Gazetted)
Selection mode	Recruitment by selection: shortlisting or Recruitment Test, then interview
Application mode	Online only
Official portal	upsconline.nic.in

Important dates of UPSC Law Officer Vacancy 2026 

Event	Date
Advertisement date	25 September 2026
Online application opens	26 September 2026
Last date to apply	16 October 2026, 6:00 PM
Date for counting age, qualification and experience	16 October 2026
Recruitment Test (if held)	UPSC will announce
Interview	UPSC will inform shortlisted candidates

How to Check and Apply for UPSC Law Officer Vacancy 2026

1. Go to the UPSC Online Recruitment Application portal at upsconline.nic.in.
2. Create an account and complete the Universal Registration to get your URN, if you do not already have one.
3. Fill the Common Application Form, upload your photograph and complete the live photo capture and signature upload as instructed.
4. Open the vacancy-specific module and select Vacancy No. 26091203226 for Law Officer. For Assistant Legislative Counsel, use 26091202226. Each post needs its own module.
5. Enter your qualification and experience details, and upload a separate PDF against each claim: date of birth, category, degree and experience.
6. Check every field, submit before 6:00 PM on 16 October 2026, and save a printout. You will need it at the interview.

UPSC Law Officer Vacancy 2026 Eligibility Criteria

To apply for the UPSC Law Officer vacancy 2026, candidates need a law degree from a recognised university or institute and 2 years of experience in legal work. That experience can come from practice as a legal practitioner or from legal work in a government office. Both the degree and the experience must be in place by 16 October 2026.

Requirement	Law Officer (GNCTD)	Assistant Legislative Counsel
Degree	Degree in Law from a recognised institute or university	Degree in Law from a recognised university
Experience	2 years of legal work as a legal practitioner, or 2 years of legal work in a government office	5 to 7 years of experience
Nationality	As per UPSC rules in the advertisement	As per UPSC rules in the advertisement
Cut-off date	16 October 2026	16 October 2026

Assistant Legislative Counsel experience routes

Along with the law degree, candidates must meet any one of these:

• At least 7 years as a member of a State Judicial Service
• At least 7 years in a superior post in the legal department of a State
• At least 7 years as a Central Government servant with experience in legal affairs
• A Master's degree in Law with at least 5 years of teaching or research in Law
• A qualified legal practitioner of at least 30 years of age, as defined in the advertisement (broadly, 7 years as an advocate or pleader, with separate provisions for attorneys of certain High Courts)

Check: Law Officer Eligibility Criteria 2026 In India

What does a UPSC Law Officer in the Land and Building Department do?

The Law Officer handles land litigation for the Delhi government. According to the UPSC advertisement, the duties are:

• Assisting the Government Advocate in writ petitions before the High Court and Supreme Court on land acquisition and on alternative plots allotted to people whose land was acquired
• Conducting land acquisition cases and civil suits in the court of the Additional District Magistrate and subordinate courts of Delhi
• Other work of the department's legal branch, and any duty assigned by the competent authority

In practice, this is a litigation-support job. If candidates two years were spent on civil suits, property disputes or writ work, your experience lines up well with the role. That matters at the interview, where the board will ask what you actually did in court.

The post is permanent, with 2 years of probation and a mandatory induction training for direct recruits. The headquarters is the Land and Building Department, Delhi.

What does an Assistant Legislative Counsel do?

An Assistant Legislative Counsel works on drafting Central legislation and scrutinising statutory rules and orders in the Legislative Department, New Delhi. It is Grade IV of the Indian Legal Service, carries 2 years of probation, and the advertisement lists legislative drafting experience as a preference.

UPSC Law Officer Salary and Pay Level

A UPSC Law Officer in the Land and Building Department is paid at Level 7 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, which starts at a basic pay of ₹44,900 a month. Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance and other allowances are paid on top of basic pay at the rates in force.

Post	Pay level	Basic pay range (7th CPC)
Law Officer	Level 7	₹44,900 to ₹1,42,400
Assistant Legislative Counsel	Level 11	₹67,700 to ₹2,08,700

Check: UPSC CBI APP Vacancy 2026 

UPSC Law Officer Selection Process 2026

UPSC fills this post through recruitment by selection, so there is no prelims or mains. Meeting the minimum eligibility does not guarantee an interview call.

1. Online application: You submit the form with documents for every claim you make.
2. Shortlisting: If applications are high, UPSC shortlists using criteria such as higher qualification, more relevant experience or desirable qualifications. It can also hold a Recruitment Test (RT).
3. Recruitment Test (if held): UPSC announces the date, centres and scheme separately. Where an RT is held, you must clear the minimum standard in both the RT and the interview.
4. Interview: The interview carries 100 marks. The minimum to be considered is 50 for UR/EWS, 45 for OBC and 40 for SC/ST/PwBD candidates.
5. Document check and appointment: Originals are checked, and the Government of NCT of Delhi issues the appointment after medical and character verification.

Common Mistakes That Get UPSC Legal Applications Rejected

In recruitment by selection, many applications fall at the paperwork stage, long before an interview.

• Weak experience proof - A resume, an appointment letter or a pay slip is not an experience certificate. Get a certificate from the head of the organisation, or from the senior advocate you worked under, that states dates and the nature of your legal work.
• Counting the wrong years - Internships, part-time work and guest assignments do not count as full legal experience under UPSC's general instructions.
• Using a non-Delhi OBC certificate for the GNCTD seat -  Read the GNCTD conditions in the advertisement before you claim OBC status.
• Mixing up vacancy numbers - 26091203226 is Law Officer. 26091202226 is Assistant Legislative Counsel. Applying under one does not put you in the race for the other.
• Waiting for a correction window - There is none. Once you submit, the form is final.
• Leaving it to the last evening - A last-day submission leaves no time to fix a failed upload or payment. Aim to submit by 14 October 2026.

How to Prepare for the UPSC Law Officer Interview 2026

If UPSC calls you straight to interview, the 100-mark conversation decides everything. You do not need a generic GK crash course. You need to be sharp on the law the post actually uses.

• Land acquisition law: Know the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, and how it changed the old Land Acquisition Act, 1894. Delhi land cases often involve both.
• Writ jurisdiction: Be ready on Articles 226 and 32, maintainability, and the role of the Government Advocate in defending the State.
• Civil procedure: CPC basics on suits, written statements, injunctions and execution come up in subordinate court work.
• Your own cases: Pick two or three matters you handled. Be able to explain the facts, your role and the outcome in under two minutes each.
• Delhi context: Read up on how land is acquired and allotted in Delhi, including the role of the Delhi Development Authority and alternative plot allotment.

If you want a structured guidance, take a free demo online class or talk to a Judiciary Gold counsellor about the course.