Lawyers are supposed to be smart, right? And knowledgeable. At least, that is the general perception.
Perhaps owing to the vast amount of information that lawyers must assimilate simply to earn a basic degree.
So why do some lawyers get stuck in their careers? With all their information and knowledge and intelligence, why do they fail to take steps to build the career that they want, instead of the one that they have?
The answer lies in one single word: myths.
Every step you take in the legal profession will be met with many myths designed to convince you that you cannot succeed.
There are some powerful myths about career as an Advocate on Record (AoR) at the Supreme Court.
The AoR designation is awarded on the basis of a purely merit-based examination which is efficient, objective, and challenging. And the rewards justify the challenge. But many misconceptions about the AoR exam persist, and many meritorious advocates are misguided by them.
Only Delhi-based lawyers are eligible for the AoR exam
The Supreme Court Rules (1966), which prescribe the eligibility criteria for an AoR, also states that to become AoR, an advocate needs to establish an office within a radius of 16 km of the Court House. Misinterpreting the provision, many people think that one has to have an office in Delhi even to take the AoR exam, whereas Order IV of the rule stipulates that an office must be established within one month of the successful completion of the exam and registration.
One of the learners from our first AoR test prep batch is Prashant Jain, who is based in Meerut and who qualified as an AoR in 2022. He is building a practice in Delhi, but his base is still in Meerut.
Another of our learners belongs to Mizoram, and is a government standing counsel there. He is also fulfilling his AoR dreams. He has cleared 3 out of 4 papers already! But we will disclose his name only once he clears the remaining paper and qualifies.
Bottom line: You do not have to be a permanent resident of Delhi to become an AoR.
Google right now and you will find that there are AoRs with their offices in Mumbai, Nagpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad and every other major city and town in India. They travel to Delhi frequently – and need to maintain an office near the Supreme Court – but that does not have to stop lawyers who do not permanently live in Delhi from pursuing their AoR dream.
One needs a lot of experience to become an AoR
One of my college professors told me with a straight face that you have to spend at least five years in a district court and 10 years in the High Court even before you attempt to go to the Supreme Court!
Many young lawyers believe this. Don’t.
Go through the list of recently qualified AoRs. I did. Check their profiles on Linkedin, you can find out when they graduated. There are dozens of lawyers with just five-six years of experience.
The reality is that four years of experience at the bar is an eligibility criterion for the examination. After this, you need to sign up for an apprenticeship with an AoR for a year. That is all.
The earlier you can start planning your career as AoR, the better! You can study, you can work out details, you can build your network. There is no reason to wait.
My practice will not allow me to prepare for the exam
One of the strangest myths is that a practicing lawyer engaged in a hectic profession cannot prepare for the AoR exam, given the vast syllabus and tough selection procedure.
The truth is that if you are a busy lawyer, doing a lot of real life matters, you have a huge advantage in this exam because questions are practical in nature and prepared in a way that only practicing lawyers can grasp their nuances.
You will see that busy lawyers crack this exam most easily.
Take the example of Amish Aggarwala, who prepared for his exam with LawSikho and is one of the busiest matrimonial lawyers in Delhi, with a team of over 20 juniors! Well, Amish became an AoR in 2022.
Why not junk the myths?
The myths I have just listed are not only preventing individual growth but also becoming hurdles in bringing top minds to the top court. Based on rumours and the unavailability of authentic information, people are simply taking uninformed decisions.
Which is why we would like to invite you to join our Certificate Course on Certificate Course in Qualifying as a Supreme Court Lawyer: Crack the Advocate on Record Examination.
We have crafted the bootcamp’s agenda to help you crack the AoR exam no matter which part of the country you are from. We have also taken into consideration the busy schedule of practicing lawyers. Breaking every myth, we are ready to help advocates realise their dream of practicing before the nation’s highest legal authority, no matter what their specialisation.
Important: Since this course is for AoR at the Supreme Court of India, it is open to Indian law students and/or lawyers only. The sessions will not be useful unless you are a legal professional practicing in India.
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