BCI proposes establishment of Advocates Academy, Rs.5,000 stipend for young lawyers, Renewal of bar license every 3 years

Yesterday, the Bar Council of India (BCI) held a joint meeting where the representatives of the State Bar Councils and State Bar Associations were present to discuss and formulate schemes and proposals for lawyers..For the continuing legal education, the BCI has resolved to submit the proposal to the Government of India to set up a National Academy at the Centre and 19 Advocates Academy at the State level. At present, Rajasthan and Karnataka are the only two states that have an Advocates Academy..The BCI has also resolved to provide a stipend of Rs. 5,000 to new entrants to the Bar for five years, and proposes to link this scheme with the Legal Service Authority Act, 1987. What this would mean is that those lawyers who receive the stipend would also be providing legal aid to those litigants who are unable to afford legal representation. This proposal will be submitted to the Government through the Ministry of Law and Justice..The BCI has also proposed setting up of E-Library in all states at the district level. The only state to have E-Library at the district level is Gujarat. The BCI Chairman said that they would be asking the government to follow the Gujarat model in all states..The members present at the joint meeting also strongly supported the idea of advocates being exempted from payment of toll tax; the reasoning being that lawyers are doing a form of social service..Another proposal that was mooted at the meeting was requiring Bar licenses to be renewed every three years. The idea behind this is that it would allow a verification of how many advocates are actually practicing, and also help build a database of litigation professionals. This is not the first time such a proposal has been made. Back in 2012, the BCI had mandated that all lawyers have to renew their license every five years.