600 English lawyers so far have registered in the Republic in the wake of the Brexit vote

Post-Brexit rush for qualification in Ireland gathers pace

Slaughter and May – arguably the most pukka of English law firms – is leading a pack of City of London practices in rushing to Dublin to qualify its lawyers in the republic.

It is understood that the blue blood firm has already funded ten lawyers to apply with the Law Society of Ireland to transfer to that profession and retain practice rights in the EU once the UK quits the bloc.

And a report on the website Legal Week suggests that the tight-lipped firm plans to apply for even more of its lawyers to be admitted in Ireland.

Slaughter and May is only the most noticeable of firms adopting the Ireland strategy owing to its old-school tie English history. The report claims that its magic circle rival Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Eversheds, a franchise firm with a significant presence in the EU, form the bulk of applications to the Irish law society.

It is understood that the Anglo-German firm has ordered 114 of its English lawyers to apply for admission to the roll in Ireland, while Eversheds has sent about 100 down that route.

In total, the Irish claim that more than 450 solicitors registered on the roll in England and Wales have been admitted to the local bar this year, ( with more in the pipeline).

Monsieur Bling, the former and would be future French president Nicholas Sarkozy  plans a dramatic offer to the UK  if he’s re-elected, the FT (£)  reports:

He told business leaders that if he is returned to power at next year’s presidential election, he will offer the UK a chance to reverse its referendum decision by negotiating a new EU treaty with Germany.

Mr Sarkozy said that on May 7, the day after being returned to the Elysée Palace, he would fly to Berlin to secure the support of chancellor Angela Merkel. The next day, he would travel to London. As he put it:

“I would tell the British, you’ve gone out, but we have a new treaty on the table so you have an opportunity to vote again. But this time not on the old Europe, on the new Europe. Do you want to stay? If yes, so much the better. Because I can’t accept to lose Europe’s second-largest economy while we are negotiating with Turkey over its EU membership. And if it’s no, then it’s a real no. You’re in or you’re out.”