But in the legal sector someone is clearly trying to force a leapfrog.

“I would be a fool to let go of this opportunity to usher in all the changes I have been dreaming of for the last 30 years,” solicitor general, Bar Council of India (BCI) chief and bar exam architect Gopal Subramanium tells Legally India in this week’s candid interview. He also floats a plan of introducing ethics rules for lawyers and effectively closing down more than 80 per cent of India’s 913 law schools, of which many are commonly acknowledged as being sub-par. But the webs of interests and politics are bound to run deeper than just to the promoters of such colleges.

While the opportunities for change Subramanium has available are unprecedented, the avowed reformist believes - perhaps rightly - that it will take pure force of will to push the changes through, compromises and popularity be damned.

The only major fall-out so far has been around the bar exam. Another writ petition - at least the seventh - was filed against it yesterday in Maharashtra at a hearing attended by almost 300 students as local state Bar Councils are investigating and all the cases are likely to be clubbed into the Supreme Court by next month.

For the moment, Subramanium does not blink, maintaining that it would be “disastrous” to postpone or water down the exam, although other options are being considered.

Certainly no one can predict where things will go with only a two-year term in which the BCI head can realise his dream of creating a modern and ethical legal profession. Nevertheless you can bet that whatever does happen will be worth watching.

Most Indian law firms of course have long been successful mainly because of single, strong personalities who take charge, responsibility and the benefits.

In Kolkata the leadership music has been playing for more than a year but now it appears to have stopped and everyone has found their chair. Khaitan & Partners has replaced its Kolkata office head position, which was left vacant by a departure to Amarchand, which in turn had plugged a hole after a defection.

Meanwhile Kochhar & Co has hired a non-India qualified Manchester lawyer and PIO as a partner and consultant to start up a fraud and ethics practice.

Other foreign lawyers increasing their profile in India this week were Allen & Overy, together with Trilegal, who will take their finance course that started at NLSIU Bangalore across India in coming years.

Foreign direct investments in education has been almost as difficult as legal practice, although recent legislative changes could help according to the latest Legal Opinion.

Finally, big deals for AZB and Desai & Diwanji on a $300m private equity investment in two Tata Power companies, while the same two firms and others, including a large number of foreign firms, have dominated the M&A league table for the calendar year so far.

Comment of the week

“One of the biggest changes that a lot of people in the profession (young and old) would like to see is the remuneration / retainers given to young lawyers in litigation,” mooting an interesting suggestion to Gopal Subramanium on how to solve juniors’ pay at the bar.

Best of blogs

• folly_nariman with a very entertaining and well-written slice of law school life - you’ll never look at mooting the same way again.
• sss examines the no-man’s land between ethics and rules - and like all good lawyers, law students particularly know how to bend rules to their will.
• legalpoet with a thoroughly engrossing read by guest blogger Thakur: A plane crash, drugs and a destroyed life, part 1 and part 2.
• legaldrift looks at India’s dying paramilitary forces like the CRPF and exorcism, which is not just the stuff of movies.
• socialmath with an argument put forth less often: was the Bhopal gas disaster verdict in fact “not so bad”?
• Napster writes about the young think-tank RFGI that is looking to bring about a political and legal revolution in India.
• legaltiger with an interesting deconstruction of whether ational law schools are legally allowed to use the word “national”
• Halleboose explains how life as a hot shot lawyer doesnot always pan out in a straight line.
• napster on why law students fall in love. The answer: it is an extra-curricular activity.
• Bihari Babuu talks about his cow Gulabo, its intestines and getting fired from a law firm.
• Legalbeagle’s back with a catchy rhyme on how gin and humiliation create good advocacy.
• And finally, False News With Balls documents the latest landmark widening of human rights by the SC to include Nimbu Paani.

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