Lawyer Verification Policy

How we verify every advocate on Legal Setu — and what verification does, and does not, guarantee.

Last updated: May 2026

1. Why we verify

Legal Setu connects users with independent, qualified advocates. We cannot guarantee the outcome of any matter, but we can — and do — ensure that every advocate you are matched with is genuinely enrolled, currently in good standing, and has the matter-area experience claimed on their profile.

2. Mandatory verification checks

Before an advocate is onboarded to the platform, we verify each of the following:

• Bar Council enrolment: A valid enrolment certificate from a State Bar Council (under the Advocates Act, 1961) with a verifiable enrolment number
• Identity: Government-issued photo identification (Aadhaar, PAN, or Passport) matched against the enrolment record
• Practice address: A current chamber or office address, confirmed via correspondence
• Email and phone: A working professional email and phone number, verified through a one-time code
• Photograph: A recent professional photograph that matches the enrolment record

3. Experience and matter-area verification

Each advocate's stated areas of practice (e.g., consumer disputes, tenancy, employment, family law, motor accident claims) and years of experience are cross-checked using:

• Reported case history, where publicly available on court websites and e-Courts portals
• Documentary evidence of significant matters handled (judgments, orders, or representation records — with client identifiers redacted)
• A brief screening interview to confirm working knowledge of the claimed practice areas

Advocates may not claim expertise in matter areas they have not practised. Material misrepresentation of experience is grounds for immediate removal from the platform.

4. Ongoing checks

Verification is not a one-time event. We maintain ongoing checks as follows:

• Annual re-verification: Every onboarded advocate is re-verified annually against State Bar Council records
• User feedback: Post-consultation ratings and complaints are monitored and trigger review
• Disciplinary monitoring: We track publicly reported disciplinary proceedings by Bar Councils and remove any advocate against whom suspension or disbarment is ordered

5. Grounds for removal

An advocate is removed from the Legal Setu platform — either temporarily or permanently — in any of the following circumstances:

• Suspension or disbarment by any State Bar Council or the Bar Council of India
• Material misrepresentation of credentials, experience, or matter areas
• Repeated quality complaints from users that are substantiated upon review
• Failure to call assigned clients within the confirmed slot, without reasonable cause, on more than one occasion
• Charging fees not previously quoted and agreed
• Sharing client information outside the engagement, in breach of professional duty
• Refusal to participate in annual re-verification

6. What verification does not guarantee

Verification confirms that an advocate is qualified, enrolled, and in good standing as of the verification date. It does not — and cannot — guarantee:

• The outcome of any specific legal matter
• That the advocate's advice is the "best" or "only" correct view of the law
• The advocate's availability, response speed, or working hours beyond confirmed slots
• That every advocate suits every user's communication style or expectations

Legal advice involves professional judgment. Two qualified advocates may reasonably take different views on the same facts.

7. How to raise concerns

If you have reason to believe an advocate matched to you is not properly enrolled, has misrepresented their credentials, or has behaved unprofessionally, please email hello@legalsetu.co.in with the subject line "Advocate Concern". Provide:

• Your booking reference
• The name and (if known) Bar Council enrolment number of the advocate
• A clear description of the concern
• Any supporting documents

We review every complaint within 5 business days. For misconduct, you may also approach the State Bar Council under which the advocate is enrolled — the formal disciplinary forum under the Advocates Act, 1961.

8. Independence of the lawyer-client relationship

Once an advocate is engaged, the lawyer-client relationship is between you and the advocate directly. Legal Setu facilitates the introduction and processes the booking; we are not a party to that professional relationship, do not direct the legal advice given, and do not share in any consultation fee charged by the advocate beyond what is disclosed in our pricing.

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