Indian Bar Council lifts web ad restrictions
The Bar Council of India has lifted restrictions on law firm websites, allowing Indian lawyers to launch their own websites giving basic information about themselves to prospective clients.
The decision comes after local lawyer VB Joshi filed a petition in 2000 challenging the Bar Council’s Rule 36, which bans lawyers in India from any type of advertising or soliciting for new clients.
The Bar Council has amended the rule, allowing lawyers to put basic information on their sites, including names and addresses, telephone numbers, areas of practice and their academic qualifications.
The Supeme Court of India is reviewing the decision but is yet to come to a conclusion on the legality of law firm websites.
The amendment does not yet stretch to other types of advertising, such as publishing brochures or being included in legal directories, but is being seen as a symbolic step forward towards the liberalization of India’s legal market. As the law stands, foreign firms are banned from practicing law in India.
Readers' comments (4)
Anonymous | 1-Aug-2008 5:43 pm
ibc
its good that some corrective measures have been taken by the bar counsel of india. the lawyers should be given a free hand to conduct business by displaying their websites.
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Sandeep Sharma | 2-Aug-2008 6:49 am
Good
Great! At last the courts have realised that in this age of liberalisation you cannot stop the professionals such as lawyers to publicise. Though a belated move, nevertheless an encouraging step in the right direction.....
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Anonymous | 8-Aug-2008 12:35 pm
Finally
Finally the Indian Bar and the Judiciary is waking up to the Internet ...... but I think this has more to do with the inevitable opening up of the Indian legal market for foreign lawyers.
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Anonymous | 10-Sep-2008 7:44 am
Still waiting
There does not seem to have been any concrete, publicly announced steps on this as yet. The Bar Council drags its feet yet again.
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