Historic decision to open up India to foreign lawyers

The Law Society of England and Wales welcomes the decision by the Bar Council of India to publish regulations to allow the establishment of foreign lawyers and law firms in India.

Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “We were pleased to meet and discuss this issue with the Bar Council of India and the Law Secretary of India recently.

“The Bar Council of India’s decision is a significant step forward in this long-standing issue and will create huge opportunities for solicitors and Indian advocates in both countries. It will also give a boost to India’s wider economic ambitions.

“We have long campaigned for this historic opening up of India’s legal services sector to foreign law firms. We thank the Bar Council of India and the Indian Ministry of Law and Justice for our constructive and productive discussions on the issue, including during our visit to Delhi last week.

“We look forward to engaging further on the implementation of the regulations, based on reciprocity of access, and on further initiatives to foster collaboration, cooperation and joint practice between Indian advocates and solicitors.

“England and Wales is open to practice by Indian lawyers and law firms, both for temporary practice and permanent establishment, and we are committed to ensuring it remains open.”

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Press office contact: Nick Mayo | 020 8049 4100