Law Society response to immigration cap consultation

28 June 2010

Responding to Government plans announced today to consult on the issue of an immigration cap, Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson says:

"An arbitrary cap on skilled immigration may have a significant detrimental impact on the competitiveness of the UK legal sector, which contributes nearly 2% of UK GDP, much of which is generated by large City firms that operate in a global marketplace. London has 20 per cent of the global legal market and is home to 4 of the world’s top 6 law firms.

"Law firms advise on complex matters spanning multiple jurisdictions. Firms put together specialist teams of lawyers from various practices and offices around their international networks for specific deals - combining talent, experience and expertise as appropriate in order to provide the best quality advice for multinational clients. London's dominance of international legal and financial work depends on these multinational transactions being executed here in the UK. Restrictions on immigration might push transaction execution offshore, which could destroy London's standing as a global financial centre.

"British law firms must be free to employ the best lawyers in the global labour market and these outstanding individuals complement domestic talent. Migrants brought in to work in the UK’s large international law firms are highly-qualified, well-paid individuals who make a significant contribution to the domestic economy.

"The Law Society is of the view that the Government should concentrate on directing scarce immigration enforcement resources to preventing immigration abuses rather than introducing measures that could hamper the competitiveness of hugely successful global businesses seeking to regenerate after the recession.

"Any perception that the English legal market is becoming more closed to overseas lawyers and law firms is likely to result in further restrictions on the ability of UK lawyers to do business abroad.

"The Law Society looks forward to working with the Home Office to ensure that any changes to the immigration system operate in a fair, transparent and predictable way, while protecting and promoting the competitive position of successful UK businesses."