Constitutional Law

Practicing Law In India

This week’s Economist discovers India as the final frontier for global corporate law firms. An Indian court is considering whether the 1961 Indian Advocates Act, which prevents foreign firms from practicing in India, should be liberally interpreted in the context of a dispute between local lawyers and three international law firms that had opened offices in India in the 1990s.

Indian firms are unique, according to the article. They cannot have more than 20 partners, may not advertise on the web, and attorneys are not permitted to provide a business card unless it has been requested.  In addition, the firms play a unique role within the society, being viewed as the “guardians of democracy” and associated with independence from Britain. The question of whether and how to integrate foreign practitioners, particularly in light of an increasing number of international deals, may be on its way to being answered.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on May 08, 2008 (boomark / email).