LegallyIndia.com

Many law firm lawyers complain that the Bar Council does not represent their interests.

Now Luthra & Luthra partner Vijay Sondhi is running for the Delhi Bar Council elections on a ticket of representing law firms and their lawyers.

But are any law firmites going to vote?

Sondhi (pictured) is running against around 128 other contestants for 25 positions. He told Legally India that he was the only candidate who is also a lawyer practising within a law firm.

"We need representation from practising lawyers," he said, "who understand the negatives and positives of the profession."

"We don't want the Bar Council to be solely a body for advocates working on the disciplinary committee - there has to be lots more importance of practising lawyers and the many issues concerning the welfare of lawyers."

Sondhi said that around 43,000 Delhi advocates were eligible to vote, of whom between 18,000 to 22,000 actually cast their votes.

"Out of this normally law firm lawyers or senior lawyers who don't go to the court, they normally decide not to even come to cast their votes," he argued.

"They see a huge line of a hundred people and they turn back."

Sondhi said that if elected he would raise the issues of lawyers' welfare, put in place systems of placements for young lawyers, take more serious disciplinary actions against lawyers, as well as discuss the entry of foreign law firms.

"I think for the betterment of not only lawyers but the Indian economy, liberalisation is most welcome and always welcome," he explained, "but it has to be done in such a manner that any and every lawyer is not adversely affected."

He said that all lawyers should have a debate on the issue, addressing concerns such as reciprocity, levelling the playing field and the rights of foreign lawyers to practice advocacy.

If elected to the Delhi Bar Council, Sondhi said that there was a "possibility" he would stand for the Bar Council of India (BCI), whose members are drawn from the regional Bar Councils.

He added that he thought he had a very good chance of making it onto the Delhi Bar Council, "provided all my colleagues come and vote".

The vote will be held at the High Court of Delhi on Tuesday 1 December from 9:30am to 12:30pm, and at the Tiz Hazari District Courts of Delhi on 2 December from 9:30am to 4:30pm.

Sondhi is campaigning on the social networking site Facebook.

So, let us know, have you ever voted?