Q. Consider the following statements regarding Bar Council of India’s (BCI) Rules for Registration and Regulation of Foreign Lawyers and Foreign Law Firms in India, 2022:
1.Under the BCI Rules, foreign lawyers are allowed to appear before Indian courts, tribunals, or statutory authorities.
2.Under the BCI Rules, foreign lawyers and firms can engage in transactional or corporate work such as joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and intellectual property matters on a reciprocal basis.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation –
Statement 1 is incorrect. The BCI Rules do not allow foreign lawyers to directly appear before Indian courts, tribunals, or statutory bodies. They can only practice in association with a registered Indian lawyer.
Statement 2 is correct. The BCI Rules allow foreign lawyers and law firms to engage in transactional or corporate work such as joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and intellectual property matters on a reciprocal basis. This means that foreign lawyers and law firms can practice these areas of law in India only if their home countries allow Indian lawyers and law firms to do the same.
Source: The Hindu
