Overview

• The May 2025 notification restricts foreign lawyers to advisory roles in non-litigious matters involving foreign, international or commercial arbitration law and bars them from court litigation
• A high-level committee chaired by Cyril Shroff has been formed to review the regulations and incorporate feedback from stakeholders across the legal community
• SILF, criticized by BCI for representing only a handful of established firms, established its own committee led by Shardul Shroff on June 17 to propose amendments to the new rules
• BCI is preparing a centralized registry of all law firms and practitioners to create a democratically elected, pan-India organization that includes smaller and regional firms
• The council asserts its reforms will dismantle entrenched monopolies, safeguard Indian legal sovereignty and expand global opportunities for emerging lawyers