US, India set up forum to boost trade in legal services

WASHINGTON, Dec 29 (Agencies): The United States said it has set up a forum with India to facilitate trade in legal services.

"Legal services are integral to today's complex global economy," Deputy US Trade Representative Karan Bhatia said as he announced yesterday the formation of a working group of US and Indian legal experts.

Bhatia and his Indian counterpart, Commerce Secretary Gopal Pillai, agreed on establishing the forum during recent meetings in New Delhi, said a statement from the US Trade Representative's office in Washington.

"It is a priority in our bilateral dialogue," Bhatia said of the Bilateral Working Group on Legal Services comprising prominent legal professionals, including representatives of US and Indian law firms, the American Bar Association and the Bar Council of India.

The forum would "promote greater interaction between legal professionals in India and the United States and to facilitate trade in legal services between the two countries," the statement said.

The working group was identified as a priority of the US-India Trade Policy Forum, launched during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Washington in July 2005.

Bilateral trade between the two countries in goods and services totals some 40 billion dollars annually, which the two sides want to double in three years.

Commercial and military ties have transformed since they were on opposite sides of the fence during the Cold War.