Profession: Society builds ties with Buenos Aires lawyers

A range of opportunities exists for British law firms to promote their services in Argentina, a scoping study carried out by the Law Society's international department has revealed.


'While British lawyers are well known in Argentina in terms of shipping, finance and insurance law, less is known about their growing expertise in arbitration or the competitive benefits of choosing London over New York or Paris as a centre for arbitration,' the report found.


Other potential sources of work it identified include environmental law, a growing niche area for Argentine lawyers, and public private partnerships, although the latter is at an early stage. The London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) is also 'relatively unknown and of considerable interest to many of the [Argentinian] large law firms', the study said.


The Law Society is planning a seminar, which will showcase areas such as AIM and environmental law, for the first quarter of 2007. It is also looking to build its relationship with the Colegio Público of Buenos Aires, the largest law society in Argentina with around 60,000 members, and to promote legal training opportunities in the UK.


Chancery Lane also plans to bolster the Society of British and Argentine Lawyers, which was set up in 1997.


Alison Hook, head of the Law Society's international department, said: 'There are many potential opportunities for English law firms in Argentina and the Law Society will be looking over the next year to find ways to help solicitors exploit them.'