An event promoting the Solicitors Qualifying Examination to younger international lawyers is part of a new government push to promote UK legal services globally. 

As part of the 'GREAT Legal Services' campaign, the British Embassy in Mexico City in collaboration with the Law Society is hosting events this week to coincide with the annual conference of the International Bar Association. This is the world’s largest legal gathering, attracting more than 4,000 lawyers from some 100 jurisdictions.

The Ministry of Justice says the campaign, which was set up under the Conservative government following Brexit, has in the past year generated over £5m in projected business wins for UK lawyers, and more than 800 business connections for UK legal professionals.

Latin America is a particular focus: an event today will promote the UK as a set of arbitration in sectors such as energy, natural resources, renwables and infrastructure. A finance roundtable tomorrow will highlight the importance of Mexico, the world’s 11th largest economy, as a market. 

Heidi Alexander, minister for legal services at the Ministry of Justice, said: 'I’m proud of our legal services’ world-leading reputation. These networking events allow us to share our expertise with others and learn from them to maintain our competitive edge.

'Importantly, promoting the UK’s legal sector abroad helps build connections and ultimately bring investment back to the UK. I would like to thank the Law Society for their role in helping to bring UK and international legal professionals together.'

The legal sector contributed £34bn to the UK economy in 2022.