Cross Border Legal Practices are the Need of the Hour After Globalization and FDI in Legal Sector

From left to right, Child & Child Managing Partners Adrian Biles & Robert Biles and SolicisLex Managing Partner Ameet Mehta.

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 01: With the opening of Foreign Direct Investments allowed in the Legal Sector by the Government of India and approval by the Bar Council of India, many law firms are going global.

It is important that due to globalization, the integration of the Indian economy with the global markets through trade liberalization and foreign investments will enable Indian corporates to grow globally. But FDI in the Legal Sector is completely a game changer.

Recently, one of the oldest law firms of the United Kingdom, Child and Child, which was established in the 1850s in London, had a tie-up and understanding with the Indian law firm SolicisLex based in Mumbai. This entails the exchange of legal work across borders in Europe, the UK, and CIS countries, exchange of legal interns for training, expansion of work in the non-litigation sector of legal work, and many more.

Hence, Child and Child announced their India Desk and their new partnership with renowned Indian law firm SolicisLex, which entails that SolicisLex also gets access at the heart of London. Child & Child serves both UK-based and global clients, as well as many with business and personal interests that span multiple jurisdictions.

With an increasing number of Indian nationals working and living in the UK, as well as those based abroad who are actively investing in the UK, Child and Child also decided to launch a dedicated India desk to meet their needs.

They established Italian and Middle East desks already, which makes it both easy and effective for these groups to access the UK legal market, with native speakers and dual-qualified lawyers facilitating communication and anticipating the differences between the UK and other legal jurisdictions. The India Desk will provide the same strategic support, ensuring a seamless experience for clients with personal, commercial, or investment interests in the UK.

“SolicisLex Advisory is an established powerhouse in the dynamic Indian legal market,” says Child & Child Managing Partner Adrian Biles. “We wanted to not only provide a London-based service for our clients but also work closely with a partner in India. SolicisLex Advisory is one of the top fifteen Indian law firms, with a client base and focus on excellence that matches Child & Child. We look forward to a productive and long partnership.”

SolicisLex Managing Partner Ameet Mehta adds: “With the approval of Entry of Foreign Law Firms in India by the Bar Council of India and the Union Government’s approval, we pledge to strike a balance in strategic leadership, profitability, people management, but also maintaining market share. By fostering alignments with leaders like Child & Child, we wish to keep ourselves at pace with market leaders. This is our overall firm strategy.”