An agreement signed by 10 presidents and chairs of legal professional bodies will help UK lawyers to practise in Belgium, the Law Society said this week. The memorandum of understanding aims to simplify requalification in Belgium and commits professional bodies in both countries to advocating for visa-free travel for lawyers. 

Announcing the signing, which took place at the opening of the legal year, Law Society president Richard Atkinson said: 'Both UK and Belgian lawyers need to have the same professional rights in our respective countries. I would like to thank the Belgian legal professional bodies and my colleagues from Scotland and Northern Ireland for coming together to sign this memorandum of understanding. It is an important step.'

Atkinson noted that the EU is the UK’s largest export market for legal services. 'With our Belgian counterparts, we agreed to simplify the requalification process for UK lawyers practising in Belgium. We hope that this will eventually provide our members with a route to requalification similar to the requalification process that applies in France, which allows foreign lawyers to requalify by sitting the bar exam even if they did not study law in France.

'The UK will ensure that England and Wales remain open for Belgian lawyers who wish to practise and requalify here. We look forward to working with our Belgian friends to make this agreement a reality and the UK legal sector stronger. It is vital for jobs, growth and our economic security.'

Peter Callens, president of the Order of the Flemish Bars said: 'This memorandum of understanding represents a positive foundation and a promising starting point for further steps towards keeping both jurisdictions open and connected.'