Senior Lawyers With 20 Yrs Experience Must Guide At Least 15 Juniors, Opines Supreme Court

Asking the Senior Advocates to devise some modalities to impart guidance to juniors on court-craft and etiquette, the vacation bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and BV Nagarathna said,

"Every senior lawyer who has 20 years of experience in the bar must undertake at least 15 lawyers whom he could guide. Of the 15, at least 5 would come up to the mark. Ultimately the second line has to come which is substantially missing. This has to be filled in a very short period. Some modalities where you can nature the people. The system should continue in the same fashion the way it's continuing."

Yesterday, Justice Rastogi, addressing senior lawyers who were waiting to mention matters, had observed that juniors should be given more opportunities during vacation.

In the hearing today, when Senior Advocate AM Singhvi requested the bench to devise a uniform rule with regards to appearance of senior counsels during vacations, Justice Ajay Rastogi said,

"We want the young generation of this profession to groom so that by the time the older generation wants to quit, the young generation is ready. There is a gap. This is the last court which needs to settle all the issues."

Recalling her experience, Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora who was also present in court said, "We have all been a beneficiary of that. When I came in, only juniors could mention but also there is a point. Juniors must appear, they would argue but if they have difficulty, the bench would not dismiss it but will give them opportunity to come back maybe after the vacation or on the next date."

"Ms Arora, no problem. We don't want any kind of injustice to anybody," responded Justice Ajay Rastogi.

"Bar Council can also have lectures by those who have experience on various aspects of advocacy, and court etiquette. You have so much experience before so many judges, why can't you have a lecture series so that young members can imbibe from this. You can have a lecture series organized," Justice BV Nagarathna told Singhvi and Arora.

It may be noted that in another case, the Bar Council of India told the Supreme Court that it is examining a proposal made by a High Powered Committee that Senior Advocates or Advocates having 25 years of standing must mandatorily induct at least 5 newly enrolled lawyers in their chambers. Responding to this proposal, amicus curiae Senior Advocate KV Vishwanathan suggested that instead of making it mandatory, incentives be provided to seniors for inducting new graduates. On April 24, a bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul had directed the BCI to examine this suggestion to provide incentives to seniors who take in new law graduates.