Now, a law degree and enrolment with respective state Bar Councils will not be enough to be a practising lawyer. Wary of the tendency of law graduates to switch careers after being enrolled, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has introduced a new rule mandating a certificate of practice for advocates i.e. BCI Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules, 2015. The BCI, at a joint meeting of the representatives of all state bar councils, had expressed concern over the growing exodus of lawyers, many of them who shift to other jobs without informing the professional body. An Advocate would not be entitled to practice law unless he holds a valid certificate of practice issued either under BCI All India Bar Examination Rules or the newly amended BCI Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules, 2015. The Certificate of Practice has to be renewed once every five years. According to the BCI, the legal profession is slipping out of the hands of practising advocates. Th...