Government urged to support justice system at home
Action must be taken to preserve the global reputation of British legal services in the post-Brexit era, Bar leaders have warned.
Some 1,790 barristers undertook international work in 2017, earning £322m (an increase of £31m on the previous year), according to Bar Council figures. This compares to earnings of £90m in 2004. Overall, the legal services sector contributed £26bn to the UK economy in 2016, according to private sector advocacy group TheCityUK.
Bar Chair Andrew Walker QC urged the government to support the justice system at home, guarantee cross-border practice rights for UK and EU lawyers and ensure there are mutual rules applying to jurisdiction and judgments between the UK and the EU.
Walker said: ‘Mutual rules on jurisdiction and judgments between the UK and the EU, and on market access for lawyers, are not part of the current Political Declaration, yet they are vital if small UK firms are to stand a chance of trading successfully with the EU, and if our citizens’ rights are not to be undermined. We urge the government to prioritise a deal on these points during any transition period.’
He added that, while ‘the UK is the world’s number on legal centre’, the competition from Singapore, New York and Europe cannot be ignored.
Giving his inaugural speech this week, incoming Bar Chair Richard Atkins QC said: ‘We must fight to preserve: legal professional privilege and rights of audience where possible; access to justice through a comprehensive system of civil judicial cooperation… a flexible regime for the movement of persons which among other things ensures effective access for our
