Tamil Nadu Government Comes Forward to Help Young Lawyers for Initial 2 Years of Law Practice

Some respite for fresher Advocates in Tamil Nadu for initial 2 years of practice

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday launched a stipend scheme for fresh law graduates in a bid to support them financially for the first two years of their practice. The welcome move from the state government is especially directed towards providing some form of financial aid to young law graduates hailing from an economically challenged background.

The learning curve for newly enrolled advocates is steep in the initial years. The nature of the legal profession coupled with the training system is such that it can take three to four years for the majority of young lawyers to learn the ropes and become competent in court craft and skilled advocacy.

The press release issued by the Tamil Nadu Government for sanctioning the scheme also acknowledged the initial grind faced by young law graduates. In some cases, legal professionals are forced to switch careers too after failing to stabilize their career after the initial struggle.

Bar Council of India also requested central and state governments for providing financial allowance to advocates

Thus, It is heartening to see authorities showing sensitivity to the financial challenges young lawyers face. In fact, in March this year, The Bar Council of India had made a written request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of all States to grant a minimum sum of Rs. 20,000/- per month as a subsistence allowance to young lawyers, specifically those who belong to a financially weak background. The move from the BCI was in view of the difficulties young lawyers might face due to a nationwide lockdown imposed during that time. BCI had suggested allocation of financial allowance for advocates from central and state funds. 

With Tamil Nadu Government taking a small but positive step in this direction, it remains to be seen if other states will come forward to sanction such beneficial schemes for young lawyers.