This Professional Code of Conduct & Community Guidelines (“PCC & CG”) establishes the mandatory ethical, professional, and commercial standards governing all Users registered on Bharat Legal Chambers (the “Platform”). Compliance with this PCC & CG is a condition for continued access to and use of the Platform. This document is formally incorporated into and forms an integral part of the Bharat Legal Chambers User Agreement & Terms of Service (TOS). All terms defined in the TOS, including “User/Professional,” “Services,” “Workstation,” and “CMS,” shall have the same meaning herein.
The Users acknowledge and agree that compliance with this Professional Code of Conduct (“PCC”) is mandatory as a condition of continued access to and use of the Platform. The PCC is supplementary to and does not override, dilute, or conflict with any of the statutory and professional duties applicable to legal professionals under Indian law. This PCC shall be read and enforced in consonance with all laws and professional regulatory standards governing advocates and legal professionals in India, including but not limited to the Advocates Act, 1961, the Bar Council of India Rules, and all amendments, notifications, circulars, professional standards, or ethical guidelines issued by any competent authority from time to time. In the event of any modification, update, repeal, or introduction of new regulatory requirements affecting the legal profession, such updated regulatory framework shall automatically apply to the conduct of Users on the Platform without requiring separate amendment of this PCC or prior notice to Users. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as authorizing, encouraging, or permitting any conduct inconsistent with the standards of legal ethics prescribed by the Bar Council of India or any competent regulatory body.
User hereby agrees and acknowledges that Bharat Legal Chambers functions strictly as an “Intermediary” as per the Information Technology Act, 2000 and does not operate as a law firm, partnership, legal consultancy, or legal process outsourcing entity. The Platform does not provide, supervise, influence, or assume responsibility for any legal advice, professional decision, or outcome of engagements between Users. All legal professionals act in a fully independent professional capacity and remain solely responsible for their conduct and services.
Access to core legal-workflow features of the Platform including Workstation, job acceptance, Escrow, and professional networking is conditional upon successful completion of identity and professional verification (KYC / Bar Enrolment / practice credentials, etc.). Users must ensure that their identity, enrolment status, and professional standing remain accurate and continuously updated. Submission of false, misleading, borrowed, forged, or expired credentials constitutes professional misconduct and may result in immediate suspension, restriction, or termination of the User’s account.
If at any time a User’s licence to practice law is suspended, cancelled, restricted, kept in abeyance, or becomes otherwise non-operational due to disciplinary, administrative, regulatory, or judicial action, the User shall have a mandatory duty to immediately disclose such change in status to the Platform, without delay and in any case within 72 (seventy-two) hours of occurrence. Failure to voluntarily notify the Platform, or if the Platform becomes aware of such suspension/cancellation from any third party, public source, regulatory notice, or another User, shall constitute a material breach of the Professional Code of Conduct and the Terms of Service. In such circumstances, the Platform reserves the right, at its sole discretion and without prior notice, to: (a) immediately suspend or restrict the User’s access to the Platform; and/or (b) permanently blacklist or terminate the User’s account. Concealment or nondisclosure of suspension/cancellation, or continued use of the Platform while disqualified from legal practice, shall be treated as grave professional misconduct.
The Platform is designed exclusively for licensed advocates/legal professionals. In strict conformity with the laws of India, the Platform shall not be used for any form of direct or indirect solicitation of clients or legal work, including but not limited to advertising, promotion of legal services, touting, targeted client acquisition, approaching prospective clients, or uploading promotional material. The purpose of User profiles and interactions on the Platform is limited to professional identity, collaboration, networking, and knowledge exchange, and not for marketing, publicity, or self-advertisement. Any use of the Platform for solicitation, advertising, promotional activity, or client acquisition constitutes a material breach of the Platform’s Terms of Service and Professional Code of Conduct and may result in corrective action including warning, suspension, access restrictions, or termination of the User’s account.
Every legal professional shall, at all times, comply with the Advocates Act, 1961, the Bar Council of India Rules, and all applicable ethical and professional standards governing advocates. Users expressly acknowledge that it is their sole responsibility to ensure that their conduct and activities on the Platform comply with such regulatory frameworks.
If a User engages in solicitation, advertisement, promotional conduct, credential manipulation, or any other activity inconsistent with professional ethics or this Code, Bharat Legal Chambers reserves the right to take corrective action including, without limitation: removal of content, access restriction, suspension, or permanent deactivation of the account.
Users shall not, under any circumstances, engage in conduct on the Platform that constitutes advertising, solicitation, or promotion of legal services, including but not limited to:
User profiles must be modest and restricted to factual, verifiable information, including but not limited to name, contact details, qualifications, enrollment number, and areas of practice, in accordance with the narrow exceptions permitted by the Bar Council of India for professional websites. Such disclosures must not be promotional, misleading, or imply any guarantee of professional success.
Users agree and acknowledge that they are individually bound by all applicable laws regarding client confidentiality and attorney-client privilege, including but not limited to Section 126 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. The Platform does not monitor, enforce, or assume any responsibility for compliance with these legal obligations. Users are solely responsible for ensuring that no client communications, documents, or sensitive materials are disclosed on the Platform in violation of applicable law.
When managing client data through the CMS or Workstation, the legal professional retains the primary responsibility as the Data Fiduciary. This requires the legal professional to obtain and document informed consent from the client (Data Principal) for the processing of Digital Personal Data (DPD) on the Platform. Legal professionals must utilize all reasonable security safeguards, including encryption, access controls, and are subject to mandatory log retention for at least one year.
The Community Guidelines (“CG”) govern the conduct of Users on the Platform, ensuring professional, ethical, and respectful interaction while maintaining the integrity and commercial fairness of the digital marketplace. All Users are expected to comply with these guidelines as a condition of continued access and use of the Platform. Violations may trigger enforcement actions as set out in the Platform’s Terms of Service (TOS). All Users must conduct themselves with integrity, civility, and respect towards fellow Users. Harassment, bullying, threats, intimidation, hate speech, or discriminatory behavior is strictly prohibited. Users must not post false, misleading, defamatory, or unverified content about clients, colleagues, judges, or third parties. The Platform is intended solely for professional identity, collaboration, networking, knowledge-sharing, and work-related interactions. Users must respect confidentiality and privacy obligations. Data handling: Users must manage client and User data responsibly, in compliance with applicable laws, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Users must not engage in off-platform arrangements, fee-splitting, or circumvent the Platform’s escrow or service mechanisms. Reviews and recommendations must be honest and factual. Fake reviews, retaliatory feedback, or review bombing is prohibited.
A User shall not solicit, offer, accept, negotiate, or perform any legal assignment, brief, appearance, drafting work, consultation, or professional engagement outside the Platform if such work was first posted, published, discovered, assigned, or introduced through Bharat Legal Chambers. No payment relating to such Platform-originated work shall be made or received outside the Platform. This restriction applies for a period of 6 (six) months from the date on which the work first became known to the User through Bharat Legal Chambers. Users shall not share personal or external contact details (including phone numbers, email addresses, messenger IDs, or similar details) before a Service Contract is executed through the Workstation. Users must not collaborate or enter into any understanding to avoid service fee deductions, bypass escrow, or settle professional engagement privately outside the Platform. Breach of this Policy may result in consequences including warnings, suspension, permanent account termination, and freezing or forfeiture of Wallet/Escrow balances.
The following conduct is strictly prohibited:
The following categories of content are prohibited:
The Platform does not permit any system of reviews or feedback that evaluates litigation success, comparative superiority, or perceived competence of legal professionals. The following conduct is strictly prohibited: Fake or Coerced Reviews; Retaliatory Feedback; Coordinated Negative Targeting. Feedback must remain strictly factual, limited to observations relating to timeliness, responsiveness, clarity of communication, and scope completion. Reviews and feedback may not contain promotional statements, comparative claims, guarantees of legal outcomes, or commentary on case results or professional standing.
Violations of the TOS, Professional Code of Conduct, or Community Guidelines may result in one or more of the following, depending on severity: Warning or advisory notice; Temporary suspension of account access; Permanent termination of account; Freezing or forfeiture of Escrow/Wallet balances in cases of suspected non-circumvention, fraud, financial manipulation, or serious professional misconduct. Disciplinary action may be taken without prior notice where immediate intervention is necessary to protect the integrity of the Platform. The Platform maintains an IT Rules–compliant Grievance Redressal Mechanism. All complaints shall be acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved within 15 days, subject to lawful extensions where additional verification or investigation is required.
Intermediary Status: The Platform functions solely as an Intermediary and is not the publisher, editor, or controller of User-generated content or professional decisions. Non-Supervision: The Platform does not supervise, evaluate, or guarantee the professional expertise, outcomes, strategy, quality, or advice of any legal professional using the Platform. User Liability and Indemnification: Users act in an entirely independent professional capacity and bear sole responsibility for their conduct. Users agree to indemnify and hold harmless Bharat Legal Chambers from all third-party claims, disputes, damages, penalties, or liabilities arising out of their negligence, misconduct, breach of statutory obligations, or violation of the Advocates Act, Bar Council Rules, DPDP compliance, or any applicable law.
In the event of any dispute, controversy, misunderstanding or claim arising between a User and the Platform under or in connection with these Terms of Service (“TOS”), the parties shall first attempt to resolve the matter through good-faith mutual discussion via virtual meeting(s) within 15 (fifteen) days from the date on which either party issues a written dispute notice. If the dispute is not resolved within the said period, the matter shall be finally settled through Mandatory and Binding Arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, by a sole arbitrator mutually appointed by the parties. If the parties are unable to mutually appoint the sole arbitrator within 15 (fifteen) days of the notice invoking arbitration, the sole arbitrator shall be appointed in accordance with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The seat and venue of arbitration shall be Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India. The arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in English or Hindi or both, and the arbitrator’s award shall be final and binding on both parties. For matters that are non-arbitrable in law, and/or for interim relief, enforcement of an arbitral award, or injunctive remedies, the parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts at Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India.
This completes the Professional Code of Conduct & Community Guidelines.