“The legal services sector is one of the most restricted sectors, not only in India but also across the world,” this report for the British High Commission finds. “Most regulations including restrictions on the advertisement of legal services, organizational forms that are permissible, and the practicing of domestic law by foreign lawyers and law firms have been in force in the country for more than 50 years.”

“Using information collected on perceptions of costs and benefits of reforms through a survey of business enterprises and law firms (consumers and providers of legal services), and secondary research, this study finds that economic benefits outweigh the costs of reforms in India’s legal services sector. The study also considers the experience of other developed and developing countries with respect to reforms in legal services sectors, to assess what the likely costs and benefits of such reforms in India would be.”

The other countries whose reforms are examined are: Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, and the UK.