Cayman lawyers move against foreign law firms
By James Barnes Global Legal Post
Foreign lawyers who wish to practise Cayman Islands law must have substantive links to the jurisdiction to avoid any potential damage to the country’s reputation, a leading lawyer said yesterday.
Local lawyer Theresa Pitcairn, one of lawyers pushing for the Legal Practitioners Bill, told the Cayman Net News that failing to establish a link between a lawyer and the jurisdiction would open opportunities to individuals who may have been involved in misconduct.
Danger
‘This potential danger could threaten the reputation of the Cayman Islands as a major international legal jurisdiction,’ she said in an email.
The bill, which was presented to the Legislative Assembly late last year, addresses the eligibility of persons to practise the laws of the Cayman Islands and whether lawyers who practise Cayman law outside of the jurisdiction should be able to obtain practising certificates.
Overseas offices
‘Caymanian lawyers are against this because they say that they do not benefit from this; only foreign lawyers,’ Ms Pitcairn said. ‘Overseas offices are designed to promote the growth of the Cayman Islands offices by referring as much work as possible back to Cayman, not to grow at the expense of them.’
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