Message from Dr. Ananda Mohan Bhattarai

Message from Prof. Bharat Bahadur Karki

I am very much pleased to know that Nepali lawyers practicing in Britain can now appear in the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test to be conducted by Solicitor’s Regulation Authority. Being a legal professional exposed to legal education in Nepal, India and abroad I was always convinced that Nepali legal education maintained a very good web length with Indian legal education which is nourished in the rich common law tradition. In Jan 2009, as part of the Nepali delegation headed by the then Chief Justice Rayamajhi, I had the opportunity to meet many of my old good friends in London and to have constructive discussion with many of you on various concerns of law and justice both in Nepal and Britain. I was impressed by the kind of varied services you had delivered to the larger Nepali community. I was fortunate to join you in your struggle for quality, dignity and respect and extending support from Nepal. Given that the Nepali Diaspora in Britain is fast growing the UK I believe that your entry into the profession will further enable you to provide more competent service. The legal community Nepal will also benefit from your expertise through more meaningful sharing of experience and knowledge in the coming days. My greetings to you all, and best wishes in your academic and professional pursuits.

In this context of global citizenship, I am pleased to know that Britain-Nepal Lawyer's Association has been established in the United Kingdom with objectives of extending the cooperation between lawyers from Britain and Nepal and also to contribute in the development of law and legal profession in Nepal.

Nepalese legal system is very much influenced by the English legal system as it was developed as a fusion between common law system and the Hindu legal philosophy. Due to the changes in the political and social system in Nepal, we are yet to develop our legal system to accommodate with the changed circumstances. Since the legal system in the United Kingdom is more developed, cooperation between the legal professions of these two countries can play a vital role in this process of development of legal system in Nepal.

As a chairperson of Nepal Bar Council, I can see opportunities for Britain Nepal Lawyers' Association in assisting the development of legal profession in Nepal through an established and structured cooperation between the legal profession of Britain and Nepal. I also recognise the contribution of the Association in getting the jurisdiction of Nepal, recognised for the purpose of Qualified Lawyer Transfer Test in the United Kingdom, in the list of the recognised jurisdiction for the Qualified lawyer Transfer Test in the UK. It has opened up the possibility of a new cooperation between the legal profession of the United Kingdom and Nepal, for which we need to put more work. I believe that Britain-Nepal Lawyers' Association will play an important role in this and any future cooperation between the legal professions of the United Kingdom and Nepal.

I sincerely hope and believe that Britain-Nepal lawyers' Association will be able to widen the cooperation between the English and Nepalese legal systems and contribute in the development of law in Nepal. I wish the association all the success in achieving their objectives.

With Best Regards

Prof. Bharat Bahadur Karki, Ph.D

Attorney General, Government of Nepal

Chairman of Nepal Bar Cou