PM Modi to Inaugurate BCI’s International Lawyers Conference 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the two-day ‘International Lawyers Conference 2023’ organized by the Bar Council of India (BCI) on September 23rd at Vigyan Bhavan. The inauguration ceremony on Saturday will feature Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud as the chief guest, with Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice of the United Kingdom, Alex Chalk KC, as guests of honor, according to the BCI.

During a press conference held on Wednesday, BCI chairman and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra announced that the prime minister will be inaugurating the event. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest at the valedictory ceremony on September 24th.

The senior advocate stated that several critical issues, including the BCI’s rules governing the entry and regulation of foreign lawyers and offshore law firms, will be thoroughly discussed during the two-day conference. “We plan to engage in discussions on these matters with foreign law firms and their representatives after the valedictory session of this conference,” he added, emphasizing the conference’s potential to greatly benefit the legal fraternity and law students.

Mishra also disclosed that Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, along with three apex court judges – Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice Sanjeev Khanna, and Justice P S Narasimha – will be in attendance at the valedictory ceremony scheduled for Sunday. Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will be present during the inaugural ceremony on Saturday.

According to details provided by the BCI, the conference will feature ten technical sessions covering various topics, including ‘Artificial Intelligence: Transforming the Legal Landscape,’ ‘Intellectual Property Rights in a Borderless World,’ and the ‘Changing Landscape of Criminal Law.’ Several judges from the apex court and other experts will participate in these sessions.

Mishra also announced that during the valedictory sessions, the BCI will, for the first time, honor legal luminaries with the ‘BCI Vidhi Ratna Awards 2023.’ Recipients of these awards include senior advocates K Parasaran, Fali S Nariman, and K K Venugopal. Posthumous honors will be given to senior advocates Ram Jethmalani and Soli J Sorabjee.

Highlighting the significance of these developments, Mishra remarked, “In March of this year, the BCI established rules regarding the entry and regulation of foreign lawyers. In June, during our discussions in London with the Bar Council of England and Wales, the Law Society of England and Wales, and representatives from several multinational law firms, it was evident that they were eager to participate in the entry and regulation of foreign lawyers in our country.” Earlier this year, the BCI made a significant decision to permit foreign lawyers and law firms to practice in areas such as foreign law, international legal matters, and arbitration. The BCI Rules for Registration and Regulation of Foreign Lawyers and Foreign Law Firms in India, 2022, received mixed reactions from bar leaders and eminent lawyers.