Our team: who works on your matter and how

Who is on the team at B.K. Singh & Associates?

Two advocates, supported by clerks and research help, with associate counsel brought in when a case needs them. The founder has more than twenty years in practice and appears before the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court and other High Courts, the district courts of Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad, and the tribunals in New Delhi. The partner handles family, consumer, civil, recovery and documentation work and runs client matters from day to day.

Both work on every matter the firm accepts, though not in the same way. At any given moment one of them knows your file in detail, and usually both do. That matters more than headcount on the day the other side files something unexpected and a decision has to be made before lunch. How the firm itself runs, including its offices and ethics, is described on the about us page.

Who does what on your matter?

This is the usual division of work. On a small matter one advocate may do most of it; on a large one, both work through each stage together.

What does Advocate B.K. Singh do on a matter?

He makes the decisions that shape the case. Which forum to choose, whether to seek interim relief now or wait, whether to file a suit or send a notice first, whether to settle and on what terms: these are discussed with the partner and with you, and the founder takes the final professional call on the advice. He reads the core papers in every contested matter himself, usually starting with the documents the other side will rely on, because a case is often decided by how well you answer the other side's strongest paper.

He settles the important drafts, such as plaints, writ petitions, bail applications in serious offences, appeals, special leave petitions, and applications before the NCLT and DRT, and he argues contested hearings. In matters involving electronic evidence, digital payments or technology contracts, his MCA background means he reads the technical material himself rather than relying on someone else's summary of it.

What does Advocate Sadhna Singh do on a matter?

She is usually the first person you speak to, and the person who knows the current state of your file best. She takes instructions, works out which papers are needed, reads them, builds the chronology and flags problems early: a missing document, a limitation issue, or a gap between what you have told us and what a paper shows.

She drafts pleadings, replies, applications and agreements, runs matters from day to day, appears on routine dates and in her own areas of practice, and sends the update after each hearing. In family, consumer, civil, recovery and documentation work she often handles a matter through to its end. Clients usually find it easier to raise practical questions with her, such as whether they need to come on the next date, what an order means or what to carry to a mediation sitting, and that is part of her role.

Who does the legal research and drafting support?

Research support helps the advocates find and check the law: recent judgments of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, the current text of a statute after amendment, notifications, rules and practice directions. Since July 2024 a good deal of that work involves matching old provisions of the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act to the BNS, BNSS and BSA, and checking how courts are treating cases registered before 1 July 2024. The criminal law page explains that transition.

Every authority is read in full by an advocate before it goes into a pleading or is cited in court. A judgment summarised wrongly, or one that has since been overruled, does more harm than no citation at all. Drafting support covers formatting to court requirements, indexing, pagination, typing annexures and preparing the paper books the High Court and the Supreme Court require, so that the advocates' time goes into the substance.

What do the clerks do?

Clerks keep the case moving through the court system, and their work is easy to underrate. They file papers and cure defects pointed out by the registry, check cause lists every evening for the next day's listings, apply for and collect certified copies, inspect court records, and track whether notice has been served on the other side. In the district courts, a missed listing or an unserved notice can cost months.

They also keep the physical files and the record of dates. When you call to ask what happened on a particular date two years ago, the answer comes from that record and the court's order sheet, not from anyone's memory.

How does a new matter move through the team?

A typical contested matter goes through these stages inside the firm. Each stage has a person responsible for it, so someone always has the file.

1. Intake

   The partner takes your call or enquiry, notes the deadline, checks for conflicts and asks for the papers. If something must happen within a day or two, she tells the founder at once.

2. File opening

   The clerks open a file with the parties' names, any case number and the dates. Originals are taken against a receipt.

3. Reading and research

   The partner prepares a chronology and a list of issues, and research support pulls the relevant law. Questions for you are collected into one list rather than sent one at a time.

4. Strategy meeting

   Both advocates discuss the file and settle the advice. You then meet one or both of them, in person or by video, and decide how to proceed.

5. Drafting

   The partner drafts, the founder revises key pleadings, and you check the facts and sign the affidavit. Nothing is filed without your approval of the facts.

6. Filing and hearings

   The clerks file and track the listing. The founder argues contested hearings; the partner covers routine dates and sends the update.

If the matter needs outside counsel at any point, that step is added with your agreement, and the firm continues to coordinate everything.

How does the team handle an urgent matter, such as an arrest?

The usual sequence is compressed into hours, and the work is split so that two things happen at once. When a family calls to say someone has been picked up by the police, or that the police have come with a notice, the partner takes the details: the police station, the FIR number if there is one, the sections mentioned and what the officers have actually said. The founder is told at once and decides the immediate course, whether that is an application for anticipatory bail under section 482 of the BNSS, a regular bail application before the magistrate, or advice on answering a notice under section 35 instead of being arrested.

While the application is being drafted, the clerks find out where the matter will be listed and arrange certified copies of whatever is available. The family is told what to bring: identity documents, address proof, details of a possible surety and any papers that show the person's roots in the community. Someone from the firm stays in touch with the family through the day, so that they are not left guessing.

Civil emergencies follow the same pattern. A demolition notice, a bank's auction date or construction on disputed land calls for an urgent application for an injunction or stay, prepared the same day. The bail page explains the law on arrest and bail in more detail.

When do you bring in associate counsel or an Advocate-on-Record?

When the court or the case requires it. Under the Supreme Court Rules 2013 only an Advocate-on-Record can file a petition or enter an appearance in the Supreme Court; other advocates can argue but cannot file. So for a special leave petition under Article 136 or a writ under Article 32 we work with an Advocate-on-Record for filing, while the firm prepares the matter and the founder argues or instructs as needed. The Supreme Court practice page explains the procedure.

Associate counsel are also used for cases in courts outside Delhi NCR, such as a High Court in another state or a district court in Bihar or Rajasthan, where a local advocate's daily presence matters. Occasionally, in a difficult hearing in a superior court, we may suggest briefing a senior advocate. In every case you are told who the lawyer is, what they will do and what they will charge before they are engaged, and the decision is yours.

Outside counsel: when and why

Fees for outside counsel and other professionals are agreed with you in writing before they are engaged, separately from the firm's own fees.

Will the founder appear in my case himself?

In contested hearings, yes, as a rule. The founder argues the hearings that decide a matter or a major part of it: bail in serious cases, interim injunctions, admission of appeals and writs, and final arguments. Routine dates, where the matter is only being adjourned, notice is being issued or a document is being taken on record, are often covered by the partner.

If he cannot attend a particular hearing because of a clash with another court, which happens in any litigation practice, we tell you in advance who will appear and why. A hearing that matters is not handed to someone unfamiliar with the file. If a clash would harm your case, we ask the court to take the matter up later in the day or on a short date rather than go ahead unprepared.

Who do I call when I have a question about my case?

Call the partner first, for nearly everything. She has the file, knows the next date and can answer most questions directly. If your question is about strategy, such as whether to accept a settlement offer, she will arrange a call or meeting with the founder. WhatsApp is fine for sending documents and for simple questions; for anything sensitive, a phone call is better.

Please do not contact the other side's lawyer, court staff or the investigating officer directly about the case without speaking to us first. Well-meant calls can create real problems: a remark that ends up as evidence, a misunderstanding about a date, or an accusation of trying to influence a witness.

How can I help the team work on my case?

Most delays in a new matter come from missing papers or unclear facts. You can save the team, and yourself, a good deal of time with these.

How are drafts checked before they are filed?

Every pleading is read by two people at the firm before it is filed, and then by you. The partner drafts, the founder reads important drafts for the law and the strategy, and you read the draft for the facts. An affidavit signed on facts you have not checked is your problem as much as ours, because you are the person swearing to it.

We look hardest at three things. The dates, because a wrong date can make a genuine document look fabricated. The prayer, because a court will not grant relief you have not asked for. And the list of documents, because a document left out may need the court's permission later. In commercial suits, where documents must be filed with the plaint and the written statement must come within 120 days at the outside, the check is tighter still.

Who goes to court on the hearing date?

It depends on what the hearing is for. For arguments, the founder; for routine dates, the partner; for filing and certified copies, the clerks. Where both advocates' presence helps, for example on the first day of evidence or in a long final hearing, both attend. You will know in advance who is appearing.

Whether you need to come is a separate question. In criminal trials the accused usually has to attend unless the court grants exemption from personal appearance. In civil cases parties attend for their evidence, for mediation and for some settlement hearings. In a mutual consent divorce, both spouses normally appear for the motions unless the court permits otherwise. We tell you before each date whether you need to be there.

Is my information safe with the whole team?

Yes. Everyone who works on a file, including clerks, research support and any intern, is bound to keep it confidential, and only those working on your matter see your papers. Communications with your advocates for the purpose of legal advice are protected by the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, and that protection extends to the clerks and others who work for the advocate on the matter.

We are also careful about how papers travel. Sensitive documents are shared by email or a secure link rather than in group chats, and originals stay in the office file. Where a matter involves very private material, such as medical records or matrimonial correspondence, we limit who handles it further, and if you ask, we will tell you who has seen it. How personal data is handled more generally is explained in the privacy policy.

What will the team ask you, and why?

Some of these questions feel intrusive. Each one has a reason.

• Have you signed anything about this before? An earlier settlement, receipt or affidavit can bind you, or contradict what you are saying now.
• Has any case been filed on these facts? A second case on the same cause can be barred, and the court must be told about earlier proceedings.
• What will the other side say? We need their best version, not only yours, so that we can prepare an answer to it.
• Is there anything you would rather we did not know? If it is in the other side's papers, we will find out in court. It is far better to hear it from you first.
• What outcome would you accept? Knowing your bottom line early helps us judge offers in mediation and decide how hard to fight.
• Who else knows about this? Witnesses, relatives and employees may be called, and what they have already said to others matters.

Do interns or junior staff work on my file?

Law interns spend time with the firm learning court practice and research, and they may help with research or attend court with the advocates. They do not give advice and do not appear for you, and they see a file only when an advocate decides it is appropriate, under the same duty of confidentiality as everyone else. If you would prefer that no intern sees your papers, tell us and they will be kept out of it.

If you are a law student or a lawyer interested in this kind of work, the internship and careers pages explain how to apply and what the work involves.

What if I am not happy with how my matter is going?

Tell us early, and tell us plainly. Most unhappiness comes from not knowing what is happening or why a case is slow, and that can usually be put right with a meeting and a written plan. If you disagree with the advice, we will explain the reasons again and, where it makes sense, look at alternatives. The decision whether to settle, appeal or withdraw is always yours.

If you decide to move the matter to another advocate, we will give a no-objection for the change of vakalatnama and hand over your file and original documents promptly. You also have the right to complain to the State Bar Council if you believe an advocate has broken the professional rules.

How do I meet the team?

Through the online enquiry page, a phone call or a WhatsApp message. The partner will usually reply, ask for the key papers and fix a time with one or both advocates at the Dwarka or Vaishali office, or by video. Office addresses and hours are on the contact page.

If the matter is urgent, such as an arrest, a raid, a bank's possession date or a hearing the next day, say so in the first line of your message, or call instead of writing.