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General Counsels’ Association of India Urges BCI to Recognise In-House Lawyers as
In a significant move that could reshape India’s legal profession, the has formally petitioned the to amend the and bring thousands of within the fold of “”. The representation, dated , comes in response to the and argues that the time has come to shed the of legal practice that has existed for over six decades.
A profession no longer confined to the courtroom
The was enacted when legal practice essentially meant appearance before courts. Over the years, however, a vast parallel universe of legal work has emerged — corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, arbitration, technology, and governance — much of it performed by qualified lawyers working as General Counsels or in‑house counsel within private, public and joint‑sector organisations.
GCAI, which represents legal leadership across Indian industry, contends that these professionals are engaged in the same as their counterparts in law firms, yet they remain unrecognised and, in many ways, excluded from the organised profession. The representation makes a compelling case that “ should … follow the nature and substance of legal work performed, rather than merely the organisational form in which the lawyer practises ”.
The heart of the demand: a new “legal practitioner”
The core of GCAI’s submission is a proposed amendment to . The current — and even the draft — definition of “legal practitioner” would be expanded to include any law graduate employed in a government or non‑government organisation “for rendering legal advisory, transactional, regulatory, compliance, arbitration, mediation, dispute resolution, litigation management, drafting, documentation, governance or other professional legal functions.” Crucially, the words “private sector, public sector or joint sector organisation” would be inserted after “Government organisation”, ensuring that across the economy are covered.
This change is meant to dovetail with the Bill’s own recognition of modern practice areas — such as artificial intelligence, cyber law, and international transaction practice — which are precisely the fields where in‑house counsels operate daily.
Breathing new life into enrolment and Rule 49
If the definition is broadened, GCAI argues, Section 29 of the Act should be recast to declare that “” — not only “advocates” — are the sole class entitled to practise law. Under the new framework, lawyers who surrendered their upon taking salaried employment would be allowed to revive them, and the period of full‑time employment in a legal role would count as practice.
Consequentially, — which currently treats full‑time employment as a trigger for — would be harmonised. An advocate would not lose merely for being a salaried employee, provided the “principal duties consist of ” . The representation suggests that this recognition could be subject to disclosure to the , continuing professional development, and adherence to ethics and disciplinary standards, but not an automatic disqualification.
Aligning India with global standards and its own aspirations
GCAI points out that most mature legal markets — the UK, the US, Australia, and Singapore — already treat in‑house practice as a legitimate career stream. The representation explicitly ties the reform to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 , asserting that a globally competitive legal‑services ecosystem cannot afford artificial barriers between lawyers performing comparable work in law firms and in corporate legal departments.
“ A Viksit Bharat requires a Viksit Legal Profession — modern, inclusive, professionally regulated, globally competitive and capable of creating opportunities for the next generation of Indian advocates ,” the submission states.
What happens next
The Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is still under consultation, and the BCI has invited stakeholder comments. GCAI’s representation — along with its earlier submissions in 2023, 2024, and 2025 — now places the issue of in‑house recognition squarely on the legislative table. The association has also offered to collaborate in any committee or working group that may be formed to draft the consequential rules and standards.
If accepted, the proposal would not only give professional identity to thousands of salaried lawyers but also create structured career paths for young advocates in corporate India, start‑ups, public sector units, and regulatory bodies — potentially transforming the landscape of legal employment and preventive legal services in the country.
