(1) establishment of an All India Bar Council and a Common Roll of Advocates, and advocates on the Common Roll having a right to practise in any part of the country and in any court, including the Supreme Court;

(2) integration of Bar into a single class of legal practitioners known as advocates;

(3) prescription of a uniform qualification for admission of person as advocates;

(4) the division of advocates into senior and other advocates based on merit ; and

(5) the creation of autonomous Bar Councils one for the whole of India and the other for each State.

In the year 1961 the Advocates Act was passed to regulate the pleaders and advocates in the matter of justice administration system of our country.

The year 1976 can be said to be last watermark eliminating the distinction between Barristers and advocates. Since 1976 all are advocates irrespective of wherefrom they have qualified themselves.

For the past 78 years, our State Bar Council has provided a forum for professionals in the field of legal education and legal culture to get together and discuss and deliberation on their opinions, suggestions and beliefs. In creating such culture for rule of law to be the rule of life, stupendous efforts have been made, in evaluating standards of legal education both curriculum and value orientation, Bar Council of West Bengal has rendered illustrious service in the past and continuing its tradition. We offer many benefits, such as Welfare Scheme for the benefit of the Advocates, exclusive Journal etc. Apart from this, the Bar Council of West Bengal Trust was set up in 1997 at the initiative of the Bar Council of West Bengal with the object, amongst others, of establishing a benevolent fund to provide financial assistance to lawyers in distress, particularly in the case of expensive and protracted medical treatment or any other unforeseen contingency.

From July 1926 to 2006, it is a long way travel. Numerous elected members of the West Bengal Bar Council played important role in our freedom movement and the Bar Council of West Bengal has in its 78 years of existence, equipped itself with great competence. Many of the members of the Council made outstanding contribution to the justice administration system and the society.

It is to be noted that 1st meeting of the Bar Council was held on Saturday the 7th July, 1928 in the Old Sessions Court of the High Court, Calcutta in presence of the then Honble Chief Justice Sir George Calus Rankin, Kt. The said meeting was conducted by our first Chairman Lt. Brojendra Lal Mitter Kt., Advocate General. We feel proud that so many elite personalities became members of the Council like J.W. Longford � James, Sarat Chandra Basu, Mr. Justice J. Ameer Ali, S. C. Bose, Mr.Justice Mc. Nair, Mr. Justice Panc Kridge, Mr. Justice Pearson, Advocate General Sir S M. Bose, Advocate General Ajit Kumar Dutta, Advocate General A. K. Roy, Advocate General Sankar Das Banerjee, Advocate General Snehangshu Kanta Acharyya.

As stated above the Advocates Act, 1961, an Act to amend and consolidate the law relating to legal practitioners and to provide for the constitution of Bar Councils, was enacted by the Parliament on 19th May, 1961. After enactment of the Advocates act, 1961, the 1st Election of Bar Council of West Bengal was held on 21st February, 1962 and accordingly the 1st Meeting of Bar Council of West Bengal was held on 17th April, 1962. Bar Council of West Bengal, an autonomous Body is passing through a path to achieve a goal for the benefit of the lawyers and upliftment of legal education, legal culture and legal atmosphere in the state of West Bengal. We are committed to our traditional excellence.