The precautionary investment, which costs around £300, is a way of guaranteeing access to the higher EU courts and tribunals in Luxembourg should the terms of the UK’s exit not include ‘passporting’ of legal services. Only lawyers qualified in an EU state have the right to appear before EU tribunals such as the European court of justice.  

The Law Society of Ireland’s director general Ken Murphy told The Guardian that 543 solicitors from England and Wales have registered since the start of 2016, along with 21 from Northern Ireland; a further 145 applications are being processed.