The largest law firm in India, Fox Mandal Little, has taken the unprecedented step of writing to the Indian Attorney General in an effort to open the legal market to foreign law firms.
 
"Fox Mandal Little, as India's largest law firm, has carefully considered this issue," the letter from managing partner Som Mandal (pictured) said.
 
"We believe on balance that the public interest would benefit from the entry of foreign lawyers subject to appropriate safeguards," he said.
 
Currently, foreign lawyers are not permitted to practise in India due to provisions of India's Advocates Act.
 
The letter says the Indian system should be modeled on jurisdictions that allow foreign firms to open offices and practise international law, but not local law, such as the UK and Singapore. Indian firms can already open offices in these jurisdictions, Mandal pointed out.
 
"The Bar Council of India should study the Singapore model and UK model and come out with some rules and regulations for foreign law firms and allow them to operate within those frameworks," he said.
 
Mandal recommended that the Ministry of Law & Justice, the Attorney General's office and the Bar Council of India form a committee to set up rules for foreign practice in India.
 
Mandal also issued a damning assessment onf its local competitors.
 
"Most of the leading Indian law firms are against entry of foreign law firms as they are not ready to take competition, and neither are they competent enough to be absorbed by a foreign law firm, and therefore want to follow the middle path of the status quo," he said.