Key facts
- SC flagged 'brain drain' as young lawyers leave the profession
- Directed creation of a welfare fund specifically for young lawyers
- Problem stems from low or no income in early years of practice
- Bar Council of India and state bodies expected to act on order
The Supreme Court of India has sounded the alarm on a deepening crisis within the legal profession, flagging a significant 'brain drain' as talented young advocates quit law practice due to financial hardship and directing the creation of a dedicated welfare fund to support junior lawyers.
The court's observations point to a well-documented structural problem: the early years of practice at the bar are notoriously difficult, with junior advocates often earning little to nothing for years while working long hours as apprentices or junior associates. This financial uncertainty, the bench noted, is pushing promising legal minds away from the profession and into better-paying corporate or other careers.
By directing the creation of a fund specifically for young lawyers, the Supreme Court is pushing bar councils and the government to put in place a formal safety net. While the precise mechanism and corpus of the fund are yet to be determined, the order is expected to spur Bar Council of India and state bar councils into action on a proposal that has been discussed for years without resolution.
Legal observers noted the irony of India's highest court — which handles the country's most complex constitutional questions — having to intervene on the basic welfare of those at the bottom of the legal pyramid. The direction is likely to prompt fresh proposals in Parliament and from the law ministry on a comprehensive junior lawyers' welfare scheme.