(Bromley and Chislehurst)
(Con):...None of that precludes us from using the
opportunities that come as we leave the EU to seek to expand
British legal services elsewhere in the world. It is important
that the Government build on the “Great” campaign, with which the
Ministry of Justice was associated last year. I hope it will be
made clear that legal services, as a key British specialism and
area of British excellence, will be a central part of the drive
we make going forward. That is not always easy. In fact, even in
common law jurisdictions adopting broadly similar laws to ours,
including many Commonwealth countries, considerable restrictive
practices get in the way of British law firms and lawyers
operating. For example, the British Bar and the Law Society have
been fighting extremely hard to get access to the legal markets
in India.
India is talked of as one of the great
potential commercial prizes for a free trade agreement
post-Brexit, but it is by no means easy. India currently has protective regulatory
structures. Progress is being made in parts of the financial
services sector, but India has been reluctant to open up its
legal services. When we negotiate trade deals, we should not be
thinking purely in terms of manufactures or financial services—it
is most desirable that legal services can be sold as part of a
package that goes with the other services, and sometimes with
manufactures. For example, many people will have bought a car
with an attached insurance policy. When something is exported, it
may have an insurance policy attached. It makes sense if lawyers
who specialise in that field can advise their clients in those
new markets...
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Justice (Lucy Frazer):...We are also working with
partners to target the countries that matter to the UK. In April
we will deliver an English law summit in Kazakhstan, alongside
the Law Society and the Bar Council in England and Wales. In May,
our campaign will feature in the UK pavilion of the Silk Road
Expo in Xi’an, China. We are working bilaterally with our key
allies on areas of mutual interest. Legal services feature
prominently in the regular programme of bilateral ministerial
meetings that we organise, including last year with ministers
from Singapore, India, Australia and China...
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