The Law Society is to help law firms run internship and secondment programmes that were threatened by new immigration rules by launching a scheme for migrant lawyers under Tier 5 (T5) of the points-based system (PBS).

As the overarching body for the scheme, the Society will authorise eligible firms to issue certificates of sponsorship to prospective short-term migrants. The firm will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the migrants, including all reporting and record-keeping obligations required by the PBS. The Society said: ‘For the legal sector, sharing knowledge, experience and best practice with lawyers from around the world through work experience, secondment and internship programmes is essential to business development. In the current economic climate, the ability to remain competitive in the global market for legal services has never been more important.’

A pilot of the scheme has been conducted with Clifford Chance and Dechert. Stuart Popham, worldwide senior partner of Clifford Chance, said: ‘We welcome the new Law Society scheme. We believe it will play a vital role in enabling international law firms to continue to recruit the best talent in the global market.’

Some 40 leading national and international law firms have already indicated their interest in joining the scheme. Des Hudson, Society chief executive, said: ‘The success of England's world-leading law firms depends on the relationships they build with lawyers from many jurisdictions. This scheme supports the international networking which is essential to the competitiveness of these global businesses.’