UK awards contract to three firms for advice on post-Brexit trade agreements

UK awards contract to three firms for advice on post-Brexit trade agreements

The six-member CPTPP had earlier agreed to allow the UK to begin the formal negotiation process for entry into the trading bloc

The top 50 UK law firm TLT and consortium partners McDermott Will & Emery and Canadian law firm Borden Ladner Gervais has been awarded a crucial contract by the UK's Department for International Trade to advise on three post-Brexit trade agreements. The contract is worth £7 million over its lifetime.

The three agreements in question are the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific (CPTPP), Canada and Mexico.

The contract covers legal advice and support to negotiate the UK's accession to the CPTPP and two bilateral free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico.

The UK government's move to rope in three law firms followed a decision of the six-member nations of the CPTPP, namely Japan, Canada, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico, to allow the UK to begin the formal negotiation process for entry into the trading bloc.

TLT, McDermott and Borden Ladner are expected to work in tandem with a network of subcontractor law firms across a total of 11 jurisdictions. They include Australia's Minter Ellison, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto in Japan and Allen Gledhill across Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

According to TLT, the consortium was selected based on the international trade negotiations, international jurisdictions and government advisory work. The firm explained in a statement that it also demonstrated the ability to deliver a 'one firm' service across the consortium and wider subcontractor network to provide the 'best value for money' and to promote gender equality across the contract workforce.

TLT has said that it has plans to deploy its innovative IT platform, FutureLaw Solutions, to work with the consortium and its subcontractors.

"It is an absolute honour to have been selected to deliver this significant and complex project for the Department for International Trade," Caroline Ramsay, partner at TLT and chair of the firm's international trade group, said.

"We have a proven track record of curating specialist consortia of 'best in class' law firms and lawyers to support the government, and our consortium's collective expertise, combined with TLT's FutureLaw solutions, means we are able to provide a 'global-boutique' trade law service to meet the Department's needs," Caroline Ramsay added.