Registered Foreign Lawyers Order 2009

In moving the Motion I shall speak also to the draft Legal Services Act 2007 (Registered European Lawyers) Order 2009. These orders update the regulatory framework for foreign lawyers. They extend and increase the powers of the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority to two categories of foreign lawyers: registered European lawyers and registered foreign lawyers. Registered European lawyers are lawyers covered by the establishment directive who have qualified in another EU state and who seek to practise in the United Kingdom on a permanent basis. Registered foreign lawyers are legal professionals qualified in another jurisdiction not covered by the establishment directive. Many rules applicable to solicitors, such as the solicitors’ code of conduct, are already applied to both registered foreign and registered European lawyers. These orders update and extend the application of such rules, reflecting the amendments introduced by the Legal Services Act 2007.