The Bar Council of India is a statutory body established under the section 4 of Advocates Act 1961 that regulates the legal practice and legal education in India.
As per the Advocates Act, the Bar Council of India consists of members elected from each state bar council, and the Attorney General of India and the Solicitor General of India who are ex officio members
Its members are elected from amongst the lawyers in India and as such represents the Indian bar. It prescribes standards of professional conduct, etiquettes and exercises disciplinary jurisdiction over the bar.
It also sets standards for legal education and grants recognition to universities whose degree in law will serve as a qualification for students to enroll themselves as advocates upon graduation
Deal with and dispose of any matter which may be referred by a State Bar Council
Who are Advocates?
An Advocate is defined as “One who assists, defends or pleads for another. One who renders legal advice and aid and pleads the cause of another before a court or a tribunal, a counselor. A person learned in the law, and duly admitted to practice, who assists his client with advice, and pleads for him in open court”. To be an Advocate you must be enrolled in a State Bar Council.
Section 24 of the Advocates Act provides qualifications required for a person to get enrolled as an advocate:
1. The person must be a citizen of India. Even a national of any other country can be admitted as an advocate on a State Roll if he belongs citizens of India who duly qualify the requirement for qualification are permitted to practice law in that country.
2. The person should have completed 21 years of age.
3. The person should have passed a 5 years integrated course after the 12th standard or a 3-year regular law course after graduation. If the degree is from any Foreign University then, the degree must be recognised by the Bar Council of India.
4. Enrolment fee must be paid by the advocate as prescribed by the State Bar Council.
