Should Indian lawyers be allowed to advertise their ‘noble profession’?

On March 17, the Bar Council of India issued a stern statement warning advocates against the “increasingly prevalent and unethical practice of advocates advertising their legal services”. It prohibited the use of “Bollywood actors, celebrities, and digital media platforms as promotional tools” since law is a “noble profession”, not a “commercial business venture”.

The trigger: a promotional video by law firm DSK Legal starring actor Rahul Bose.

The Bar Council, the statutory body governing lawyers in India, pointed to its rules which prohibit advocates from soliciting work or advertising, directly or indirectly. The council also cited a 2024 Madras High Court judgment emphasising that the law is a “noble profession”. Promotional activities via online platforms, the court ruled, according to the Bar Council’s press release, “severely compromise ethical standards and professional integrity”.

This move reignited a long-standing debate within the legal community. Should lawyers be allowed to advertise their legal services? The reactions of lawyers that Scroll spoke with revealed a fissure within the legal community.

Some lawyers view the bar on advertising as essential for maintaining the dignity of the profession and preventing monopolies by large law firms. Others see the prohibition, at least in its current form, as outdated.

They point to the unavoidable reality of promotions in the digital age and argue...

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