SCAORA Condemns Forbes India ‘Top 25 Advocates-on Record’ Lists As ‘Misleading’& ‘Unauthorised’
Forbes India has come under the scanner over its decision to publish a list of top 25 Advocates-on-Record as a part of its annual ‘Legal Powerlist’, with the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association criticising the document as ‘misleading’ and against the interests of advocates. According to a resolution dated January 23, the association has unanimously...
Forbes India has come under the scanner over its decision to publish a list of top 25 Advocates-on-Record as a part of its annual ‘Legal Powerlist’, with the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association criticising the document as ‘misleading’ and against the interests of advocates. According to a resolution dated January 23, the association has unanimously condemned “such misleading and unauthorised information being spread by an organisation, as the same amounts to a clear case of misrepresentation and undermines the interests of the Advocates on Record of the Supreme Court”. Judges of the top court have also been urged by the lawyers’ association to take into consideration their concern in the ‘larger interest’ of legal professionals.
A top office-bearer of the SCAORA, who preferred to remain anonymous, told LiveLaw, “The organisation feels that a private body is not competent to judge advocates in this manner. What are the parameters on which they are being judged?” “This is against professional ethics because it amounts to publicising those advocates,” he added, referring to the rules that bar advocates from advertising their professional services.
This is the third consecutive year that will see the publication of the list by Forbes India. The final list of winners in all seven categories, namely, in-house lawyers, individual lawyers, managing partners, law firms, general counsel, advocates-on-record, and law firm management professionals, will likely be announced in the last week of February.
Notably, as per the website, a fee is required to be submitted to nominate an individual or a firm. The early bird or discounted nomination fee for the Advocates-on-Record category in the Forbes India Legal Powerlist 2022 is Rs 20,000, while the original price is Rs 30,000.