12/10/2016 OverviewoftheLegalProfessioninIndia|UIAUnionInternationaledesAvocats

OverviewoftheLegalProfessioninIndia
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ByAmalKumarGanguli,CoDirectorofNationalandRegionalActivities

A.INTRODUCTION

Thoughfederalinstructure,theunitarycharacterofIndiaunderitsConstitutionhasinfluencedthecountrytohaveaunifiedbar.Thepreconstitutionallegalframework
hadtoundergoatransformationinthebackdropofthestrugglebythepeopleofIndiatoachieveitsfreedomfromthecolonialrulersandtheeventualadoptionofa
democratic,republicanConstitution.

TheIndianlegalprofessionisoneofthelargestintheworld,withover1.4millionenrolledadvocatesnationwide.TheestimatedtotalvalueoftheIndianlegalmarketas
of2010wasapproximatelyUSD1.25billion.Thelegalprofession,evolvingasithasdonefromcolonialIndia,hasundergoneahugetransformationsinceits
independence.Theeffortsofthemembersofthebartoachieveexcellenceinallspheresoftheirpractisethroughstiffcompetitionisnotonlyapparentintheirevery
dealingwithnewerchallengesduetotechnologicalandotherdevelopments,butalsointherecognitionearnedbytheminaglobalizedworld.Historically,themembers
ofthebarhaveprovidedleadershipatanationalaswellasinternationallevel.Thecurrentpotentialismuchhigher.

B.LEGALPROFESSIONISREGULATEDBYADVOCATESACT,1961

TheAdvocatesActof1961amendedandconsolidatedthelawrelatingtolegalpractitionersandprovidedfortheconstitutionoftheStateBarCouncilsandanAllIndia
BartheBarCouncilofIndiaasitsapexbody.TheBarCouncilofIndiaiscomprisedoftheAttorneyGeneralofIndiaandtheSolicitorGeneralofIndiaasitsexofficio
members,aswellasonememberelectedfromeachoftheStateBarCouncils.ThemembersoftheStateBarCouncilsareelectedforaperiodoffiveyears.Somemain
functionsoftheBarCouncilofIndiaare:

(1)Tolaydownstandardsofprofessionalconductandetiquetteforadvocates

(2)TolaydowntheproceduretobefollowedbyitsdisciplinarycommitteeandthedisciplinarycommitteeofeachStateBarCouncil

(3)Topromoteandsupportlawreform

(4)TopromotelegaleducationandtolaydownstandardsofsucheducationinconsultationwiththeUniversitiesinIndiaimpartingsucheducationandtheStateBar
Councils

(5)Toorganiselegalaidtothepoorintheprescribedmanner

(6)TorecogniseonareciprocalbasisforeignqualificationsinlawobtainedoutsideIndiaforthepurposeofadmissionasanadvocateinIndia.

TheBarCouncilofIndiaisledbyaChairmanandaViceChairman,whoareelectedfromamongstthemembersoftheCouncilforaperiodoftwoyears.

EachoftheStatesinIndiahasaStateBarCouncil.EachoftheStateBarCouncilshasavaryingnumberofmembersdependinguponthenumericalstrengthof
advocatesonitsrolls,whoareelectedtothemembershipoftheStateBarCouncilinaccordancewiththesystemofproportionalrepresentationbymeansofasingle
transferablevoteamongstadvocatesontheelectoralrolloftherespectiveStateBarCouncil.Inthecaseofanelectoratenotexceedingfivethousandmembers,the
StateBarCouncilshallconsistof15members,whileinthecaseofanelectorateexceedingfivethousandbutnotmorethantenthousand,thestrengthoftheCouncil
shallbetwentymembers.Iftheelectorateexceedstenthousand,thestrengthoftheCouncilshallbetwentyfivemembers.Additionally,eachoftheStateBarCouncils
countstheirrespectiveAdvocateGeneralsasexofficiomembers.EachStateBarCouncilisheadedbyaChairman,whoisassistedbyaViceChairmanandSecretary.

C.ROLEOFBARCOUNCILOFINDIAANDSTATEBARCOUNCILS

(1)RulesonProfessionalStandards

TheBarCouncilofIndialaysdownrulespertainingtostandardsofconductandprofessionaletiquettetobemaintainedbylawyersincourt,withclientsandopponents,
andtowardsfellowadvocates.DisciplinaryproceedingsagainstthosewhoviolatetherulesareinitiatedbytheDisciplinaryCommitteeofStateBarCouncils,andtheBar
CouncilofIndiaactsasanappellateauthorityforthesame.

(2)LegalEducation

TheBarCouncilofIndiaisresponsibleforthepromotionoflegaleducationandlaysdownthestandardsoflegaleducationinconsultationwithuniversities.TheBar
Councilapprovescentresoflegaleducation,andalsoprescribestypesandstandardsofcoursesofstudy,eligibilityforadmission,infrastructurerequirementsand
coursestructures.TheBarCouncilalsovisitsandinspectsthesecentresoflegaleducationaspartofitsstatutoryfunctions.

TheBarCouncilwasalsoresponsibleforkickstartingthenextlevelofevolutioninlegaleducationinthecountrythroughthefoundingofthefirstNationalLawSchoolof
IndiaUniversityinBangalore.Theestablishmentofthispremierlawschoolhasbroughtaboutaparadigmshiftinteachingofandresearchoflaw.Studentsfromthe

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NationalLawSchoolssetupindifferentpartsofthecountryhaveshoneattheinternationalstagethroughwinningprestigiousmootssuchasthePhilipC.Jessup
InternationalLawMootCompetitionandtheWillemC.VisInternationalArbitrationMootCourtCompetition.AlumnioftheNationalLawSchoolshavegoneontojointop
lawfirmsintheworld,andalsoimportantbodiessuchastheUnitedNations,thePermanentCourtofInternationalArbitration,theWorldBankandtheWorldTrade
Organization,tonameafew.

TheBarCouncilofIndiaalsoinitiatedtheAllIndiaBarExaminationfromtheyear2010,whichisacompulsoryexaminationforalllawgraduatesseekingenrolmentas
advocates.ThishasbeenundertakenbytheBarCounciltoraisethestandardsofthebar,andencouragelegaleducation.

(3)TheBarCouncilofIndiaTrust

TheBarCouncilofIndiaTrustisapubliccharitabletrustwhichaimstofurtherlegalresearchandeducation.TheTrustpublishesaquarterlyjournalknowncalledthe
IndianBarReview.Italsoconductsanationalmootcourtcompetition,andvariousseminarsandworkshopsaspartofitscontinuingLegalEducationProgramme.A
FellowshipandPlacementSchemeforjuniorlawyerstorenderfinancialassistancetothebestcandidateswasinitiatedandisbeingcontinuedbytheTrust.

(4)BarAssociations

ApartfromtheBarCouncilofIndiaandtheStateBarCouncils,almosteverycourtinthecountryhasBarAssociationsofadvocatesthatoperateatalessformallevel.
Thesebarassociationslookafterthewelfareofadvocates,representtheirinterests,andconductnumeroussocialandculturalactivitiesofthebar,orevendifferent
sectionsofthebar.TheSupremeCourtBarAssociationandtheSupremeCourtAdvocatesonRecordAssociationisanexampleoftwooftheassociationsthatthrive
sidebyside.

D.CLASSESOFPRACTICIONERS

(i)Individuals:SeniorAdvocatesandAdvocates

AdvocatesaredividedintotwoclassesSenioradvocatesandotheradvocates.LawyerscanbedesignatedassenioradvocatesbytheSupremeCourtoranyofthe
21HighCourts.AdvocatesaredesignatedasSenioradvocateswiththeirconsent,iftheSupremeCourtorHighCourtisofopinionthatbyvirtueoftheirability(standing
attheBarorspecialknowledgeorexperienceinlaw)theyaredeservingofthatdistinction.Only1%ofthelawyersconstitutethiselitegroupofseniorlawyerswhowield
exemplaryinfluenceintheprofession.Senioradvocatesenjoypriorityofaudience.Asenioradvocatedesignatedbyonecourtisrecognizedasaseniorinothercourts
aswell.ItisonlytheSeniorAdvocateswhohaveacombinedseniorityrollmaintainedbytheBarCouncilofIndia.Senioradvocateshavecertainrestrictionsplaced
uponthembytheAdvocatesAct,1961andtheBarCouncilofIndia.Theycannotappearwithoutaseparatebriefingadvocate(or,intheSupremeCourt,anAdvocate
onRecord).Seniorsareforeclosedfromdraftingpleadingsandconveyancesortakingevidence(BarCouncilofIndiaRules2009,Part6,Ch.1).ASenioradvocateis
notallowedtoacceptanybriefdirectlyfromaclient.Thereasonsfortheserestrictionsaretoenhanceopportunitiesfortheyoungermembersofthebar,aswellas
enabletheseniormembersofthebartospendtheirtimeprofitablyonresearchandacademia.

(ii)LawFirmsFromaSolicitorsPractisetotheModernCorporateSector

LawfirmswerealwayspresentinIndia,butwererestrictedmainlytotheMetropolitancitiesofBombay,CalcuttaandMadrasbeforeIndiasIndependencein1947.These
citieshadfirmsofsolicitors,aswellasattorneys.Thedualsystemofclassificationbetweensolicitorsandattorneyswasabolishedin1970withuniformenrolmentas
advocates,butinBombayandCalcuttathesystemofduallicenseisstillfollowed,andexaminationsarestillconductedforpersonswhowishtoqualifyassolicitors,
uponthecompletionofathreeyeartrainingperiodinasolicitorsofficeasanarticleclerkandthepassingofasolicitorsexam.

Withtheopeningupoftheeconomy,therearelawfirmsinalmosteverycityinIndia.MajorlawfirmshavetheirpresenceineveryStateandcitywithaHighCourt,as
wellasincommercialcentresthroughoutthecountry.Thelawfirmsegmenthasbeenthemosttouchedbyglobalizationandhasseentremendousgrowth,contributing
heavilytotransactionalandlitigationwork.TheyalsoattractthebesttalentfromlawschoolsinIndia.

TheimpactofglobalizationnecessitatedrecognitionofLimitedLiabilityPartnerships(LLPs)toenablethelawfirmstomeetthenewchallenges.In2008,theLimited
LiabilityPartnershipsActwaspassedwhichrecognizeslawfirmswithmorethan20partnersandenablesthemtolimittheirliability.

(iii)TheFocusonLitigationPractice

DespitetheemergenceoftheNationalLawSchoolsandrisingstandardsinlegaleducation,therearestillnotenoughlitigatinglawyerstokeepupwiththedemands
ofIndiasburgeoningpopulation.Thereisalotofpotentialforthefurthergrowthofthebar.Theconcentrationofadvocatesandlawfirmsismostlyinthebigcities.In
towns,urbanareasandinvillagestheadvocatesaremostlyinvolvedinprivatepractise.TherearealsosomedistinctivefeaturesoftheIndianlegalprofessionwhich
perhapsarequitesurprisinglysimilartothoseofthepreindependenceeraandperhapsmakeitunique,whichMarcGalanterfindsinhisarticleentitledTheIndian
LegalProfessionintheAgeofGlobalization(2012).ThesefeaturesformthecorestructureofthelegalprofessioninIndia:

(a)IndividualisticapproachLawyersmostlypractisebythemselvesi.e.theyhavetheirownchamber/officeassistedbyclerksandafewjuniorsdependingupontheir
seniority.Andincaseofthelawfirms,mostofthemarenotorientedtowardslitigation.

(b)Mostofthelawyersareorientedtowardscourts.SoifanadvocatepractisesatDelhiHighCourt,mostofhistimewillbededicatedtothisparticularcourt.Even
thoughthesedays,someofthelawyershavestartedflockingtoothercourts,butsuchcasesarerestrictedtoafewlawyersonly.

(c)Courtroomadvocacycontinuestoremainthecentralpointoftheprofession.Morefocusislaidontheoralargumentsmadebeforethecourtthanwritten
submissions.ItreflectsthedominanceoftheEnglishbarristermodelintheIndianbarand,withthekindofprevalentremunerationstructure,itonlyreinforcesits
dominance.

(iv)TheShiftAwayfromLitigationtoCorporateLawFirms

Thetrendinrecenttimeshasseenthelawgraduatesfromprestigiouslawschoolsgravitatingtowardsthelawfirmsandcompanies,ratherthanlitigation.The
reasonsforthismaybebecauseyounglawyersinlitigationdonotearnasmuchattheoutset,ascomparedtotheircounterpartsinlawfirmswhoarepaidhandsomely.
Furthermore,thegestationperiodforalitigatinglawyerisquitelongwhencomparedtocareersatlawfirmsandcompanies.

E.ETHICS

InIndiathelegalprofession,tothisdate,isconsideredanobleprofessionandtherebystillassessedbystandardsoflegalethicsthatmayseemoutdatedinmanyother
jurisdictionsabroad,butareconsideredaveryimportantpartofthelegalprofessioninIndia,despitethechangeinthinkingthatliberalisationhasinevitablybrought.The
BarCouncilofIndiastillmaintainsstrictstandardswithrespecttothelegalcommunity.AnexampleofthisisRule36oftheBarCouncilofIndiaRuleswherebytheIndian
Lawfirms/lawyersarenotallowedtoadvertisetheirpractiseinthemarket.Thejudiciaryhasacknowledgedthesubstanceofthisrestrictioninvariouscases.Thatis
nottosaythattheBarCouncilofIndiahasbeencompletelyblindtotherealitiesofliberalisation,aswouldbeevidentfromitsdecisiontoamendRule36andadda

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provisoallowingadvocatestomaintainwebsitesaboutthemselvesortheirlawfirmsinordertodisseminateinformation,inordertoenablepeopletomakeinformed
choices.

TheBarCouncilofIndiaisprogressivelyreviewingtheethicalstandardswiththedemandsofourtime,inordertostrikethebestbalance.Recently,theBarCouncilin
aseminaronProfessionalEthicsconsideredwhethertoreformstandardsofethicsandprofessionalconductinIndiainordertobetterreflectthestandardsofthe
InternationalBarAssociation,ofwhichitisamember,andstandardsundertheUIARules.Champertyandcontingencyfeearrangementshavealwaysbeenillegalin
India,andthereisnothingtosuggestthatthereisanyreasonforchangingsuchthinkinginthenearfuture.

F.FOREIGNLAWFIRMS

Aseemingresistancetotheentryofforeignlawfirmsbythemembersofthebarisprimarilyfoundedonreciprocity.TheIndianBarisnotinsulatedfromtheimpactof
globalizationnorisitaversetocompetition.TheexpectationisonlythattheforeignlawfirmsarewelcomeinIndiaonasimilarreciprocalrecognitionofIndian
lawyersandlawfirmsbyothercountries.TheprofessionalservicessectorinIndiahasalreadyopeneditsdoorstotheforeignaccountancyfirms,engineering
multinationalsandarchitecturefirms.Thelegalprofessioncannotremaintoofaraway.

IndiabeingasignatorytotheGeneralAgreementonTradeinServices(GATS),whichisanorganoftheWorldTradeOrganization(WTO),itisanticipatedthatitmay
soonappreciateitsobligationtoopenuptheservicessectortoMemberNations.LegalServicesareincludedinthelistofrecognizedservicesunderGATS,which
obligatesIndiatoopenthemarketstotheforeignlawfirmsandforeignlawyers.ManymemberssuchastheUS,EU,Australia,Singapore,Japan,China,Switzerland,
NewZealandandBrazilhaverequestedthatIndiashowitscommitmenttoitsobligationsundertheGATS.Theserequestshavealsobeenreflectedintheprocessof
plurilateralrequestswhicharemostlyforFLCsinonlycorporateandinternationallaw.ThereisnosuchrequesttopracticedomesticlawinIndiancourts.These
requestsareonlyfortheirengagementinaconsultativecapacity.Therearerequestsforcommercialassociationbetweenforeignandlocallawyersandfirmsoncertain
termsandconditions.

G.CONCLUSION

TheIndianlegalprofessionhasgrownoverashortperiodoflessthan50yearstobecometheworldslargestbranchoftheprofession.WithinIndia,itisoneofthe
mostinfluentialprofessionshavinganinvolvementinthegovernanceofthecountry.ItsufficientlyreflectsthediversityofIndiansociety,itssocialhierarchiesandrealities,
andyetperformsefficientlyindeliveringjusticetolitigantsthroughCourts,despitethemassivepressuresthatCourtsandlegalinstitutionsfunction,givenhow
unimaginablyoverburdenedtheyalwaysare.TheunitarystructureoftheIndianbarcomesacrossasabooninthisregard.

Duetoglobalization,theeffectsoftheworldeconomyarebeingfelt,withforeignlawfirmsseekingentryintotheIndianspaceandIndianlawfirmshandling
transactionswithglobalimplications.Atthesametime,thecorepractiseoflawstillrevolvesaroundthecourtsinIndia,andthemajorityofthebarisinvolvedinpractise
beforethecourts.Thisproducesameltingpotofideasandopinions,andtheresultisabarwhichisevolvingthroughreformsinlegaleducationandethicsandatthe
sametime,isfortifiedbytraditionsthathavestoodthetestoftime.Itisinevitablethatasthenatureoflegalservicessoughtbytheconsumersoflegalservicechange,
withtheinevitabilitiesofliberalisation,theprofessioninIndiawillevolveandrisetothechallengesthattheyraise.ContinuingLegalEducation(CLE)initiativeswillneed
tobefostered.ThereisnodoubtthatthelegalprofessioninIndiawillalwaysworkcloselywithallstakeholdersconcernedtoimproveaccesstojusticeforallandhelp
realiseourConstitutionalidealsforpeoplefromallwalksoflife.

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