For practicing Advocates only — not a general recruitment
The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Regional Office, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, has issued a Notice Inviting Applications for empanelment of Advocates to represent ESIC before the Hon'ble High Court (Allahabad & Lucknow benches), Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Employees' Insurance Courts, Metropolitan Magistrate Courts, and other Courts/Tribunals/Quasi-Judicial Fora across Uttar Pradesh. Empanelled Advocates represent ESIC's Regional Office Kanpur, Sub-Regional Offices (Noida, Lucknow, Varanasi), ESIC Model Hospitals, Medical Colleges, and other field units in the state.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
- Must hold at least a Bachelor's Degree in Law from a recognized University in India.
- Must be enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of India (or a State Bar Council) and in active practice at the bar.
- For Supreme Court matters: must be an Advocate-on-Record, wherever such empanelment is required.
- Minimum 10 years of professional experience for Supreme Court, High Courts, and CAT benches. Minimum 5 years for district-level courts and other forums. (Exact requirement may vary by the specific court, as stated in the advertisement.)
- Sound professional reputation, good communication skills, and adequate office infrastructure (accessible office/chamber, staff, communication facilities).
- The Director General, ESIC may relax or modify eligibility conditions in appropriate cases, for reasons recorded in writing.
📍 Where You'll Represent ESIC (31 Districts + 2 High Court Benches)
Appendix-C of the notice lists the exact fora where Advocates are required:
| Category | Fora |
|---|---|
| High Court Benches (Advocates required) | High Court (Prayagraj Bench), CAT Prayagraj & Other Tribunals at Prayagraj; High Court (Lucknow Bench), CAT Lucknow & Other Tribunals at Lucknow |
| Standing Counsels required | High Court (Prayagraj Bench), CAT Prayagraj & Other Tribunals; E.I. Court, CMM Court and other Courts/Tribunals/Quasi-Judicial Fora, Kanpur Region |
EI Courts, Magistrate Courts & other Fora — 31 Districts:
| # | District | # | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agra | 17 | Moradabad |
| 2 | Aligarh | 18 | Sitapur |
| 3 | Prayagraj | 19 | Sant Kabir Nagar |
| 4 | Firozabad | 20 | Rampur |
| 5 | Jhansi | 21 | Rae Bareli |
| 6 | Unnao | 22 | Ghaziabad |
| 7 | Mathura | 23 | Muzaffarnagar |
| 8 | Kanpur | 24 | Hapur |
| 9 | Lucknow | 25 | Meerut |
| 10 | Barabanki | 26 | Saharanpur |
| 11 | Bareilly | 27 | Noida (Gautam Buddh Nagar) |
| 12 | Deoria | 28 | Varanasi |
| 13 | Faizabad/Ayodhya | 29 | Mau |
| 14 | Gorakhpur | 30 | Ghazipur |
| 15 | Hardoi | 31 | Mirzapur |
| 16 | Lakhimpur Kheri |
📝 Application Forms
💡 Tip: Use your browser's Print option (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) for a hard copy. Fill out ONLY the form that matches your status — not both.
Annexure-II — For Advocates NOT Currently on the ESIC Panel
1. Court/Fora for which empanelment is applied:
2. Name of Advocate:
3. Father's/Husband's Name:
4. Date of Birth and Age:
5. Address for correspondence:
6. Office/Chamber address:
7. Mobile number and email ID:
8. Bar Council enrolment number and date:
9. Advocate-on-Record details, if applicable:
10. Educational qualifications:
11. Total years of practice and main areas of practice:
12. Government/PSU/Statutory Body panels, if any:
13. Important cases/judgments handled:
14. Details of office infrastructure:
15. Whether related to any ESIC employee; if yes, details:
Declaration: I certify that the information furnished above is true and complete. I have not concealed any relevant fact. I agree to abide by the terms and conditions of ESIC empanelment.
Place: Date:
Signature of Applicant:
Annexure-III — For Advocates ALREADY on the ESIC Panel (must still reapply)
1. Name of existing Panel Advocate:
2. Court/Fora for which presently empanelled:
3. Court/Fora for which fresh empanelment is applied:
4. Bar Council enrolment number and date:
5. Advocate-on-Record details, if applicable:
6. Period of earlier empanelment with ESIC:
7. Number of ESIC cases assigned during last two years:
8. Number of cases disposed/won/lost/remanded/pending:
9. Important ESIC cases handled:
10. Whether any adverse remarks/disciplinary proceedings:
11. Details of relatives/spouse in ESIC, if any:
12. Remarks/special achievements:
Declaration: I certify that the information furnished above is true and complete. I have not concealed any relevant fact. I agree to abide by the terms and conditions of ESIC empanelment.
Signature of Applicant:
Annexure-VII — Undertaking & Conflict of Interest Declaration (everyone must submit this)
I, , Advocate, Enrolment No. , hereby undertake as under:
- The information submitted by me is true and complete to the best of my knowledge.
- I shall abide by all terms and conditions of empanelment prescribed by ESIC from time to time.
- I shall maintain strict confidentiality of all ESIC cases and records.
- I shall not advise or appear against ESIC during the period of empanelment.
- I shall immediately disclose any conflict of interest in any matter assigned to me.
- I shall appear on every date of hearing and submit status/hearing reports promptly.
- I shall return all case files and records as and when required by ESIC.
- I agree to the fee schedule notified by ESIC.
Place: Date:
Signature:
Name:
Mobile:
🎯 Selection Process & Evaluation Criteria
Selection is not automatic on submission — a Selection Committee (Regional Director + at least 2 external legal experts, preferably Law Professors) evaluates every application on a 100-mark scale:
| Parameter | Marks |
|---|---|
| Professional experience before relevant Court/Fora | 25 |
| Quality and nature of cases handled | 20 |
| Knowledge of relevant legal areas | 20 |
| Experience in Government/PSU/Statutory Body litigation | 10 |
| Conduct, integrity and professional reputation | 10 |
| Interaction/interview/assessment | 10 |
| Office infrastructure and availability | 5 |
| Total | 100 |
Note: mere submission does not confer any right or claim to empanelment. The final panel is notified only after Director General approval and published on the ESIC website; empanelment letters follow separately.
💰 Fee Schedule At a Glance
| Court Tier | Counsel Category | Fee (Effective Hearing) |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court | Group 'A' Counsel | ₹21,600/case/day |
| High Courts (except Bombay/Calcutta Principal Benches) | Senior Panel Counsel (SPC) | ₹14,400/case/day |
| High Court Principal Benches (Bombay/Calcutta) + CAT there | Special Counsel | ₹14,400/case/day |
| EI/District/Subordinate Courts, Consumer Forums | Standing Govt. Counsel | ₹2,880/case/day |
| Arbitration Tribunals | Senior Arbitration Counsel | ₹3,600/appearance |
Retainership (where applicable): ₹14,400/month for Deputy SG/Senior CGSC/CGSC/SPC in High Courts; ₹9,600/month for Standing Government Counsel in District Courts. Advocates with less than 10 years' experience in a High Court role are paid at Central Government Counsel (CGC) rates instead of SPC/Special Counsel rates. Fees are paid at old rates for work done before 01.04.2026, and revised rates for work on/after.
📌 Panel Terms & Duties of Empanelled Advocates
- Panel tenure: Ordinarily 3 years, unless discontinued earlier for recorded reasons. Existing panel advocates must reapply whenever a fresh panel is advertised — prior empanelment gives no automatic continuation.
- Must appear on every hearing date; no ESIC matter should go unattended, and unnecessary adjournments should not be sought.
- Must collect briefs promptly, coordinate with the concerned ESIC office, and submit a hearing/status report after every hearing.
- Where a case is decided against ESIC, must provide a reasoned opinion on appeal/review within 5 working days.
- Must maintain strict confidentiality of ESIC case information — no sharing with third parties, opposite parties, or media.
- Cannot advise or appear against ESIC during the empanelment period, and must immediately disclose any conflict of interest.
- Cannot use ESIC's name, logo, or symbol on personal letterhead, signboard, or publicity material.
- Must return all case records/briefs to ESIC when required or upon cessation of empanelment.
- Empanelment confers only a right to be considered for legal work — it does not guarantee case allotment. ESIC is free to engage any advocate of its choice.
- Workload is broadly distributed at ~8–10 active cases per advocate depending on complexity and performance, to avoid over-concentration with any one advocate.
📝 How & Where to Apply
- Fill the applicable form — Annexure-II if you're a fresh applicant, or Annexure-III if you're already on the panel — plus the Annexure-VII Undertaking (all above).
- Gather all documents from the checklist above.
- Send your complete application to reach the address below on or before 31.08.2026, 5:00 PM.
Regional Office, Employees' State Insurance Corporation
Panchdeep Bhawan, Sarvodaya Nagar, Kanpur, U.P. – 208005
Note: Applications received after the last date, or found incomplete, are liable to be rejected. Competent Authority reserves the right to accept/reject any application, or modify/withdraw/postpone/cancel the entire process, at any stage without assigning any reason.
📞 Contact
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Regional Office, ESIC, Panchdeep Bhawan, Sarvodaya Nagar, Kanpur-208005 |
| Phone | 0512-2217957 |
| rd-up@esic.nic.in |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. I'm already on ESIC's panel — do I still need to apply?
Yes. Existing panel advocates must submit a fresh application via Annexure-III. Your current panel status remains valid only until this fresh panel is finalized — submitting a fresh application does not guarantee re-empanelment.
Q2. Does meeting the eligibility criteria guarantee empanelment?
No. Selection is competitive, evaluated on a 100-mark scale covering experience, case quality, legal knowledge, conduct, and interview performance — not automatic on submission.
Q3. Does empanelment guarantee I'll get cases?
No. Empanelment only confers a right to be considered for legal work. Case allotment is entirely at ESIC's discretion, and workload is distributed to avoid concentrating cases with any one advocate.
Q4. Can I continue my private practice while empanelled?
The notice doesn't explicitly restrict private practice, but you cannot advise or appear against ESIC during the empanelment period, and must disclose any conflict of interest immediately.
Q5. How long does the panel last?
Ordinarily 3 years, unless discontinued earlier for recorded reasons. You'll need to reapply whenever the next panel is advertised — there's no automatic renewal.
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