The U.K. bar and lawyers' associations have signed an agreement with their Belgian counterparts to ensure lawyers can continue to work in the two countries in case the U.K. leaves the EU without a deal.

The Law Society of England and Wales, the Law Society of Scotland and four other U.K. legal bodies signed a memorandum of understanding with five Belgian bar associations last week, pledging to work together in the case of a no-deal Brexit.

"This will help with U.K. lawyers who work in Brussels and Belgian lawyers who work in the U.K., with their understanding of what happens to them in the case of a no-deal Brexit," said Helena Rauss, head of the U.K. Law Societies' Brussels office.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is prepared to take the U.K. out of the EU without a deal on October 31 unless the EU accepts his plan, which would see Northern Ireland remain in the U.K. customs area, creating a new customs border between the region and the Republic of Ireland. The EU has rejected that proposal.

"As we move towards Brexit, it is important for our profession and for our clients to have reciprocal access to the jurisdictions of our EU neighbours," Simon Davis, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, told The Law Society Gazette, the official publication of The Law Society. "The memorandum of understanding with Belgium is a step in the right direction and we hope to reach similar understandings – and then agreements – with the other members of the EU and European Free Trade Area."

Siobhan Kahmann, a Belgium-based lawyer, said in a statement issued by the Law Society of Scotland that the action was welcome news.

"In the uncertainty after the referendum, it was a comfort for me and my U.K. colleagues to learn from our local bars that our contribution to the legal community here was valued. I am delighted that this is reflected in the memorandum of understanding our bars have signed."

If the U.K. leaves the EU without negotiating a deal on its future relations with the bloc, U.K.-qualified lawyers risk losing their right to practise in the EU.

The memorandum of understanding, although not legally binding, is a commitment by the legal associations in the two countries to work together to maintain the existing state of affairs after a no-deal Brexit. They have agreed to pressure their respective governments to allow lawyers from each jurisdiction to continue to practice.

Belgium has already passed legislation that will allow U.K. lawyers currently operating in Belgium to continue practising until the end of December 2020.

The U.K. legal associations are the Law Society of England and Wales, the Law Societies of Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Bar Councils of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Faculty of Advocates. The Belgian associations are Dutch-speaking and French-speaking sections of the Brussels Bar, as well as the Dutch-, French- and German-speaking bar associations.