India Considers Opening Its Doors to U.K. Law Firms.

For law firms with global ambitions, India has long held promise as a potentially growing and lucrative market for legal services. Many firms have developed robust India practices, representing Western companies doing business in the country or Indian companies in their business dealings abroad.
But one sizable roadblock stands in the way of U.S. and U.K. firms: Indian law restricts foreign firms from opening offices in the country.
Indian attorneys have even sued U.S. and U.K. firms in the past, contending that the firms have violated Indian trade regulations by practicing law in India.
There are signs, however, that India is considering opening its doors at least partially to foreign firms.
India’s Law Minister Salman Khurshid and the U.K.’s Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth Clarke recently agreed to begin work on an arrangement in which India would allow entry to U.K. law firms and the U.K., in turn, would open its doors to Indian firms, the Hindustan Times reports. (It’s unclear whether U.S. firms would be invited to the party.)
“We understand the UK firms want to open offices in India for non-litigation purposes — mainly drafting of business contracts, deeds, agreements and other similar works,” said Ashok Parija, the chairman of the Indian body that regulates the legal profession. “We will negotiate with our UK counterparts to work out a principle of reciprocity, which will benefit both sides.”
Here’s another article on the development from the Economic Times, which reports that Khurshid recently assured the UK’s Clarke that the Indian government would move quickly to address U.K. firms’ desires to open offices in the country.
Still, the Economic Times reports, many Indian lawyers fear the competitive threat posed by foreign firms and remain opposed to lowering India’s barriers to entry.