Consultation paper - international practice

The Law Society's standards board and regulation review working party have issued a consultation paper about proposed changes to the rules affecting international practice.

The paper discusses changes which would:

- Formally adjust the status of solicitors who do work in England and Wales for the clients of a foreign lawyer employer, so as to enable them to provide unreserved legal services to their employers' clients as practising solicitors subject to the regulation of the Law Society;

- Enable solicitors to become principals in overseas law firms that (without breach of the local lawyers' rules) include non-lawyer principals, and enable solicitors employed by such firms to provide services to clients as practising solicitors;

- Exempt minority solicitor partners in overseas firms from the accounts requirements in the overseas practice rules in respect of money transactions in which solicitors have had no direct involvement;

- Extend 'non-registered European lawyers' to include EU lawyers based outside the EU, so they do not need to register with the Law Society in order to practise in partnership with registered European lawyers; and,

- Enable solicitors to join partnerships which include 'non-registered European lawyers', provided there is at least one partner who is a registered European lawyer.

The Law Society welcomes responses to the consultation, which is on the Society's Web site at: www.lawsociety.org.uk (go to View all Specialisms/Rules Review/International Practice Consultation).

Alternatively, tel: 020 7242 1222 (ext: 3343 or 3613) for a copy of the consultation.

All responses should be received by 31 May 2003.