Junior lawyers struggle for survival as they get meagre income

Anantapur: Fresh entrants to legal advocacy and junior advocates working under seniors for years have been finding it tough even to lead a normal life with the meagre amounts they get as fee from clients. There are also several fresh lawyers who hardly get anything from clients until they win their cases.

Mostly money spinning cases are cornered by experienced and senior advocates leaving limited opportunities for the juniors. It is to be noted that junior lawyers have been participating actively in the agitation for setting up High Court in Kurnool.

The junior advocates are unable to fix a standard fee in the competitive profession. Some lawyers hesitate even to demand minimum fee just to attract clients from other advocates due to competition.

The junior advocates say that in developed countries like America and other Western countries, the junior lawyers are paid decent remuneration by clients. They also get stipend from government, so they do not struggle for survival.

Advocates A Govindarajulu and D Sudheer Babu welcome Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's gesture to their fraternity as he had promised a stipend of Rs.5,000 to junior doctors as minimum income guarantee.

They are demanding the central government to come up with a package of incentives for them on the lines of central and state contribution to farmers under Rythu Bharosa scheme. They demand Rs 10,000 per month minimum income from state and central governments put together.

Advocate C Gaffooor said to The Hans India that he had been practicing in the district court for two decades. He regretted that for for sentences less than 7 years, the police stations are authorised to give station bails and as such nobody comes to them for securing bails in small cases.