Representatives from top City law firms and the Law Society are to accompany the Lord Mayor of London on a bridge-building visit to Libya this month in a bid to strengthen links with the local legal profession and promote UK legal expertise in the oil-rich state.

Adrian Creed, a projects partner at Trowers & Hamlins' London office, who is part of the delegation, said: 'We see some parallels in Libya with the rapid reforms that have taken place in other countries in the region.


'There is potential for us to develop a practice based upon the model that has been followed in the Gulf states - it is sufficiently important a market for us to be there at an early stage.'


Mr Creed said the firm's middle-eastern clients would be well placed to pick up work from Libya's reform programme, which is initially expected to cover the oil, gas and utility sectors. There is also likely to be a significant amount of inward investment from the Gulf, he added.


However, Mr Creed warned that it was still unclear how fast the pace of reform in Libya will be in practice.


As part of the trip, the delegation - which also includes Clyde & Co energy partner James Varanese - will meet members of the Libyan bar, legal institutions and training providers. The group will promote UK legal expertise in areas such as project finance, oil and gas, arbitration, shipping and financial services.


Anna Prag, the Society's international policy executive for Africa and the Middle East, said: 'We are keen to use the opportunity to look both at prospects for promoting UK legal expertise in Libya, and possibilities for future collaboration with the Libyan legal profession, particularly in terms of improving the quality and range of legal training.'


The Lord Mayor's visit, which is principally aimed at promoting the City's financial services expertise, is the latest sign of a thaw in the UK's relations with Libya and follows a meeting between Prime Minister Tony Blair and Libyan leader Colonel Gadaffi in March last year.