Lawyers in India are a critical part of the Indian justice delivery system. Lawyers practice all areas of law, including civil law, criminal law, corporate law, and environmental law. They appear in court on behalf of clients and provide clients with legal advice. Any dispute may involve issues regarding either the property, money, individuals, rights, or governance of a corporation, and lawyers exercise the legal and administrative means available to individuals and corporations so that they may have a voice in the legal process.

Legal Services across Areas of Practice

Law firms in India can provide various legal services of a wide variety and may cover various legal and regulatory issues. Relevant legal and regulatory issues can include family law, tax law, intellectual property, dispute resolution, environmental law, and digital compliance. A number of law firms in India, specifically mid-size and larger firms, are structured in a way that has divisions for each area of law practice, and each division has created exclusive policies and procedures in order to provide clients in need of specific legal practice expertise with the right guidance. Further, Indian law firms provide clients with regulatory filing support, legal documentation, and representation in any form of administrative compliance or dispute resolution.

Law Firms and Their Presence in India

Law firms in India, factorably, are usually located in metropolises/cosmopolitan cities, specifically areas like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. In terms of characteristics, there are basically two types of law firms: boutique and full-service. Boutique law firms typically practice in one area of the law, whereas full-service law firms provide legal services in a multi-disciplinary and full-service way. Accordingly, as globalisation continues to ramp up (international business transactions, foreign direct investments, and arbitrations involving Indian parties), law firms in India are involved in cross-border work and disputes more often, which suggests a growing trend amongst law firms.

Legal Innovation and Policy Engagement

Several lawyers/law firms in India also engage on some level with the legal revolution in relation to policy engagement, public interest litigation, legal education and academia. Some law firms in India may initially engage through an academic or research institution, or a quasi-governmental or governmental committee, with the purpose of offering or informing a future law or policy recommendation regarding the resolution of problems in a sector. There is an increasing trend that all legal engagements become more technology-focused, and lawyers' technology use is on the rise with respect to connecting their work with technology and digital applications in respect of the meetings with clients and case management.