The Gujarat High Court has ruled that only advocates aged 45 and above can be designated as Senior Advocates, also directing them to mentor 2-3 young lawyers with less than three years of bar experience.
The Gujarat High Court implemented a minimum age requirement of 45 years for individuals seeking the designation of Senior Advocate. Additionally, Senior Advocates are prohibited from mentioning cases for adjournments.
The new regulations also stipulate that Senior Advocates must mentor at least 2 to 3 young lawyers who have less than three years of experience in the legal field.
The ‘The High Court of Gujarat (Designation of Senior Advocates) Rules, 2025’ were officially notified on September 16, bringing these modifications into effect.
According to the new rules,
“He or she shall neither appear for mentioning for any matters before the Court nor should he/she appear for getting adjournments. [They] shall mentor and maintain minimum 2 to 3 young lawyers with less than 3 years of experience.”
Aspiring candidates must have a minimum of 20 years of experience at the bar, typically practicing before the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad or at district courts and specialized tribunals to qualify for the title. Furthermore, candidates are required to have engaged in pro bono legal work and demonstrate “ability, legal acumen, special knowledge or distinction and reputation achieved in the practice of law.”
The rules specify that,
“He or she has not been convicted by a competent court of law and should not have been punished for an offence involving moral turpitude or contempt of court or should not have been punished by the Bar Council of Gujarat or by the Bar Council of India for any act of misconduct.”
The process for designating Senior Advocates will occur at least once a year through a permanent Secretariat established by the Chief Justice of the High Court.
Each application must be endorsed by two Senior Advocates with a minimum of ten years of standing, and practitioners before the High Court are required to submit 50 judgments from the last five years. Information on applicants from outside the High Court may be obtained from judicial officers.
Eligible applications will then be presented to the Full Court, whose decision will be final, whether by consensus or majority.
If an application is rejected, a new submission can only be made after a period of two years.
Additionally, the Senior designation may be revoked by a full court decision for professional misconduct or other specified reasons.
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