India News | Definitions of Legal Practitioner, Law Graduate Proposed to Be Tweaked in Amended Law

New Delhi, Feb 13 (PTI) The government plans to amend the Advocates Act by making sweeping changes in the definitions of what a legal practitioner and a law graduate mean.

According to the draft 'Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2025', a law graduate means a person who has obtained a bachelor's degree in law of three or five years or such other duration as prescribed, by any centre of legal education or university established by law or a college affiliated to any university and recognised by the Bar Council of India.

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In the present law, a law graduate means a person who has obtained a bachelor's degree in law from any university established by law in India.

The draft bill defines a legal practitioner as any advocate or law graduate engaged in the practice of law before courts, tribunals or quasi-judicial forums or doing legal work in any private or public organisation including but not limited to statutory and autonomous bodies, domestic and foreign law firms and corporate entities.

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As of now, a legal practitioner means an advocate or vakil of any high court, a pleader, mukhtar or revenue agent.

According to the law ministry, these amendments aim to align the legal profession and legal education with global best practices.

The reforms will focus on improving legal education, equipping lawyers to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world, and raising professional standards, it said.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that the legal profession contributes to the creation of a just and equitable society, and developed nation.

The ministry has sought the views of people on the draft bill.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)