The Indian government has begun talks with the Bar Council of India on the opening of the legal market to foreign law firms, according to a PTI report..The same report quotes Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher as saying,.“We have taken a note on legal services to Committee of Secretaries (CoS). The CoS will talk about it shortly.”.He added that they are broadly converging on the idea that there is a need to open up the sector in a calibrated manner. He said,.“There is a need to bring in certain amount of competition in the sector. But the area of litigation will not be opened up.”.Kher also revealed that the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) were involved in the talks..Earlier, SILF had recommended a phased sequential approach for the entry of foreign law firms in India. The approach involves making the present environment more conducive for domestic law firms and imposing conditions on foreign law firm presence and practice..Now that the Ministry of Commerce has set the wheels in motion, it will be interesting to see how and when the Committee of Secretaries approves the proposal.
The Indian government has begun talks with the Bar Council of India on the opening of the legal market to foreign law firms, according to a PTI report..The same report quotes Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher as saying,.“We have taken a note on legal services to Committee of Secretaries (CoS). The CoS will talk about it shortly.”.He added that they are broadly converging on the idea that there is a need to open up the sector in a calibrated manner. He said,.“There is a need to bring in certain amount of competition in the sector. But the area of litigation will not be opened up.”.Kher also revealed that the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) were involved in the talks..Earlier, SILF had recommended a phased sequential approach for the entry of foreign law firms in India. The approach involves making the present environment more conducive for domestic law firms and imposing conditions on foreign law firm presence and practice..Now that the Ministry of Commerce has set the wheels in motion, it will be interesting to see how and when the Committee of Secretaries approves the proposal.
