Wendy Williams
SPANISH lawyers may soon be able to practice in the UK.
The University of Malaga (UMA) wants its law graduates to become the first in Spain to be recognised by the English Bar.
The project has the backing of British lawyer John Brebner who worked in London until retiring to Torremolinos in 1998.
Since 2009 he has headed the university’s course on English law, which lectures in English.
The university has filed a request for the Bar to recognise its degrees, so graduates can present themselves for the entrance exam.
The goal is make it easier for Malaga graduates to move to England and to attract English students to study law at UMA.
“Studying for a degree here will be like studying in Manchester but with a much better environment and climate,” said Brebner.
Just what Britain needs, Spanish lawyers!
I was under the impression that under EU law, any professional qualifications, such as law, architecture, medicine, etc, could be co-validated by the relevant bodies in the host country that would allow that person to practice. For example, an RIBA qualified architect can be co-validated, join his/her nearest Collegio and work in Spain legally as an architect. And vice versa.
Fred,
You may have missed the real point of Mslaga Hoy’s article as reported in a condensed form by the Olive Press. The new initiative promoted by the University of Malaga (UMA) is to attract English law students to do a combined program of a Spanish Law Degree with English Law Studies so that they are thoroughly trained to tackle the professional examinations in both jurisdictions. No doubt you will feela lot happier at the idea of Spain having British lawyers! Personally, I am all for striving for a formula that encourages the best of each to rub off on the other. Sheilagh, you are pretty much right in theory. In practicem a qualified Spanish lawyer needs to pass through the Qualified Lawyer’s Transfer Scheme which is no doddle these days. I suspect that a graduate in Spanish Law who has sucessfully completed the four year parallel course in English Law Studies at UMA (which covers all the English Law foundation subjects and practical training, who has sat for his/her professional examinations like a local in each jurisdiction, will ultimately produce the best that Fred could possibly hope for! For more information, check out “www.derecho.uma.es” and click on ‘Combined Program of Spanish Law Degree with English Law Studies’. And thank you Fred and Sheilagh.
Check out’ English Law Malaga Uniiversity’ for amission accomplished