The conference hosted by GCAI at the India International Centre (IIC) initiated dynamic discussions on the theme: Rethink, Redefine, Re-evolve the Legal Profession in India. The platform invited top legal minds, policymakers, and industry leaders to deliberate on GCAI’s request to secure recognition of in-house counsels who are on par with practicing lawyers. Over 200 guests, including delegates and speakers, attended the event.
Chief Guest for the occasion was Hon’ble Union Minister of Law and Justice, Sri Arjun Ram Meghwal, who referred to a need for an amendment in the Advocates Act, 1961 which would grant General Counsels the status of practicing lawyers. He highlighted the pivotal role of GCs in driving India’s economic growth and engaged with the audience by requesting a SWOT analysis of their profession. In response, the GCs identified lack of statutory recognition as their sole weakness, while acknowledging several strengths and opportunities. Sri Meghwal reinforced the importance of addressing these concerns.
Voicing the collective views of the General Counsel community, GCAI Founding Member, Dr. Sanjeev Gemawat said, “The legal ecosystem must acknowledge that law is now practiced beyond courts—in boardrooms, regulatory agencies, international trade organizations, and corporate compliance functions. The outdated distinction between practicing advocates and in- house counsels is stiffing the profession’s evolution. In such times, the role of in-house counsels cannot be ignored, and India’s legal landscape urgently needs reform to recognize their contributions.”
Guest of Eminence, Hon’ble Justice (Retd.) A K Sikri, spoke about the growing significance of GCs in India, particularly in the context of a liberalized market economy. He commended their strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, which has become increasingly crucial in the evolving legal and business landscape.
Adding her perspective to the dialogue, Guest of Eminence, Hon’ble Justice (Retd.) Hima Kohli, pointed out that GCs play a critical role in navigating the increasingly dynamic business environment, especially as technological advancements, such as Generative AI, begin to reshape the legal profession. Her remarks highlighted the necessity for legal professionals to adapt to emerging technologies while ensuring compliance and effective legal governance.
The inaugural session of the GCAI summit titled ‘What will the Indian Legal Market look like in the next 10 years?’ was moderated by Ami Parikh, GC of Asian Paints. It featured distinguished speakers from foreign law firms, including Sharmistha Chakrabarti, Counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher C Flom LLP; Mini Menon VandePol, Asia Pacific Head of the Investigations, Compliance C Ethics Group at Baker McKenzie; Joydeep Sengupta, Partner at Dentons Link Legal (Paris); and Daksh Ahluwalia, Founder C Principal of Aikyam Law Offices, Dubai.
The second panel discussion, titled ‘The Futuristic GC: What will it take and what truly matters’ delved into the evolving responsibilities of in-house counsels in the age of globalisation, collaboration and digital transformation. Moderated by Poornima Sampath, Senior VP C Chief Legal Officer at Tata Digital, the session brought together eminent voices from Government and business, including Dr. Rajiv Mani, Secretary of the Legislative Department at the Ministry of Law s Justice; Sanjay Shorey, Director General of Corporate Affairs at the Ministry of Corporate Affairs; Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs; Manpreet Singh Ahuja, Chief Digital Officer, PwC India; and Rajat Vig, Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP.
Another key panel discussion, titled ‘Statutory Recognition of In-house Counsels,’ delved into the pressing need to formally recognise in-house counsels as advocates, the necessary amendments to the Advocates Act and Bar Council of India Rules, and the extension of legal privilege to their advisory roles. Moderated by Rakesh Kumar Prusti, Group General Counsel at Oyo, the panel featured distinguished legal experts, including Dr. Pinky Anand, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India; Dr. Shardul S. Shroff, Founder C Executive Chairman of Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas; Amit Singh, Partner at Linklaters; and Harsh Pais, Partner (London) at ACO Shearman.
Supporting this point of view, in his keynote address, Dhanendra Kumar, First Chairman Competition Commission of India and Honorary Principal Advisor, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs said, “The role of General Counsels (GCs) is like a boxer fighting with their hands tied—expected to guide companies on emerging laws like data, CSR, and ESG, ensuring compliance and growth, yet restricted from practicing before regulators. As the legal ecosystem evolves, empowering GCs with the right tools is crucial to attract top talent.”
Adding to this, keynote speaker Subhash Chandra Garg, Former Finance Secretary s Former Economic Affairs Secretary of India commented, “The legal department’s responsibilities include reactive roles (responding to legal cases), proactive roles (adapting to evolving laws like environmental and labour regulations), and leadership roles (shaping legal strategies to drive business evolution). General Counsels can move beyond compliance fears to propose solutions that balance legal obligations with business efficiency.”
Addressing the audience, Dr. Lalit Bhasin, President of the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF), questioned, “If government law officers can represent private parties, why can’t GCs appear in court?” He strongly endorsed the need for statutory recognition for GCs.
Also present were renowned legal academicians of the country who discussed challenges in India’s legal education and proposed reforms for accessibility, relevance, and skill development in the panel discussion titled ‘Enabling and Skilling’. The discussion, moderated by Shelly Kohli, General Counsel at United Breweries, brought together a distinguished panel of educators and industry experts. The panel included Prof. Dr. GS Bajpai, Vice Chancellor of NLU- Delhi; Prof. Dr. Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, Founding Dean of ISPP; Prof. Dr. Ashish Bharadwaj, Founding Dean of BITS Law School; Prof. Dr. Avinash Dadhich, Founding Director of the School of Law at Dhirubhai Ambani University; and Naveen Tuli, Managing Partner, EMEA C APAC (In- House Practice Group) at Major, Lindsey C Africa.
This dialogue was supported by A&O Shearman, Aikyam Law Offices, Baker McKenzie, Dentons Link Legal, Linklaters, and Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Popular Knowledge platform LawWiser too was a key partner at the conference.
About GCAI:
The General Counsels’ Association of India (GCAI) is a non-profit society formed, managed and spearheaded by General Counsels of leading companies in India with a vision to create a distinct professional identity for General Counsels and institutionalise the in–house legal function as a separate specialised stream of legal practice. GCAI represents the interests of in-house legal counsels who are qualified lawyers with a law degree recognised by the Bar Council of India. Its purpose is to work to ensure the statutory recognition of the in-house legal profession, enhance awareness in the industry about the role and contributions of GCs, advance the highest ethical standards in their functioning and thereby strengthen their participation in the justice delivery system. Founding members of GCAI are Amar Sundaram, C.V. Raghu, Dr. Sanjeev Gemawat, Dr. Akhil Prasad, Lubinisha Saha, Manjaree Chowdhary, Neera Sharma, Shukla Wassan, and Tejal Patil.
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