TN government relaxes norms to appoint law officers

The decision was taken in view of the strain caused by COVID-19 on the legal profession

Taking into consideration the enormous strain that COVID-19 has taken on the legal profession with many lawyers suffering without an income and some having left the profession at least temporarily, the State government has relaxed the rules which give weightage to the number of court appearances and the gross income earned in last three years before appointing advocates to represent the State, before the Madras High Court and its Bench in Madurai. A Government Order (GO) issued by the Public (Law Officers) Department on Friday amended the Law Officers of High Court of Madras and its Bench at Madurai (Appointment) Rules of 2017. Pursuant to the amendment, applicants to the post of law officers need not submit either the list of cases in which they had appeared in the last seven years or the income tax returns filed by them in the last three years to prove their income from the profession.