VOL.

2 ISSUE 1 Journal of Legal Research and Juridical Sciences ISSN (O): 2583-0066

AN INSIGHT INTO THE SEVEN LAMPS OF ADVOCACY

Sanya Kapoor*

INTRODUCTION

‘Advocacy is not a craft but a calling; a profession in which devotion to the duty is the
hallmark.’1

Advocacy can be defined as an activity which is carried out by an individual or a group with
the goal of influencing choices made by political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy
can be targeted at a single person, a group of people, or even an entire organization. The main
objective of advocacy is to emphasize developing a fair and just society for everyone. It entails
all such activities and publications through different strategies which are aimed at influencing
public policy, legislation, and budgets through the use of facts, relationships, and media with
the goal of educating public officials and government officials. Therefore, advocacy enables
the group of motivated people to generate a significant influence in their particular regions,
even more so than worldwide campaigns could ever do.

THE LAMPS OF ADVOCACY

HONESTY - The first and the most important lamp of advocacy is Honesty. It can be classified
as the profession’s official polity which should be obeyed by everyone when dealing with one
another. An advocate’s ideas, behaviour, and words all illuminate the lamp of honesty. As
honesty in the legal community enhances both the professions and individual reputation in
society, an advocate should be dependable and trustworthy in a fiduciary capacity to all those
who seek his assistance and counsel. 2 Furthermore, an advocate should always be truthful with
both his client and his opponent during the case by not misleading them. Lastly, an advocate
must assure that he presents the courts with accurate information, thereby adhering to the law.

COURAGE - The second lamp of advocacy is courage which can be defined as the capability
to stand in front of the court without any fear. Though a lawyer is confronted with a host of

*
BBA LLB, FIFTH YEAR, BENNETT UNIVERSITY , GREATER NOIDA.
1
https://lawcorner.in/seven-lamps-of-
advocacy/#:~:text=Mustafa%20Haji%20Mohamad%20Yusuf%5B1,to%20duty%20constitutes%20the%20hallm
ark
2
https://www.legalbites.in/professional-ethics-seven-lamps-of-advocacy/

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problems when engaging in civil and criminal litigation, an advocate should always have the
courage to combat all social injustices and eradicate them without fear. An advocate’s abilities
and knowledge will boost their courage and confidence, thereby enabling them to put their best
foot forward in the best interests of the client.

INDUSTRY - One of the essential lamps of advocacy is an industry that denotes the relentless
work required of an advocate. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. An advocate must have a
thorough understanding of the law with which he has been dealing in the case. Furthermore,
because the law is dynamic in nature and changes with the changing requirements of society,
an advocate should constantly stay up with the new legislation. As a result, they should be
familiar with the most recent legislation, as the law is a fickle mistress that requires one to keep
up with the changes and modifications.

WIT - The fourth lamp of advocacy is wit, which is needed to illuminate the darkness of
advocacy. Wit is a smart and amusing articulation of concepts that stems from comprehension,
intelligence, and cognitive agility. 3 Because he is forced to answer several questions which are
posed by the court, a well-prepared statement by an advocate does not always succeed in front
of the judge. As a result, it is an advocate’s wit that aids him in filling that gap at that time. An
advocate with a sharp wit can steer a Judge away from a dangerous path where the judgement
or rhetoric will almost surely will.

ELOQUENCE - The fifth lamp of advocacy is eloquence, which is defined as fluent oral
communication and the effective use of language to persuade others by appealing to their
feelings. 4 Not only should an advocate be a great speaker, but he or she should also be confident
when presenting a speech in front of the judge. They should also utilize appropriate legal
phrases in their speech to make it more successful. This lamp is critical to an advocate’s success
since fluent speech charms the bench and draws the attention of onlookers.

JUDGEMENT - The sixth lamp of advocacy is judgement, which is defined as the inspiration
that allows a person to transform good sense into appropriate action. This lamp denotes a
thorough examination of the current predicament before forming an informed judgement. As a
result, an advocate must have the ability to make informed decisions and reflect critically on
the issue at hand.

3
https://legalstudymaterial.com/seven-lamps-of-advocacy/
4
https://sites.google.com/site/laywertobecome/advocate-s-duty/sloa

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FELLOWSHIP - The seventh and the most efficient lamp of advocacy is fellowship.
Membership in a friendly relationship or companionship is referred to as fellowship. Even
while advocates are adversaries, they should not be enemies. All the lawyers should respect
each other without any discrimination, and all of their disagreements should be resolved as
soon as they leave the courtroom. They should always strengthen one another in the legal
vicinity and keep the fellowship lamp glowing.

The eighth lamp of advocacy named ‘TACT’ had been added by Justice K.V. Krishnaswamy
Aiyer in his book ‘Professional Conduct and Advocacy.’ Tact refers to the person’s ability to
deal with people and situations deftly without offending them. 5 The advocates must be able to
approach the matter intelligently without losing their cool and win it in a smooth way without
offending either the client or the opposite party. Tact entails and is predicated on judgement,
but it more accurately refers to the human aspect of putting one’s judgement into action.

CONCLUSION

The seven lamps of advocacy connect with me in terms of the activities which are being
undertaken at our law school and with respect to the career opportunities. As a future lawyer,
all these seven lamps of advocacy are of utmost importance to me as they serve as the driving
principles for instilling strong beliefs and ethical values in the profession, thus enabling the
justice system to operate at its maximum capability. Advocates not only have a professional
responsibility but also a big societal responsibility as a result of which they are expected to
operate with utmost integrity and honesty while maintaining the public justice system. Even as
a student of law, these seven lamps of advocacy addressed us in various ways. Honesty is one
of the most fundamental lamps of advocacy since it symbolizes the trait of not relying on
deception, cheating, or dishonesty in our daily life and performing all our tasks without
misleading anyone. As budding lawyers, the lamp of courage instills in us a robust moral
compass and the capacity to persevere in a situation in the presence of fear or danger.
Furthermore, inculcating lamps of industry and wit allows us to stay concentrated on our tasks
and relieve mental pressure, thus allowing us to explore beyond our mental limits and conquer
the ladder of success. The lamp of eloquence has been of paramount importance in our daily
lives as we are required to have a fluid and skillful use of communication in moot courts and

5
https://kailashafoundation.org/2017/11/08/seven-lamps-of-
advocacy/#:~:text=Justice%20Abbott%20Parry%20in%20his%20book%20%E2%80%9C%20Seven,deceit%2C
%20cheating%20or%20stealing%20and%20not%20telling%20lies

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client counselling, which would leave an impact on the judges. Furthermore, the lamp of
judgement assists in analyzing the landmark judgements from both perspectives, thus enabling
us to address the counter-questions in an intellectual manner. Lastly, the lamp of fellowship
and tact is crucial because it teaches us to be courteous with our classmates, thereby
encouraging each in the legal arena while unambiguously expressing individual perspectives
and views. Therefore, I relate to the seven lamps of advocacy in this manner and these seven
lamps should always be kept burning in order to be successful in the legal profession and to
strive for the welfare of mankind.

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