My firm practises only overseas, and has no office in England and Wales
Important: The FAQs below were written and published before the introduction of the SRA Handbook on 6 October 2011, and may refer to regulatory material that is no longer in effect. Although they may still be relevant, these FAQs have not yet been reviewed in light of the wide-ranging regulatory changes implemented on 6 October. They will be reviewed and updated (or archived) in due course.
My firm practises only overseas, and has no office in England and Wales—how does the Legal Services Act affect me?
You are affected only indirectly at present. Firm-based regulation does not currently extend to wholly overseas firms. However, the rule changes introduced for LDPs have meant some changes to rules affecting overseas practice—for instance, which overseas firms have to produce an accountant's report (see rule 15 of the Code of Conduct).
Whether you will be able to practise through an ABS in future will depend on a number of factors, including legal and regulatory restrictions on other jurisdictions.