Gandhi wrote in detail on this himself. There is a book published under the title of "The Law and The Lawyers" (by M.K.Gandhi, Compiled and Edited by S. B. Kher) in which Gandhi's writing on his legal experiences are brought together in one book.

After passing his exams and being enrolled in the High Court of England in 1891, he started his first practice in Bombay. He had initial troubles translating his experience of learning the law to applying the law in practice. He also realized that although he learned of the law in England, there were significant legal and cultural differences in India that made his initial practice difficult. He began his study of Indian law in Bombay while trying to get as many briefs as he could, but went broke in Bombay within five months. He described himself in Bombay as being a "briefless barrister".

He took his first case in a small claims court and almost passed out from his nervousness. When he first stood before the judge to cross examine the plaintiff's witness, his head was reeling and he could not think of any questions to ask. He was certain that the judge must have been laughing inside.

He moved his practice to Rajkot and earned 300R. a month drafting applications and memorials, and also some work for an official in Porbandar.

During this time he got an offer from the Meman firm in Porbandar to go to South Africa to help with a case for Dada Abdulla and Co.. This case was a lawsuit for the amount of £40,000. It was dense with accounting details, the nature of which Gandhi was not familiar by virtue of his education. In this case he was not to function as a barrister but more as a legal secretary. He wound up playing a crucial role in negotiating a successful arbitration settlement between the two parties, which increased his reputation. He was 24.

He was preparing to return to India after the case when he was convinced to stay on one month longer to help fight a bill that was about to be passed that would have deprived Indians of their right to elect members to their own legislative assembly.

One month turned into 21 years of working to secure legal concessions for the Indian population of South Africa. This work was not just legal, but could also be described as a kind of social activism. He developed his "satyagraha" strategy of nonviolent non-cooperation/protest during his work in South Africa. By the time he returned to India, people were already calling him "Mahatma" (great-souled).

Gandhi's view of the legal profession:

"A true lawyer is one who places truth and service in the first place and the emoluments of the profession in the next place only." Harijan, 26-11-1938