As per the official notification released in March 2023 (Bar Council of India Rules for Registration and Regulation of Foreign Lawyers and Foreign Law Firms in India, 2022), foreign law firms can now start opening branch offices in India to tap into one of the largest legal markets in the world. Currently, the legal sector in India is exhibiting a 40% year-on-year growth, and experts even claim that the entire Indian legal industry is about the size of the USA.
However, there is a catch! Though foreign firms can start their branches in India, they cannot advise on Indian laws, nor can they appear in courts or tribunals. So, even though the Bar Council of India’s latest decision has allowed foreign law firms to operate in India, there are still opportunities for small and mid-sized Indian law firms to navigate this effectively by adopting several strategies.
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