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| The 12 panellists who featured in the Guardian panel discussion, chaired by Joshua Rozenberg. |
The Guardian recently hosted a roundtable discussion, chair by legal journalist Joshua Rozenberg on legal education in the US and UK. It was a bit of a compare and contrast exercise which threw up some interesting insights, including the one included in that title above, that UK law students are regarded as more work-ready than their American cousins. You can also read the Guardian article in full here, otherwise in full below [emphases are my own]:
"It is an exciting time to be an English lawyer – especially one prepared to look beyond England. The more economically globalised the world becomes, the more it needs globalised legal services, which means more career opportunities for law graduates willing to work in other countries and across jurisdictions, especially if they have an English legal background. With English common law the de facto law of business, and English the de facto language, the UK government has seized the chance to promote the UK as a commercial legal capital of the world, hoping this could be a key driver of economic growth.
Already 200 foreign law firms are operating in London and lawyers are bringing in about £3.5bn in foreign earnings.
The Rolls Building, a high-profile court complex opened in London two years ago, which is designed to attract complex business disputes from around the world, epitomises the government's vision of the future possibilities the legal profession offers.
How best to prepare fledgling lawyers for this potentially lucrative but challenging environment was the subject of a roundtable discussion last month attended by senior lawyers and legal academics and hosted by the Guardian. It was held in association with The University of Law.
