Indian Lawyers Fear Competition!

These aren't essentially my words! This article in The Telegraph is about the third one I have seen which talks about the opposition from Bar Council of India and other bodies of Indian lawyers opposing the entry of law firms in India.

The 'militant' nature of the lobby is such that they filed a case against a Nigerian trying to practice law. Ironically, the same lobby (of lawyers!) exhibits concern over an archaic law that prohibits law firms from advertising (including using websites) and having more than 20 partners in a firm. If lawyers can't gather to plea to have a law changed, I wonder who can.

The shallowness of the arguments they make (to prohibit foreign law firms from entering India) don't end here.

“If these rules are not amended, we will be no match for the foreign firms with their financial clout, extensive websites and unlimited number of partners,” points out Bhasin

Isn't this like saying we should prevent the rich Coca-Cola from entering because the Campa-Colas can't compete?

Let the customer decide!