Irvine plugs City firms

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, is to take a pivotal role in promoting UK legal services abroad, he announced last week.Lord Irvine told the annual judges dinner that 'our legal sector is one of our most successful exporters'.

To build on this, he announced Cabinet backing for his department to assume a new sponsoring role for the international legal services market and a co-ordinating role across Whitehall 'for exchanges of a legal nature'.Foreign earnings by UK law firms are estimated at 1.5 billion, or 1.5% of the total gross domestic product.Although complimentary about individual efforts to promote legal services, Lord Irvine said overall efforts until now were 'unco-ordinated and unsustained'.Giving as examples his recent visit to central and eastern Europe, the signing of a memorandum of understanding with China and 'interesting talks' about relaxing rules against foreign firms practising there, Lord Irvine said there were 'real opportunities' for the UK to take an international lead.He added: 'Government can, on occasion, do things that private enterprise cannot.

Political influence on a bilateral basis can be invaluable.'A senior City partner said it would be 'useful' to have a point of contact in Whitehall but pointed out that UK firms were already working hard to promote legal services overseas.

Sue Allen

See editorial