Justice secretary David Lammy will today convene the first meeting of a new body to ‘future-proof’ the UK legal sector.
Lammy announced at the Labour party conference in September that he was establishing an ‘English Law Panel’ to reinforce the country’s position as a global leading centre for legal services. The name has been tweaked, with the deputy prime minister announcing today that he will be convening the first meeting of the 'English Law Promotion Panel'.
The panel, which includes Law Society president Mark Evans, Bar Council vice-chair Kirsty Brimelow KC, Dame Elizabeth Gloster DBE, chair of LegalUK, and Supreme Court justice Lord Sales, will meet for the first time today.
Ahead of the meeting, Lammy said: ‘The UK’s legal services sector is a hidden super-power of our economy, generating more than £42.6bn a year and employing more than 364,000 people across the country. The use of English law by international businesses is key to that success story and we want to stay ahead of the game.
‘Today I am bringing together legal and business leaders to make sure the UK remains the jurisdiction of choice and continues to champion the rule of law around the world.’
Welcoming the initiative, Society president Mark Evans said: ‘The UK is a leading international legal centre recognised and respected the world over because of our laws and top legal professionals. UK legal exports continue to rise reaching £9.8bn a year. English law governs around 40% of all global business and financial transactions dominating international arbitration. Our legal sector powers the country’s global influence and fuels the economy creating more jobs.’
English Law Promotion Panel members:
- Mark Evans, president, Law Society
- Kirsty Brimelow KC, vice-chair, Bar Council
- Dame Elizabeth Gloster DBE, chair, LegalUK
- Richard Bamforth, founding chair, London International Disputes Week
- Jonathan Wood, chair, London Chamber of Arbitration and Mediation
- Kevin Nash, director general, London Court of International Arbitration
- Lucy Greenwood, trustee, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Clare Ambrose, London Maritime Arbitrators Association
- Christina Blacklaws, chair, LawtechUK Panel
- Charles Clark, chair, International Law Committee
- Professor Richard Susskind, academic and author on future legal services
- Dr Linda Yueh, academic and economist
- John Foster, chief policy and campaigns officer, Confederation of British Industry
- Farzana Baduel, president-elect, Chartered Institute of Public Relations
- Marcus Peffers, UK and global services, M+C Saatchi
- James Palmer CBE, chair, legal services, CityUK
- Dame Linda Dobbs DBE, Red Lion Consulting
- Lord Sales, justice of the Supreme Court
- Sir Colin Birss, chancellor of the High Court
- Mrs Justice Joanna Smith, chancery division of the High Court
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