Navigating trade in legal services with Southeast Asia
The Law Council of Australia has for many years contributed to the development of legal services market access policy. Together with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) it has advocated, on behalf of the Australian legal profession, for the removal of barriers in priority jurisdictions to enable Australian lawyers and law firms to provide services overseas.
Asia, including Southeast Asia, has been the subject of particular attention by the Law Council, due to the depth of the trading relationship with Australia and strong people-to-people ties in the region. Legal services underpin much of this existing trade, and will be a significant enabler of growing trade and investment between Australia and the region in the coming decades.
Jurisdictions in Southeast Asia have maintained a range of barriers to the practice of foreign law and restrictions on commercial association between foreign and local lawyers and legal practice.
In 2025–2026, the Law Council received funding through DFAT’s Southeast Asia Free Trade Agreement Modernisation Grant Program to produce a report:
- assessing current barriers for trade in legal services and transnational practice faced by Australian lawyers and law firms in Southeast Asia; and
- outlining strategies to address identified barries and influence further legal services market liberalisation to improve conditions for legal business.
The grant program forms part of the Australian Government’s Southeast Asian Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) upgrade and modernisation agenda as recommended by Invested: Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
To inform the Report, the Law Council hosted an industry stakeholder roundtable in September 2025, bringing together Australian law firms, trade law experts from the Law Council’s International Law Section, the Australian Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Study Centre, representatives from DFAT, and lawyers with experience providing legal services in Southeast Asia.
The Report, Navigating trade in legal services with Southeast Asia: Challenges and market access priorities for Australian lawyers and firms draws on prior submissions and policy work produced by the Law Council, perspectives shared at the stakeholder roundtable and in other consultation processes.
The Report provides:
- an analysis of different modes of supply through which Australian lawyers provide transnational legal services in the region;
- profiles of the key jurisdictions in Southeast Asia for trade in legal services, including an analysis of current market access barriers;
- an overview of existing legal service commitments in the seven bilateral and plurilateral Free Trade Agreements between Australia and Southeast Asian jurisdictions; and
- recommendations for the Australian Government and the legal sector to influence and improve market access.
Last Updated on 24/06/2026
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