Bernard Shepherd's December Birmingham Post Column
Monday, 23rd November 2009
From a legal perspective, up until recently, India has remained a closed shop. Overseas firms cannot currently set up partnerships on Indian soil. Greater co-operation is being encouraged, however, through so-called “best friend” or exclusive relationships, allowing overseas firms to set up closer ties with Indian counterparts. London’s magic circle firms and a handful of national firms are already establishing a foothold there via this route.
However, there are moves afoot to radically modernise and liberalise the market.
Birmingham Law Society is keen that that Birmingham law firms get their share of this emerging market, and I was delighted to discover that our Indian colleagues are of the same mind.
Our visiting contingent, whose key players included No 5 Chambers, the International Legal and Business Forum (IBLF), Birmingham Forward and law firms HBJ Gateley Wareing, Eversheds, Cobbetts, Murria and Dass & Co, was greeted most warmly.
A packed itinerary saw us meet with the Hon. Chief Justice of India and Hon Law Minister of India, local law and other professional firms and education establishments during our week-long residency in New Delhi.
What struck me, however, was how keen the legal community was to do business not just with UK partners, but with Birmingham partners.
Our city’s large Asian community is an obvious draw. However, our Indian friends were equally impressed that Birmingham is making the right overtures at a very early stage in the liberalisation process.
I came away with hundreds of business cards with many of the individuals I met keen to join Birmingham Law Society as an overseas member. We are the first law society to open up our membership to foreign lawyers – interestingly, the national Law Society voted not too.
It’s a measure of how keen we are, as a city, to do business. It marks us out from others and that became clear from some of the conversations I had during my time in India.
India is not the only country with which Birmingham Law Society is forging links. Our international committee, with support from UKTI, is currently looking at how we can open up dialogues in China, Russia and the USA. If the welcome mat in those countries is the same as in India, then Birmingham’s reputation as an international legal centre will be further cemented.
Bernard Shepherd is President of Birmingham Law Society
