Gujarat HC Sets 45-Year Minimum Age For Senior Advocate Designation, Restricts Mentioning By Seniors

The Gujarat High Court has mandated a minimum age of 45 years for designation as Senior Advocate. It has also barred Senior Advocates from mentioning cases for adjournments. Under the new rules, Senior Advocates must additionally mentor 2–3 junior lawyers with less than three years of experience.

The High Court of Gujarat (Designation of Senior Advocates) Rules, 2025 were officially notified on September 16, thereby enforcing the new provisions.

According to the new Rules, a Senior Advocate shall neither appear for mentioning any matter before the Court nor seek adjournments. Further, every Senior Advocate is required to mentor and guide a minimum of two to three young lawyers having less than three years of standing at the Bar.

The Rules require candidates for Senior Advocate designation to have at least 20 years of standing at the Bar, primarily practising before the Gujarat High Court, district courts, or specialised tribunals. They must also have engaged in pro bono work and demonstrate legal ability, acumen, special knowledge, and a distinguished reputation in the profession.

As per the new Rules,

“He or she has not been convicted by a competent court of law and should not have been punished for an offence involving moral turpitude or contempt of court or should not have been punished by the Bar Council of Gujarat or by the Bar Council of India for any act of misconduct.”

The designation of Senior Advocates shall be undertaken at least once every year through a permanent Secretariat constituted by the Chief Justice of the High Court. Each application must be supported by the endorsement of two Senior Advocates with not less than ten years of standing, and practitioners before the High Court are required to furnish fifty judgments delivered within the preceding five years. In the case of applicants practising outside the High Court, relevant information may be obtained from the concerned judicial officers.

All eligible applications shall be placed before the Full Court, whose decision, whether by consensus or majority, shall be final. If an application is rejected, a fresh one may be filed only after two years. Furthermore, the Rules empower the Full Court to revoke the designation in instances of professional misconduct or on such other grounds as may be specified.