Dear Madam,
I read with interest the story in your December/January issue on the court case related to foreign law firms with representative offices in India (Verdict due on foreign law firms).
With huge foreign investments pouring into India’s rapidly growing economy and Indian businesses conducting more international transactions, India has become an attractive market for foreign law firms. Nevertheless, if foreign firms were allowed to establish a presence in India, it would certainly have an adverse impact on Indian law firms in terms of the dilution of Indian and international clients who are conducting cross-border transactions. As a consequence, smaller Indian law firms may be forced to merge with foreign firms to safeguard their long-term survival.
India is a signatory to the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and is therefore obliged to open up its service sectors, including legal services, to other member nations. However, it is a fact that Indian lawyers are still not allowed to practise law in member countries like the US or the UK.
