By young, I meant people like Rajshekhar Rao / Jayant Mehta / Madhavi Divan (who have now been designated recently). All of them gave up drafting and filing years before designation. No?

Young lawyers in litigation mean 10-25 years' PQE.

7-10 are budding upcoming lawyers.

0-7 are just junior lawyers.

Do correct me if I am wrong.

>I am yet to see any advocate having a 'counsel practice' drafting petitions/ appeals / applications or even briefing a senior advocate. Even young advocates trying to establish themselves as counsel, never attend conferences with senior advocates. if they get any matter (no matter what the stake), they get somebody else to draft it and file it, they might 'settle' it, but their role is always advisory / supervisory.

Couldn't had been more incorrect

The plot is so bad that anybody who goes to SC even once a week will know that what you have asked makes no sense. You are probably interning somewhere outside Delhi, and you probably picked up a few words from your associates talking about some upcoming matter in SC, and knitted it up to ask this question.

Let me explain why:

In SC, you can't do anything without an AoR. An outstation counsel can never be an AoR. EVERY counsel needs an AoR. You can be a Mukul, Salve, Singhvi, Dwarkadas or what not, but you NEED an AoR for a case. nly other way is that you are a Petitioner in Person. Unless you are MC Mehta, you can't be such a huge litigant.

Karanjawala, ALA etc. are all AoR firms. They provide the same utility to you as any other AoR. They just know the system better than the small time AoRs who do not have a lot of matters, especially those which are corporate
/ commercial in nature.

If you have a 'counsel practice', you are not into drafting / briefing. You are there only for arguing.

Not sure how the question of handholding an AoR (whose primary job is to draft, file and brief) even arises.

I am yet to see any advocate having a 'counsel practice' drafting petitions/ appeals / applications or even briefing a senior advocate. Even young advocates trying to establish themselves as counsel, never attend conferences with senior advocates. if they get any matter (no matter what the stake), they get somebody else to draft it and file it, they might 'settle' it, but their role is always advisory / supervisory.

Young lawyers with 10 years' experience also don't file or brief if they are establishing themselves as a Counsel in SC or Delhi HC. Their role is limited to arguing. That brings me to the third sub-question. Counsel don't draft, file or brief, and an external counsel doesn't ask an AoR to appear / make arguments. Making arguments is what a counsel does.

If you get this, you will understand what I meant in Comment #3.

I regret that my first response was not clear enough, but the question makes no sense at all.

It is akin to saying that I am an MBBS doctor so can you please tell me what use does an MS doctor have inside the Operation Theatre for my surgery? An MBBS doesn't do surgery (because they can't). MS qualified doctors don't sit around in OPDs with MBBS doctors (though they can).

Similarly no counsel can file in SC (because they can't), and when a counsel is engaged, no AoR argues in Court (though they can).

Counsel's role is limited to arguing. they also settle drafts sometimes. [In a few places like Bombay, a junior counsel is sometimes engaged to brief a senior counsel. But in no case will a solicitor make arguments in Court when a Counsel (senior / junior) is there]

AoR's role is to draft, file and brief. they also argue sometimes (when an external counsel is not engaged).

Hey Kaddu, thanks ya!

Although, you lost the plot with this non-answer!

Why and how can an outstation counsel handhold people at these firms? Are you sure that you are a regular? I have been here for half a decade. Most external counsel don't even understand stuff like Letter Circulation, Listing etc. 90% of them in fact don't even know how to go through the causelists and the difference between main and supple., misc. and regular matters. If anyone has to be handheld, it is always an external counsel who come up with the most absurd logic and treat SC as their local district court where a handwritten application is enough for getting matters listed.

PS - I don’t joke with Kaddus. Always a bad idea!

I visit the Supreme Court occasionally, and I find that these two firms have cornered an astonishing amount of the filing work there.

If you can start a firm and give fancy gifts to people from registry for Diwali (Did anyone say rolex?), you can aso bite into that cherry. :-)

Please could someone explain, in an honest and non-condescending manner, the extent and scope of their utility for outstation counsels like myself?

For how long have you been in the game? Except for getting matters checked and listed, not much can be done. Maybe behind the scenes they are able to get preferred benches, but that is just heresy

Please could that someone also explain, to what extent outstation counsels/ law firms need to handhold the lawyers working at these firms - from drafting, briefing Sr Counsel and Arguments?
Why and how can an outstation counsel handhold people at these firms? Are you sure that you are a regular? I have been here for half a decade. Most external counsel don't even understand stuff like Letter Circulation, Listing etc. 90% of them in fact don't even know how to go through the causelists and the difference between main and supple., misc. and regular matters. If anyone has to be handheld, it is always an external counsel who come up with the most absurd logic and treat SC as their local district court where a handwritten application is enough for getting matters listed.

Meaningful answers only, please. Familiar with all the AoR jokes made by outstation counsel - चिड़िया छाप is, of course, timeless!
Please do throw some light on AoR jokes made by outstation counsel. I am yet to hear one.

I visit the Supreme Court occasionally, and I find that these two firms have cornered an astonishing amount of the filing work there.

Please could someone explain, in an honest and non-condescending manner, the extent and scope of their utility for outstation counsels like myself? Please could that someone also explain, to what extent outstation counsels/ law firms need to handhold the lawyers working at these firms - from drafting, briefing Sr Counsel and Arguments?

Meaningful answers only, please. Familiar with all the AoR jokes made by outstation counsel - चिड़िया छाप is, of course, timeless!