Advocates & Lawyers in India

In India, the phrases lawyers and advocates are used interchangeably to refer to legal practitioners. In general usage, there is no bar with using these terms interchangeably.

Lawyer:

A lawyer is a person who practices or studies law, according to the definition. Lawyers in India are graduates who have completed law school but have not yet registered with the Bar Council of India.

Advocate:

An advocate in India is a professional who has finished a law degree and passed the All India Bar Council's license examination. "Advocate" is defined under Section 2(1)(a) of the Advocates Act 1961. The term "Advocate" is defined under the Act as "any advocate listed in any roll under the Advocate Act 1961.

Unless otherwise barred by a statute, the Advocates or lawyers enrolled at the bar can Practice different streams of laws:

The corporate lawyers usually practice in Banking Lawyers, GST Lawyers, Arbitration Lawyers, Lawyers practicing in the area of Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Industrial Projects & Infrastructure Lawyers, Income Tax Lawyers, Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyers, (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) RERA Lawyers, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Lawyers, Intellectual Property lawyers: Trademarks Lawyers, Copyrights, and Patents.

Civil law matters are usually handled by Constitutional Lawyers, Civil Lawyers, Land Acquisition and Fair Compensation Lawyers Matrimonial Lawyers, Education Lawyers, Consumer Lawyers, Family Lawyers, Administrative Lawyers, Labour Court Lawyers, Sports & Media Lawyers, Immigration Lawyers, Indian Stamp Act Lawyers, Human Rights Lawyers, Senior Citizens Lawyers, and Rent & Tenancy Lawyers, Armed Forces Tribunal Lawyers.

The Criminal Lawyers usually represent complicated criminal cases related to the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses matters, matters related to Juvenile Justice Act, cases involving SC/ST Act, Crime Against Women, Prison & Custody disputes, Contempt of Court, Arms Act matters, Sexual harassment disputes, and Information Technology & Cyber Crime.

Senior Advocates in India:

If the Supreme Court or a High Court feels that an advocate with 10 years of experience is worthy of such designation due to his ability, position at the Bar, or unique knowledge or expertise in law, he may be named as a senior advocate with his consent. The designation of an advocate as Senior Advocate is decided by the Full Court of the High Courts or the Supreme Court. Under normal conditions, a senior advocate must be at least 45 years old.

While practicing as a lawyer, Mr. Rohington F. Nariman became a senior advocate at the age of 37. After amending rules of designating advocates as senior, Sh. Rohington Nariman was designated as a senior counsel by Chief Justice Venkatachaliah.

Advocates practicing Indian law in England:

A lawyer practicing Indian law in England and Wales is not obliged to have any further qualifications beyond those gained in India. Commercial ties between India and the UK have developed dramatically in recent years, as have international commercial arbitrations involving Indian companies held in England.

As a result, English barristers have begun to work with Indian lawyers. As a result, a few Indian lawyers have taken up residence in London barristers' chambers as door tenants. These lawyers, on the other hand, are unable to practice English law and can only offer legal advice on Indian law.

References:

Designation of Legal Professionals in India & England

Lawyers in Chandigarh