Ken Clarke: law and lawyers among the UK's "greatest exports"
Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke has launched the Legal Services Action plan aimed at promoting London as the legal capital of the world.
Kenneth Clarke
Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke has launched the Legal Services Action plan aimed at promoting London as the legal capital of the world.
In a speech, which took place at Clifford Chance’s offices today, Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke underlined the Government’s commitment to promoting the UK legal industry abroad and called for a need to modernise the UK’s ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘bureaucratic’ civil and criminal justice system.
Hailing the UK’s legal services ‘world-class’, Clarke outlined initiatives the Government is undertaking to further the interests of the UK’s legal businesses.
The Legal Services Action plan includes the expansion of legal services into new markets, namely; South East Asia, Brazil, Turkey and India and introducing new ways for legal businesses to grow by introducing Alternative Business Structures which, Clarke anticipates, will increase competition, encourage investment and improve the service available to the consumer.
Clarke said: “I intend that the new Alternative Business Structures which come in on October 6th will be of benefit both to the economy and the profession. Time will tell, but I hope that comparisons with the Big Bang in 1986 do not prove entirely fanciful.”
Calling the rule of law one of the UK’s ‘greatest exports’, Clarke also emphasised the need for UK nationals to choose mediation before embarking on a lengthy and expensive court process.
The measures being introduced to encourage this include automatic referral to mediation in small claims cases, as well as plans to tighten up on referral fees and “no win, no fee” claims.
Clarke said: “What all adds up to, I hope, is a vision of the future of litigation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. My aim is a system which encourages people only to resort to courtroom where sensible; cuts costs where costs are unavoidable; and promotes UK law wherever and whenever possible”.
He went on to say: “Law as an industry has sometimes felt itself to be overlooked in its treatment by government – certainly relative to financial services. So I want to make it clear that for this Government, the City of London is a legal centre – not just a financial one.
“Contrary to popular myth, I do not wear hush puppies but I am prepared to wear out much shoe leather promoting the UK as lawyer and adviser to the world, particularly in areas where protectionist regulations remain an impediment to exporting UK services.”
The full transcript from today’s speech can be found here http://www.sentpressrelease.com//email/attachment/download?hash=92afc1c34798952c33ba7131dfaf09ca90314c77b5d1b63782721be00079344f
Readers' comments (9)
Anonymous | 14-Sep-2011 7:46 pm
First things first, the UK immigration rules should welcome the facilitation of non-resident lawyers or international students to apply for training contracts. The true adherence and development of talent onshore and offshore is key to allowing the emergence of law firms...dual qualification is too long a route and expensive....
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Mark Wonnacott | 14-Sep-2011 9:21 pm
"World class"? He's obviously never been to the Central London County Court. You try and explain to your clients that, in the unlikely event that the court hasn't lost the file entirely, there is almost zero chance of a judge being available to hear the claim on the trial date, and it will go off for another nine months. And then try and persuade them to litigate in this jurisdiction.
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Anonymous | 15-Sep-2011 12:49 pm
@Anonymous 7:46pm
Perhaps we should concentrate on developing our onshore talent first given the lack of training contracts that are currently available..
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Tim Nice But Dim | 15-Sep-2011 1:05 pm
@Mark, 9.21pm
Surely a "world class" litigant isn't going to be filing in the County Court...
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Anonymous | 15-Sep-2011 1:51 pm
This sounds a good idea but the companies in these countries mostly want lawyers in country, not in London, and who understand their business culture. Those who are suddenly interested now that the UK economy is in dire straights will be viewed with suspicion. Some firms may be good at this but they already have the lawyers there so I cannot see much increase in exports from this.
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doogie hauser MD | 15-Sep-2011 4:00 pm
That's odd - I was sure that according to UK Gov. Trade Data our greatest export was Ozzy Osbourne?
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Anonymous | 15-Sep-2011 6:45 pm
@ 7:46 "First things first, the UK immigration rules should welcome the facilitation of non-resident lawyers or international students to apply for training contracts”
Are you serious? Part of the reason why the UK market is how it is at the moment is because of all of the international students who have got TCs whilst British Grads are plugging away as paralegals and some are even stacking shelves at TESCO. Name one international law firm that does not have an international student as a Trainee? At Ashurst international students make up nearly 50% of their UK trainee intake…. ABSURD!!! While many law grads here are without jobs much less TCs. Nonetheless nothing is without ‘reason’ I have come across numerous trainees who are Indian from India and lots from China all very political, the legal world would say ‘commercial’. Firms take these grads on as they want to enter into these markets and attract clients from these markets or those
who wish to do business in those markets.
Name one other jurisdiction that allows international students to TRAIN as lawyers in their countries?? In the Cayman Islands you have to be a national of that country as with the Bahamas BVI, India ect so why should the UK not do the same that is the question?
The UK’s doors have been open too long (I am talking about at the junior level) it’s time to close them and fix the problem at home sort out the UK law grads.
Why do you wish to train here and not in your own country? I bet if a UK Grad were to go to your country they would NOT be able to train there because of immigration reasons which only seem to be a Free for all in the UK and law school reasons (jurisdictional).
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Munir A MAlik | 16-Sep-2011 5:49 am
One way to export the legal expertise is to encourage the over seas Biritsih graduates and post grauduate in thier jurisdictions, invite them for training contract and then initiate firm to firm JVs. I know many in sub continent and middle east who would like it. Please understand that many jurisdiction have been unable to respond to the innovations of our times.British law and lawyers may.
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John | 16-Sep-2011 7:05 am
Perhaps he could start by not destroying our reputation for justice with a 77% cut to the funding of law centres and CAB through legal aid and his making mentally ill people and people who cannot speak English represent themselves alone at Court.
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