The Bar Council of India (BCI) has sent a notice to pan-India law firm DSK Legal, urging it to take down its recent advertisements featuring a Bollywood actor..The notice dated March 20 has said that such promotion clearly violates ethical norms governing the legal profession. Citing Rule 36, Chapter II, Part VI of the BCI Rules, the notice states,"Your advertisement, by engaging a Bollywood actor and implying blind faith in your firm based on its years of practice, directly contravenes these ethical mandates. It commercializes legal practice and misleads the public into believing that tenure along ensures legal excellence. The profession demands that legal practitioners maintain integrity, ensuring that clients rely on their competence rather than promotional tactics.".As reported earlier, the BCI had issued a strict warning against the trend of advocates promoting their services through social media, promotional videos and influencer endorsements.The release was issued at a time when DSK Legal posted a reel on its Instagram handle featuring a Bollywood actor to promote itself. The firm has since deleted the reel from its handle..The video in question shows actor Rahul Bose stating that clients place blind faith in the firm, which recently completed 20 years of work..The BCI notice states,"The script clearly conveys an implication that clients should place "blind faith" in your firm due to its longevity in the profession. Such a portrayal is misleading and unethical, as legal practice should be based on professional merit rather than personal narratives.".Referring to similar notices it had issued in the past, the BCI reiterated that all legal practitioners, firms and associations engaging in legal practice are subject to the Advocates Act, 1961 and the BCI Rules. It goes on to say that celebrity endorsements and advertising practices "undermine the dignity of the legal profession".The BCI has said that if left unchecked, such practices can erode the fundamental values the profession seeks to uphold.Thus, it has directed DSK Legal to remove the "unlawful" advertisement from all digital and social media platforms, and to provide documentary proof of the same.The firm is also required to provide an undertaking that it will not carry out such advertisements or promotional activities in the future.
