Bristol-headquartered national law firms Burges Salmon and TLT have been appointed to the government’s newly established post-Brexit trade law panel.
The panel, assembled following a competitive process, is the government’s default route for all new trade law work, with an indicative value of £115m across four years. It has two lots covering international trade disputes and international trade negotiations. 
Burges Salmon, in a consortium with US law firm Arent Fox, will provide specialist legal services as a supplier on Lot 2 (international trade negotiations) on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) panel.
The firms will work together to provide legal advice and services to the government in relation to the negotiation and implementation of trade agreements and trading relationships, and compliance with and enforcement of international law relating to trade, including the law of World Trade Organisation (WTO) and trade agreements.
Burges Salmon is also one of 12 firms appointed to CCS General Legal Services Framework and to the CCS Wider Public Sector Legal Services Panel.
TLT co-bid with US firm McDermott Will & Emery and Canada’s Borden Ladner Gervais to trade law panel.
The consortium, named Artis, is appointed to both panel lots – demonstrating, said TLT, the firms’ unique combined offering.
Together, the consortium offers the government access to exceptional understanding and experience in international trade law, backed by a substantial UK presence and extensive experience in advising central government across a multitude of UK and EU law matters.
The CCS supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services.
In 2019/20, it helped the public sector achieve commercial benefits worth more than £1bn – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.
Burges Salmon’s public sector law team, which includes former senior civil service lawyers, is well-versed in delivering intelligent solutions to complex, innovative and high-profile projects, based on an in-depth understanding of the public and private sectors.
The firm’s head of international trade Paul Browne will lead the consortium’s trade law panel team with Kay Georgi, head of international trade at Arent Fox.
Paul, pictured, said Arent Fox was one of the foremost respected international trade legal practices in the world.
“We regard this appointment as hugely significant work as the UK forms new agreements with its trading partners providing UK businesses, importers and inward investors with a strong basis for international growth as the UK seeks to rebuild again following the impact of Covid-19,” he added.
The TLT team will be led by partner Caroline Ramsay, an EU and trade law expert who joined TLT in 2019 and who has years of experience advising various UK government departments. 
The McDermott Will & Emery team will be led by partner Joanne Osendarp, an internationally renowned expert and co-chair of the firm’s international trade group. She has extensive experience advising the various sovereign governments (including Canada) on international trade matters, including WTO disputes and FTA negotiations.
Borden Ladner Gervais’ team will be led by partner Matthew Kronby, who has 25 years’ experience representing governments in high profile trade disputes and negotiations, including as head of the Government of Canada’s Trade Law Bureau from 2009-2012, as Canada’s chief legal counsel in the negotiation of the CETA with the EU, and in numerous WTO and NAFTA proceedings.
Caroline Ramsay, pictured, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been appointed to this panel, which will allow us to continue our close working relationship with the UK government and to also introduce our fantastic consortium partners.
“The consortium is born out of a shared culture of collaboration and commitment to exceptional client service. We wanted to offer something different – access to genuine leaders in the field of international trade law combined with TLT’s depth of experience working with the UK government, not just on trade related issues such as subsidy control, but across a wide variety of UK legal matters. 
“At TLT, we pride ourselves on the way we can integrate with our client’s own team to seamlessly deliver expert legal advice in a way that makes it feel like an ‘in-house’ service. This appointment shows we can internationalise that model by collaborating effectively with firms globally to meet our clients’ needs.”
The consortium will be supported by TLT’s FutureLaw team, which will play a critical role in designing an efficient, transparent and effective way of jointly working within the consortium and with the UK government.
TLT’s wider public sector experience includes its current position on the CCS General Legal Advisory Services panel (Tier 1); CCS Wider Public Sector panel; National Legal Services Framework for blue light services; and London Borough Legal Alliance.
