Simmons & Simmons managing partner Mark Dawkins (pictured) and Linklaters senior partner David Cheyne are among a raft of senior lawyers appointed to the government's newly-created group of professional services champions.

The new group, which is intended to help maintain the global competitiveness of the UK's professional services sector, sees senior figures from across the legal and accounting industries meet for the first time today.

The Professional Services Global Competitiveness (PSGC) group is chaired by economic secretary to the Treasury, Kitty Ussher, and Sir Michael Snyder, senior partner at accountancy firm Kingston Smith. Aside from Dawkins and Cheyne, other lawyers taking part include Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom's European head Bruce Buck and Clifford Chance senior partner Stuart Popham.

Members of the group will meet monthly to look at medium and longer-term issues affecting the professional services sector, reporting back to another high-level group dealing with City competitiveness, which aims to promote London as the leading international financial centre.

Ussher said: "The Chancellor has prioritised making London and the whole of the UK a globally competitive financial centre. The PSGC group will be key to achieving this aim, and represents an essential partnership between government and industry. The Government is committed to working alongside people from the professional services industry to build a debate on public policy that will benefit both the financial services sector and the UK ."

The news follows the decision by Mayor of London Boris Johnson's to not appoint an active legal professional to the International Business Advisory Council for London group.