Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Union Minister of State (in charge) for Law and Justice, on Friday informed that the Advocates Act, 1961, will soon be amended. He was the chief guest at an event organized by the General Counsels' Association India (GCAI)..Meghwal hinted that the amendment will likely be beneficial to GCs. The event focused on granting statutory recognition to General Counsel (GCs), akin to that of practicing advocates under the 1961 law. The theme of the event was rethink, redefine and re-evolve legal profession in India. .GCs are the chief legal officers of companies or organizations. They are responsible for overseeing all legal matters, providing legal advice to executives and management, and ensuring the organization complies with all applicable laws and regulations.Meghwal urged the GCs to wait for the amendment, which might come very soon.In an interactive session with GCs, Meghwal asked them to provide him with a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) analysis of their vocation. The GCs told him that the only weakness they had was the lack of statutory recognition and urged him to act on it. On hearing them, he said, “You have many strengths, one weakness, and multiple opportunities.”The Minister noted that GCs make significant contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by adding to all its baskets (consumption, investment, and exports). “I asked my bureaucrats if it will be detrimental if GCs are statutorily recognized. They had no answer," he added. .Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) president Dr. Lalit Bhasin was also among those who spoke at the January 31 event.“I see no reason why you (GCs) can’t file a writ petition for statutory recognition. If the law officers of the government can appear for private parties, why can’t you appear?” he observed.He, however, urged them to try the administrative route before resorting to litigation. He noted that GCs deserve statutory recognition.The senior lawyer highlighted how service to society is embedded in the legal profession.“Purpose of law school has to be to bring trained students to become good lawyers. It is inherent in this profession that we serve society, service element automatically comes," he said..Retired Supreme Court judges Justices AK Sikri and Hima Kohli were the guests of honor at the event. .Justice (retired) Sikri, who is now serving as the Chairperson of the News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDSA), spoke of how the significance of GCs increased in India with the advent of the free market. He also praised the GCs for their strong knowledge of India’s regulatory framework..Justice (retired) Kohli spoke of how GCs are critical enablers in the fast-evolving legal landscape, considering how various factors like Generative AI have disrupted it. “Our legal ecosystem must now navigate opportunities while addressing challenges of digital transformation," she added. .Other participants at the event included Senior Advocate Pinky Anand; Dr. Shardul Shroff, executive chairman of the law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.; Amit Singh, Partner, Head of the India Group and Head, South and South-East Asia Capital Markets, Linklaters; and Harsh Pais, Partner (London), A&O Shearman, who also spoke on statutory recognition to in-house counsel.
