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Contribution to Book
Legal Services in the United States
WTO Domestic Regulation and Services Trade: Putting Principles into Practice, Cambridge University Press (2014)
  • Laurel S. Terry, Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson Law
  • Erica Moeser
Abstract
This Chapter was the first of several case studies on domestic regulation included in Part III of this book. The Chapter began by noting the evolving regulatory environment for legal services in the United States. It provided an overview of the United States’ regulatory structure for legal services and included a section on pathways to licensure as a fully qualified United States lawyer. This Chapter also addressed trends towards modification of eligibility requirements, the rise of the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), and provided a view of the future, including expanded access for foreign lawyers in the United States. The Chapter also included a section on trade-related implications that highlighted some of the ways in which trade negotiations have affected the U.S. legal services’ regulatory structure and the ways in which the U.S. legal services’ regulatory structure has affected trade negotiations. This Chapter was based on a presentation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) by Erica Moeser, who is the President and CEO of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) includes a provision that requires WTO Member States to conduct negotiations to develop “disciplines” on domestic regulation of services sectors. This book was prepared under the auspices of the WTO and contains analyses and case-studies from academics, regulators and trade experts that explore the scope and limits of WTO legal principles to promote domestic regulatory reform. The case studies discuss country-specific challenges and experiences of regulating important service sectors. The book is intended to provide a useful resource for academics and students researching regulatory approaches and practices in services sectors.
Keywords
  • WTO,
  • GATS,
  • legal services,
  • domestic regulation,
  • Uniform Bar Exam
Publication Date
2014
Editor
Aik Hoe Lim and Bart DeMeester
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
ISBN
9781107635340
Citation Information
Erica Moeser and Laurel Terry, Legal Services in the United States in Aik Hoe Lim and Bart De Meester (editors), Domestic Regulation And Services Trade: Putting Principles Into Practice 129-141(Cambridge University Press 2014)