BAR COUNCIL OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Under Sec.3 of the Advocates’ Act, 1961 there shall be a Bar Council for each State and accordingly the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh has been constituted.

Clause (b) Sub-Sec.(2) of Sec.3 of the said Act also lays down that in the case of a State Bar Council with an Electorate exceeding 10,000 Advocates shall consist of 25 members.

At present there are more than 70,000 Advocates on the rolls of the Andhra Pradesh State Bar Council, who elected the Members of the Bar Council.

The A.P. State Bar Council is one of the largest Statutory Bodies of professionals having statutory duties such as Enrollment of Law Graduates as Advocates, Regulating Legal Practice of Advocates and initiating action against erring advocates and also taking up welfare activities/schemes for the benefit of advocates.

The functions of a State Bar Council shall be :-

To admit persons as advocates on its roll;
To prepare and maintain such roll;
To entertain and determine cases of misconduct against advocates on its roll;
To safeguard the rights, privileges and interest of advocates on its roll;
To promote the growth of Bar Associations for the purposes of effective implementation of the welfare schemes referred to in clause (a) of subsection (2) of this section clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 7;
To promote and support law reform;
To conduct seminars and organize talks on legal topics by eminent jurists and publish journals and paper of legal interest;
To organize legal aid to the poor in the prescribed manner;
To manage and invest the funds of the Bar Council;
To provide for the election of its members;
To visit and inspect Universities in accordance with the directions given under clause (i) of sub-section (1) of section 7;
To perform all other functions conferred on it by or under this Act;
To do all other things necessary for discharging the aforesaid functions.
A State Bar Council may constitute one or more funds in the prescribed manner for the purpose of –
Giving financial assistance to organize welfare schemes for the indigent, disabled or other advocates;
Giving legal aid or advice in accordance with the rules made in this behalf;
Establishing law libraries.
A State Bar Council may receive any grants, donations, gifts or benefactions for all or nay of the purposes specified in sub-section (2) which shall be credited to the appropriate fund or funds constituted under that sub-section.