Today, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has allowed foreign lawyers and law firms to practice foreign law in India on a reciprocity basis.

The BCI has come out with the Bar Council of India Rules for Registration and Regulation of Foreign Lawyers and Foreign Law Firms in India, 2022 to enable international lawyers and arbitration practitioners to practice in India.

The Objects and Reasons of the Rules state:

"Time has come to take a call on the issue. Bar Council of India is of the view that opening up of law practice in India to foreign lawyers in the field of practice of foreign law; diverse international legal issues in non-litigious matters and in international arbitration cases would go a long way in helping the legal profession/domain grow in India to the benefit of lawyers in India too."

"...it would be mutually beneficial for lawyers from India and abroad and these Rules are an attempt by Bar Council of India in this direction. These rules will also help to address the concerns expressed about the flow of Foreign Direct Investment in the country and making India a hub of International Commercial Arbitration...Let us ensure that an opportunity for creating development and growth for legal profession and in the legal sphere in India is not lost," it added.