A leading advocate reckons the island needs more lawyers.

Geoff Kermeen, managing director of Keystone Law Isle of Man, was giving evidence to Tynwald’s constitutional, legal affairs and justice committee which is inquiring into legal services.

Mr Kermeen, an advocate and non-practising English solicitor, told the committee there is a need for more lawyers and more expertise.

He said: ’The Isle of Man as a jurisdiction benefits from having good laws and good lawyers.

’If you look at the size of the legal profession in other offshore jurisdictions you will see a fairly large difference with the size of the profession here.

’There are lots of reasons for that, largely business driven actually rather than regulatory. Marketing of legal services generally is something that the UK in particular do very well.

’The primacy of English law around the world is something the UK executive is very happy to promote and does so very regularly.

’Frankly, one of the reasons the Channel Islands and Isle of Man have also been very successful over the years is because the lawyers within the City of London have been happy to go to lawyers in those offshore centres and found expertise there they are comfortable with.’

He said a report from 20 years ago had recommended that the government should concentrate on the growth of the legal services sector and attracting expertise into the Isle of Man.

Mr Kermeen was previously head of the London office for Cains. He said: ’I spent my entire working life going around various events at law firms in the City of London.

’Firstly, I could always guarantee that I was the only guy there from the Isle of Man, and there would be at least 10 or 15 there from Jersey and Guernsey.

’But secondly I also heard on a regular basis from Magic Circle and Silver Circle firms that one of the reasons they would choose to use Jersey or Guernsey over the Isle of Man if they were looking to place a structure or work or recommend clients there was because of the depth, or perhaps more importantly breadth, of legal expertise in the Channel Islands.’