Q2. Write a detailed note on the seven lamps of advocacy.

 Advocacy is an honorable profession. Advocates are part and parcel of the court.
They hold a unique place in the society. A good advocate should possess some
essential qualities. Judge Abbot Parry in his book ‘The Seven Lamps of
advocacy’ lists them as – Honesty, Courage, Industry, Wit, Eloquence,
Judgement & fellowship.
1. Honesty: Honesty means being straightforward. Free from deceit, cheating,
stealing or telling lies. A best advocate will be always honest. Example for honest
character is Abraham Lincoln. An advocate must not do illegal practices. He
should not do any act will lead to professional misconduct. He should disclose the
real facts and legal position of his clients frankly. Honesty, integrity and character
are inseparable. These 3 virtues put together are essential for success of an
advocate.
2. Courage: Courage enables a person to control his fear when in danger, pain,
misfortune etc. There will be lot of pressure that an advocate has to face from
outside. Sometimes he even has to fight against the state. He should not fear
executives and politicians. He must perform his duty to safeguard the interests of
his clients. When an advocate has courage his half battle is won. One of the
important qualification for an advocate is boldness. Courage is a good weapon
for an advocate to be successful.
3. Industry: Industry means diligence and hard work. It is very important for a
lawyer. An advocate must study his brief in the same way that an actor studies
his part. Success in advocacy can be achieved only by industry and it must be
employed usefully. Lord Eldon said ‘An advocate must live like a hermit and work
like a horse’. Advocacy is an intelligent profession. Intelligence and knowledge
will be sharpened with hard work and continuous efforts. An Advocate has to
study throughout his career and keep himself updated in every field. He must
refer to national & international journals, reference books. He must learn about all
professions & acquire upto date knowledge.
4. Wit: Wit means clever and humorous expression of ideas & liveliness of spirit. Wit
flows from intelligence, understanding and quickness of mind. Wit will lessen the
workload of an advocate. It relaxes his mental strain. Often the wit of an
advocate may make the judge turn from an unwise course (path). Lamp of wit is
needed to lighten the darkness of advocacy.
5. Eloquence: A good orator attracts the attention of a listener. Eloquence means
fluent speaking, skillful use of language to express the case with feelings. Fluent
speaking will impress the listener. Thus, the success of an advocate depends
upon his eloquence. An advocate who is fluent, skillful in using appropriate words
can easily impress the court.
6. Judgement: Judgement does not mean the decision given by a judge in the court.
Judgement means to study the case deeply by considering all parameters &
consequences by seeing the right point of the case. It is an intellectual capacity of
a person. It enables the person to translate good sense into right action. In
judgement one has to estimate and form an opinion on issues with good sense
 and ability. An advocate must be in a position to judge the merits & demerits of
the case on hearing the brief and seeing the documents. Then after judging the
issues, he must inform the client his legal position openly.
7. Fellowship: Fellowship means membership in friendly association or
companionship. Though advocates are opponent parties before the bench they
are not enemies with each other. Their conflict ends as they come out of the door
step of the court. There will be no discrimination of age, ability, experience, riches
etc between the advocates. All advocates are equal. Courts give them equal
respect. Advocates are required to encourage each other by sharing knowledge
& walk in the light of seven lamps of advocacy.
8. Tact: Prof KV Krishnaswamy Aiyer in his book ‘Professional Conduct and
Advocacy’ added one more lamp ie ‘Tact’. Tact means handling people &
situations skillfully without causing offence. An advocate must be in a position to
tackle and win his client, opponent party, opponent advocate in a smoother way.
Men; even with great ability; have suffered for quarrelling with tribunals, forgetting
clients, & losing their tempers. An advocate cannot be angry or lose his temper
over trifle things in Court or outside.