United Nations sets up legal aid panels to give advice on global trade disputes

Competition for international trade work among City firms is set to increase after the creation of two panels to help developing countries fight their corner in legal disputes.The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has put together a panel called 'international lawyers for multilateral trade co-operation'.It has selected top City solicitors Philippe Ruttley of Clyde & Co and Jeremy Carver of Clifford Chance as the only UK lawyers among the 20-strong panel.Meanwhile, World Trade Organisation (WTO) members - including the UK - have committed millions of dollars towards the creation of an advisory centre for WTO law, which is shortly to put together a panel of law firms to provide what is effectively legal aid advice.The UNCTAD panel will provide advice to developing countries, and in particular the world's least developed countries, in international dispute resolution work arising from trade, investment and intellectual property matters.The law firms selected by the panel will provide 40 hours of free legal advice, and then advise further at an agreed rate, to be negotiated between the law firms and the countries concerned.The advice can take the form of providing general information on dispute settlement, litigation assistance, or providing a general assessment of disputes.The project is part of a 30-month, $2.2 million scheme to provide dispute resolution training to lawyers, officials and business people in these countries.Mr Ruttley, who is secretary of the World Trade Law Association, which he set up in 1997, said: 'At a time when international dispute settlement is criticised for excluding the least developed countries because of its complexity and cost, this initiative will allow such countries to enhance their participation in international trade, investment and intellectual property areas.'The WTO centre is headed by former WTO legal adviser Friede Roessler, who is currently recruiting four more in-house lawyers.

The centre is charged with helping developing countries either bring or defend actions, but hopes in time to move into legislative drafting too.Mr Ruttley said the growth in work meant he expected 'a lot of firms' to start handling WTO matters with the aim of gaining a foothold in the field.

Trade law is more developed in the US than in the UK, he said, but other City firms, such as Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith and Ashurst Morris Crisp, all have WTO departments.Neil Rose