Consumer Act for the Law Consumer: Is Your Lawyer Trustworthy?

Did you know that you can file a lawsuit against your lawyer? Did you evaluate the trust quotient when you hired your lawyer? You can sue your lawyer when you feel cheated by him/her under the under the Consumer Act. For instance, if your lawyer took money from you and didn’t show up in the court for the hearing, you have the right to sue him/her in the Consumer Court. As a consumer, it is important to know that advocates in India can face complaints against them under the Consumer Protection Act.

Consumer Act for the Law Consumer: Advocates Act 1961

In 1996, it was challenged that the Consumer Protection Act does not include lawyers in its scope. In Srimati and Others v. Union of India and Others Citation AIR 1996 Mad. 427 (DB), it was demanded that advocates should not be asked to answer the claims under the different Acts when they are already governed by the Advocates Act 1961. However, the petition was turned down by the Madras High Court due to lack of substance in the argument.

Consumer Act for the Law Consumer: How to Choose a Lawyer

Before you choose a lawyer to trust and represent your interests, here are some tips to choose a reliable lawyer in your area:

• The Internet is widely used as a medium to find a reputed lawyer in a specialized field.
• Getting referrals from lawyers who are not practicing in your area is a good idea to follow up on.
• You can consult your relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbors if they have received satisfactory and reliable services from particular lawyers.
• You can get information about a lawyer from the bar council of your state.
• You can find the list of lawyers in your area from a law directory which you can get at any of the state bar councils.