LCD minister spearheads campaign for liberalisation of services in China

BEIJING TALKS: Rosie Winterton joins UK lawyers in debate on global legal market

A Lord Chancellor's Department minister led talks in Beijing last week over the continuing liberalisation of legal services in China.

Rosie Winterton and other justice ministers joined representatives from a number of China-based UK law firms at a 600-delegate international conference focusing on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and global legal markets.

Martin Baker, a competition partner at US firm Taylor Wessing who spoke at the conference, said: 'China is now a very active member of the WTO and as such has opened up its legal market, including new rules on overseas representative offices in the republic.

However, there have been some concerns voiced by foreign lawyers about the extent of work the current regulations actually allow you to do.'

Mr Baker added that fresh guidelines concerning the type of work foreign lawyers could carry out in China were expected.

However, he warned: 'Do not to hold your breath.'

Stewart Crowther, the managing partner of DLA's Hong Kong office, said despite the current regulations restricting a foreign lawyer to only advising on off-shore law, there was further liberalisation on the horizon.

'There is talk of some kind of co-operation being allowed with local law firms, similar to regulations in Singapore, where you can offer a full service between you,' he said.

'I would expect further developments on that in the course of next year.'

Meanwhile the EU-China legal and judicial co-operation programme is inviting applications for individuals to undertake a nine-month exchange programme in January 2003.

LINKS: www.legaljudicial.org

Andrew Towler