Leading law firms are heading to Canada to strengthen the UK's foothold in a key global market, boosting the UK economy and keeping the country at the heart of the international legal industry.
- British businesses join Courts and Legal Services Minister Sarah Sackman KC to promote UK-Canada legal services, worth over £200m in bilateral trade last year
- UK legal excellence given global stage at International Bar Association conference in Toronto
- Part of Government's Plan for Change to boost international investment in the economy
Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC, is visiting Canada's financial and legal capital, Toronto, to promote UK business on the world stage. She will lead a delegation attending the International Bar Association (IBA) conference - the largest global legal gathering.
The visit comes as recent figures reveal UK legal exports to Canada reached £191 million in 2024 - making it the 10th largest market for British legal exports worldwide. Britain's legal sector contributes £37 billion annually to the economy and employs 384,000 highly-skilled professionals.
English law forms the backbone of international trade and justice around the world and is the basis for 40% of global corporate deals.
Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC MP, said:
We're turbocharging the economy through our legal partnership with Canada - worth an average of £195 million to the UK in exports over the last three years.
I'm looking forward to championing UK legal excellence on the world stage in Toronto this week and reaffirming our position as the first choice for international legal services.
The IBA annual conference - the largest legal gathering of its kind - will have more than 5,000 attendees from over 100 jurisdictions making this a key opportunity to promote British business and English law around the world.
The Minister will be accompanied by 23 UK legal experts organised by the Ministry of Justice's GREAT Legal Services campaign, to promote Europe's largest legal market.
Maintaining the UK's status as the jurisdiction of choice for legal services is central to the Government's Plan for Change to kickstart economic growth.
