It would appear that the Times of India was not overly impressed with the policy shift the All India Bar Association (AIBA) announced last week during a visit to London, when it relaxed its opposition to foreign law firms opening in the country (see [2007] Gazette, 8 March, 4).


First of all, rather than a policy shift, the paper described it as 'the lawyers' obliging new position', which means 'India's intensely lucrative legal services market may finally be opened up to foreign law firms by the end of the year'.



But the sceptical tone stepped up a notch after recording AIBA chairman Adish Aggarwala saying he was 'powerfully persuaded by Britain's apparent open-door, open-arms policy on Indian lawyers practising [in England and Wales]'. That seems reasonable enough to us, but observing that Mr Aggarwala had 'seen the light' despite having previously led the campaign against foreign firms, the article continued: 'AIBA's apparent epiphany came during the ongoing all-expenses-paid four-day study visit of British law firms and courts organised by the Law Society.' Chancery Lane's effort was acknowledged by delegation members, the article added, as a 'superlatively canny exercise in legal diplomacy', which was nice of them, despite residual concerns among some that they are opening the way to a 'second colonisation of India'.



A battle may have been won last week, but if this article is anything to go by, Obiter suspects the war is not quite yet over.