Fair play abroad

The victory for solicitors working in the Greek port of Piraeus could not have come soon enough.The practice of countries threatening foreign lawyers more often than not English and Welsh solicitors over what they see as illegal practice (for which read strong competition) is hardly appropriate in these liberalising times.Governments are recognising this, helped by pressure from the European Commission and World Trade Organisation, prompted by the Law Society.

But from Romania to India, Brazil to Japan, solicitors and the Society are still having to fight for the right to practise.What local lawyers often see as frightening competition, others see as a chance to help their firms reach international standards.

Some City firms even have pro bono programmes in their overseas offices.

In any case, the English firms are mostly conducting work that global companies would never trust to a small local practice.The greatest strides have been made in Europe, where the directive giving EU lawyers a permanent right of establishment in any EU country is putting an end to restrictive practices, especially in Mediterranean countries and in those central and eastern European states hoping to join the EU.The directive clearly works, even though it has only been in force for a year.

Now it must be implemented as a model world-wide.