Richard Atkinson advocated for an open legal services market
Richard Atkinson, Law Society of England and Wales president, recently joined a government delegation to Japan that included Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds MP.
Atkinson represented a priority sector of the UK government’s industrial strategy. He spoke to the Tokyo-based representatives of UK law firms as well as to the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan about Japanese legal services market’s recent developments, key priorities and current perspectives.
“An important aspect of this visit was promoting English law and championing the value of an open legal services market to attract further inward investment into Japan. The discussions were ultimately positive, and we look forward to seeing continued progress,” Atkinson said.
The Law Society president explained that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's economic policies, which were designed to draw foreign investors, had bolstered demand for foreign legal services in Japan alongside a corresponding uptick in international business transactions.
“This has led to an increase in cross-border M&A activity in Japan which has significantly increased the demand for international legal expertise,” Atkinson said. “Improving the registration system for foreign lawyers in Japan, which remains a priority area of work for the Law Society, will help attract more English solicitors to Japan and will satisfy this growing demand for international legal expertise.”
During the trip, Atkinson also discussed market access in Japan with the foreign secretary. Moreover, he talked to the business secretary about funding.
“I had the chance to speak with the foreign secretary about our recent market access win in Japan and the next set of issues that we aim to address, as well as about broader issues in relation to our members’ needs such as visas and youth mobility,” Atkinson said in a statement. “Beyond market access, I spoke with the business secretary about a range of issues including funding for level 7 apprenticeships and immigration, and the importance of including legal services in expected trade negotiations with India and other countries.”
