Above The Law, executive editor Elie Mystal stumbled across this advertisement for what is appears to be NRI law firm Malik Law Chambers, based in Southall, UK, and was stumped by what to make of it.

And frankly, so are we. Watch the video below.

That said, it’s hard not to love the marketing efforts of Mr Malik (one presumes).

And although this video is from 2016 with a measly 1,500-odd views, with all the current hoo-hah around reform of the legal profession, including allowing advertising, and potential liberalisation of India for foreign lawyers, it bears thinking about: how would we want to allow advertisements in the Indian legal profession?

Should ads only be allowed for corporate law firms, targeting ‘sophisticated’ clients such as corporates?

Or should video ads set to music perhaps be banned?

Or should there be a legal advertising standards agency, which would moderate lawyer ads so that they don’t bring the profession into disrepute by making it look fabulous, and which would rapidly become just as useless as the Bar Council of India (BCI) is at enforcing discipline?

On the other hand, in a profession which is all about jugaad and who your uncle is, would advertising not also give first generation lawyers the chance to compete and attract new clients?

On this note, also read:

• Lawyer aggregator websites ban? Of fake news & the perennial confusion around whether lawyers can (and do) advertise
• Of paid news, ‘leading players’ and ‘editorial content’: How Indian law firms advertise
• Column: Legal ads vs legal journalism

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