The Chinese legal system has been in the news during the last couple of weeks, prompted by the first ever official visit to China by a British lord chancellor.In fact, Lord Irvine's visit coincides with the 11th year in which young Chinese lawyers have spent a year's secondment in this country as part of the practical training scheme administered by the China Law Council.

Although only recently renamed, the China Law Council has been a successful joint venture between the Law Society and the Bar on which practising solicitors and barristers, all with an interest in matters relating to Chinese law and the legal profession, have, with the invaluable help of academic representatives of the School of Oriental and African Studies, welcomed during the last 11 years, 157 visiting lawyers.Regarded by the Ministry of Justice in China as one of its premier legal exchange schemes, the China Law Council has been pleased by the recent interest shown by Lord Irvine in the practical training scheme, as evidenced by a reception he hosted at his private apartments two weeks ago for the latest group of visiting lawyers and their mentors from the participating solicitors' firms and barristers' chambers.The aims of this scheme, which is funded via the British Council by the Department for International Development, are to give the visiting Chinese lawyers: an understanding of English law and the English legal system; provide an introduction to the practice of English law in both contentious and non-contentious work; and an insight into the management and organisation of legal practice on both sides of the profession.

It is therefore a tremendous showcase for the English legal profession, particularly as the visiting lawyers have, on past experience, gone on, upon their return to China, to become senior partners in domestic firms which are prominent in high-pro file international transactional work; or to take up senior government posts.To date, the scheme has tended to have a commercial law focus.

However, in recent years, the visiting lawyers' growing interest in other areas of the law, particularly in relation to environmental and employment law, has meant a widening of the subjects in which they gain experience and exposure.

In addition, when the participating English lawyers get to grips with our new domestic human rights legislation, there will be ever increasing opportunities for our visitors to sample a range of additional legal topics.The scheme has been an important contributor during the last 11 years or so to the development of good relations between the respective legal professions in England and China.

On a wider front, it has undoubtedly made a small contribution to the enhancement of Anglo-Sino relations generally, as perhaps was evidenced by the prime minister's favourable comments made about the scheme when he visited China last October.

Such success -- which is perhaps something of an unsung story for the legal profession -- is owed in no small part to the time and effort, all given freely, not only by the members of the China Law Council, but by the many participating solicitors' firms and barristers' chambers.The China Law Council is always looking for new participating firms.

Generally speaking, we do not mind where they are based or what their practice area is.

Firms do not have to be commercially-based, so long as they have some interest in China and are willing to host a visiting lawyer for three months each year.

We would very much like to hear from those firms.

Anyone interested can contact me for additional information c/o Helen Potts at the Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2.