New report highlights UK and Australia legal services trade Legal regulators mark first step in deepening cooperation

Legal regulators and professional bodies from the United Kingdom and Australia have published a joint report setting out the outcomes of a three‑year Legal Services Regulatory Dialogue.

The report highlights progress in understanding how qualification and regulatory frameworks impact the practical delivery of cross-border legal services, in addition to reaffirming the commitment of the bodies involved to continue efforts to improve the conditions for legal services trade in future.

Established under the UK–Australia Free Trade Agreement (A‑UKFTA), the Dialogue has brought together 12 regulators and representative bodies from both jurisdictions to examine barriers to legal services trade and identify opportunities to facilitate the movement of lawyers between the two countries.

A first step toward deeper cooperation

Both the UK and Australia have very open legal services markets, with a baseline of £110 million worth of bilateral legal trade taking place in 2023 (source: UK Office of National Statistics). Nonetheless the evidence surfaced in the course of the Dialogue has demonstrated that practical barriers can still arise — particularly in relation to qualification recognition, licensing systems and regulatory differences. The participating bodies recognise that addressing these requires sustained cooperation and better information-sharing.

The report emphasises that the work of the Dialogue to date is only an important first step in building a shared understanding between regulators and professional bodies of how qualification requirements, admission pathways and regulatory structures affect legal practice across borders.

Participants have therefore agreed to continue engaging beyond the initial term of the Dialogue, including through ongoing annual meetings to maintain momentum and deepen collaboration.

Positive developments already underway

The report highlights a number of recent positive developments in both jurisdictions which are expected to support greater mobility for lawyers, including:

• Updates to qualification and requalification pathways and guidance for lawyers seeking to practise across jurisdictions

• The introduction of conditional admission frameworks in parts of Australia, enabling more flexible entry routes for experienced foreign lawyers

• Greater alignment in regulatory approaches and improved transparency of processes

• Continued openness to foreign lawyers practising under home title or providing advisory services

These developments will be closely monitored to assess their real-world impact on legal services trade and whether further reform is needed.

Key recommendations for governments and regulators

The Dialogue sets out seven recommendations aimed at governments, regulators and professional bodies, focused on improving transparency, reducing friction and strengthening cooperation. These include:

• Developing consistent approaches across Australian States to qualification assessment, including for new qualification routes such as the Solicitors Qualifying Examination in England and Wales

• Ensuring clear, up-to-date guidance on qualification and requalification pathways is publicly available and accessible in both countries

• Improving data collection and monitoring on lawyer mobility between jurisdictions

• Tracking the impact of new admission mechanisms, such as the conditional admission frameworks introduced in some states in Australia and the new routes being considered in some of the UK jurisdictions.

• Improving visa pathways for barristers and advocates, particularly addressing challenges faced by self-employed practitioners

• Enhancing engagement on professional indemnity insurance, to better support cross-border practice

• Maintaining long-term regulatory dialogue, including annual engagement between participants

Supporting trade, investment and professional mobility

Legal services play a central role in enabling trade and investment, and the UK and Australia share long-standing legal traditions and close professional ties. This report underscores that strengthening cooperation between regulators is essential to ensuring these ties continue to support economic growth and global legal practice.

The bodies participating in the Dialogue recognise that sustained collaboration—rather than one-off reform—will be key to delivering meaningful improvements. This publication represents a commitment to continue that collaboration and to seek to reduce unnecessary barriers further in future, while maintaining robust professional standards.

Serena Sutherland, President of the Law Society of Scotland, said:

“Legal services play a key role in facilitating trade and investment and promoting economic growth both at home and internationally. This new report is the culmination of in depth discussion across all 12 organisations on how we can strengthen the bonds between the legal professions in the UK and Australia under the 2023 free trade agreement. It provides a huge amount of useful information on the legal services sectors, as well as setting out the processes involved in working or requalifying in each of the jurisdictions.

“While its publication marks the end of the initial term of the Dialogue, I’m very pleased that all those involved will continue to meet to share expertise and experience on regulatory issues including those affecting trade in legal services.”