The Jammu and Kashmir Legal Practitioners (Fees) Act, 1931

(1) This Act may be called the Legal Practitioners (Fees) Act, 1988. (2) It extends to the whole of Jammu an d Kashmir State. (3) It shall come into force on such date 4 s l[thc Government] may, by notification in the Jammu and Kashmir Government Gazette, appoint.

For the purpose of thii Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context- (a) "legal practitioner" means a legal hactitioner as defined in section 3 of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1977; and (b) a legal practitioner shall not be deemed to "act" if he only pleads, or to "agree to act" if he agrees only to plead.

Any legal practitionr, who acts or agrees to act for any persoq may by private agreement settle with such perron the terms of his engagement and the fee to be paid for his professional service.

Any such legal practitioner shall be entitled to institute and maintain legal proceedings for the recovery of any fee due to him under the agreement or, if no such fee has been settled, a fee computed in accordance with the law for the time being in force in regard to the computation of the costs to be awarded to a party in respect of the fee of his legal practitioner.

No legal practitioner who has acted or agreed to act shall, by reason only of being a legal practitioner, be exempt from liability to be sued in respect of any loss or injury due to any negligence in the conduct of his professional duties.

Sections 28 to 31 of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1977 are hereby repealed.