When in India, never expect a straight answer on how a lawyer advises clients on India.

Firms instinctively clam up on this sensitive issue, which saw local lawyers rioting on the streets of Delhi several years ago. The work that foreign lawyers do, typically on 'fly in, fly out' visits, usually takes place in the safety of a hotel room and is expressly forbidden by the bar rules of India.

The International Bar Association (IBA) called last month for business lawyers to be given free rein to advise their clients in any country on a temporary basis, a clear indication that pressure is mounting on the Indian Government, among others, to release its protective grasp on its services market.