Bar Council of India’s evolving policy reveals more restrictions than reforms, diluting the intent of the 2023 foreign lawyer framework

By Divya Sridhar

What was initially heralded as a watershed moment for India’s legal landscape has proven to be a false dawn. In March 2023, the Bar Council of India (BCI) announced rules permitting foreign lawyers and law firms to practice in the country. However, subsequent press releases have revealed stiff resistance to foreign law firms, even when collaborating with local lawyers, effectively undermining the liberalisation that the original policy purported to introduce.

The Bar Council of India’s Rules for Registration and Regulation of Foreign Lawyers and Foreign Law Firms were presented as a step towards opening India’s legal market to inter

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