Publishing standards

These standards bind every author on the BLACKBULL Legal Knowledge Network.

1. Publish knowledge, never solicit clients

  • Content must be objective, educational, respectful and evidence-based, consistent with the Bar Council of India Rules on professional conduct (including Rule 36).
  • No requests to hire, book consultations, call, message or retain the author. Contact links (phone, email, WhatsApp) are not rendered in publications.
  • No guaranteed outcomes, success rates, comparative superiority claims or exaggerated expertise.

2. Sponsored and promotional material

  • Educational announcements or sponsored publications must carry a clear disclosure and are published only where professionally permissible.
  • Advertisements appear only beside — never inside — article text.

3. Prohibited content

  • Abusive language, threats, harassment, hate speech, discrimination, personal attacks or defamatory allegations.
  • Explicit material, spam, impersonation, fraudulent advertisements, malicious links and fabricated legal information.
  • Confidential client information, unnecessary personal data, or identifying details from sensitive proceedings (e.g. survivors, minors, matrimonial matters).

4. How moderation works

  • Only lawyers whose enrolment details are verified by an administrator can publish.
  • Every submission is automatically screened, then reviewed by a human administrator. Nothing is published without approval.
  • Automated flags never decide alone — flagged items are routed to human review.
  • Edits to a published article send it back for review before the change goes live.

5. Enforcement

  • Violations may result in rejection, a strike, account restriction, suspension or a permanent ban. Three strikes lead to automatic suspension.
  • Submission limits apply (5 submissions per 24 hours) to prevent automated or coordinated misuse.
  • Authors may file an appeal from their dashboard; every administrative action is recorded in an audit log.
  • Readers can report any publication without registering.