New Delhi, July 23: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Wednesday urged newly inducted Advocates-on-Record (AoRs) to build their careers through the quality of their work rather than social media visibility, saying that lasting credibility is earned through preparation, ethics and hard work inside courtrooms.
Addressing the felicitation ceremony for the 2025 batch of Advocates-on-Record, the CJI congratulated the new inductees and said they were joining a fraternity that has, for decades, helped the Supreme Court uphold the highest traditions of advocacy and the administration of justice. While qualifying as an AoR opens the door to the profession, he said, it does not guarantee success, Live Law reported.
Credibility Over Popularity
"Titles may open a door, but they do not build a career. What builds a career is the quality of your work," the CJI said, adding that lawyers should strive to be known for being thoroughly prepared whenever their names appear on a case file.
Taking note of the growing influence of social media, Justice Kant warned young lawyers against confusing online visibility with professional reputation.
"Nowadays, it is very easy to become visible and known through social media. But remember, such visibility is not the same as credibility. Avoid the temptation to measure your success by online popularity. You are not to run like a TV channel where you are worried about your TRP," he said.
He stressed that the respect that truly matters is the respect earned inside courtrooms and from colleagues, clients and members of the Bar. According to him, a legal career lasting decades is built through consistent hard work in chambers, not through debates in social media comment sections.
Duty Beyond Designation
Calling the AoR qualification an "enlargement of duty", the CJI said the role carries responsibilities beyond professional advancement. He urged newly inducted advocates to accept legal aid matters whenever possible and ensure that poor and marginalised people are not denied legal representation.
"Sometimes one case handled sincerely can change an entire family's life. That satisfaction is something money can never bring," he said, encouraging lawyers to use their position to serve those who have nowhere else to turn.
The CJI also highlighted the importance of drafting, describing it as the soul of the legal profession. He said every petition should be drafted in a way that keeps the reader engaged from one paragraph to the next, making it difficult to put the brief aside. Judges, he noted, often read pleadings before hearing oral arguments, making drafting a lawyer's first introduction to the court.
AI Should Assist Lawyers
Sharing an experience from his early years at the Bar, Justice Kant recalled charging Rs 550 for an entire matter after starting independent practice. However, senior advocates regularly engaged him to draft complex cases and paid him Rs 1,100 for each draft.
Drafting soon became his main source of professional income before he eventually stopped accepting such work because of the growing volume of his own cases. The experience, he said, showed how strong drafting skills can accelerate a lawyer's career.
The CJI also cautioned lawyers against relying excessively on artificial intelligence (AI) for legal drafting. While acknowledging that AI is useful for legal research, locating doctrines, identifying case law and studying developments across jurisdictions, he said it should remain only a secondary assistant and never replace a lawyer's own thinking.
He said clients hire advocates for their professional judgment, not for the technology available in their offices. Only a human lawyer, he said, can understand a client's hardships, mitigating circumstances and emotional background, and translate those experiences into persuasive pleadings.
"Artificial intelligence should be only a secondary assistant in your office. It should not be a substitute of your own in the matter of drafting of the cases," he said.
Professional Ethics Emphasised
Concluding his address, the CJI urged the new AoRs to uphold professional ethics, moral values and the best traditions of the legal profession. He also reminded senior lawyers that their conduct would always be closely watched by juniors, making it important to lead by example.
Expressing confidence in the new batch, he said they would strengthen the institution and uphold the standards expected of Advocates-on-Record.
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The CJI's remarks come just days after the Bar Council of India (BCI) issued a comprehensive circular regulating the use of social media by advocates, law students and legal educators.
The circular cautioned against promotional reels, indirect client solicitation, unauthorised recording of court proceedings and the misuse of AI-generated content.
The Supreme Court has also recently sought the BCI's response in a public interest litigation seeking regulation of advocates' use of social media for advertising and client solicitation.
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