The Society of Indian Law Firms, a conglomerate of prominent law firms, on Friday expressed several concerns about the manner and timing of the Bar Council of India to allow entry of foreign law firms into India, saying it would expose the country to surrogate practices where foreign lawyers and foreign firms could control Indian lawyers and Indian law firms.

On March 15, the BCI permitted foreign lawyers and law firms to practise in "non-litigious matters". “While a foreign government or competent authority may acknowledge reciprocity, other discriminatory practices like immigration rules and work permits can make a mockery of reciprocity. Free movement of professionals across borders, on an equal basis, is necessary to establish real and meaningful reciprocity. Even as the rules lack substance, BCI can't be expected to have the wherewithal to deal with complex international relationship issues like ‘reciprocity’,” SILF president Lalit Bhasin and associate president Jyoti Sagar said.