Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Wednesday cautioned newly inducted Advocates-on-Record (AoRs) against equating online visibility and popularity with professional success..The CJI said that lasting respect in the legal profession comes from hard work and credibility earned inside courtrooms rather than on social media.The Chief Justice said young lawyers should concentrate on developing their legal craft instead of chasing popularity online.“Nowadays, I also see that it is very easy to become visible and known. So, how do you become visible and known - through social media. But, my dear friends, remember, such visibility is not the same as credibility.” he said.Lawyers should not measure their success by online popularity, he added.“Avoid the temptation to measure your success by online popularity. You are not to run like a TV channel where you are worried about your TRP. The respect that truly matters is the respect you earn inside the courtroom and from your colleagues, clients, and the Bar,” the CJI said..Avoid the temptation to measure your success by online popularity. You are not to run like a TV channel where you are worried about your TRP.CJI Surya Kant.He was speaking at the felicitation ceremony for the 2025 batch of AoRs organised by the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association. Justices KV Viswanathan and Vipul M Pancholi also addressed the gathering..The CJI also advised the newly inducted AoRs not to rush into setting up law firms or focusing on expanding a practice before first establishing themselves as competent lawyers.“Titles may open a door, but they do not build a career. What builds a career is the quality of your work.” he remarked. He said the focus in the initial years should be on earning professional respect through preparation and advocacy rather than building an enterprise..The CJI further emphasised that drafting (of legal documents) remains central to law practice and is “the soul of the profession”. He urged the new AoRs to treat every petition like a compelling narrative that would keep a judge engaged from beginning to end.Sharing an anecdote from his own days at the Bar, Justice Kant said his drafting skills had become the foundation of his early practice, with leading lawyers approaching him to draft complicated matters even before he had built a large independent practice..Drafting is the soul of legal profession.CJI Surya Kant.He also cautioned against over-reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) tolls while preparing pleadings. While AI could assist with legal research and comparative jurisprudence, he said it could never replace a lawyer’s own judgement and understanding of a client’s circumstances.“My suggestion will be that artificial intelligence should only be a secondary assistant in your office. It should not be a substitute for your own mind in the matter of drafting cases.” he said. Clients engage lawyers to understand the facts and emotions underlying a dispute, he explained.“Never forget, when the client engages you, he engages you as a human being… He does not engage your machines,” he added. .Justice Kant also reminded the newly inducted AoRs that their designation carries a responsibility to ensure that poor and marginalised litigants are not denied representation. He encouraged them to accept legal aid matters whenever possible, saying that sincerely handling even one such case could transform an entire family’s life.
