English lawyers, beware.

The Law Society of Ireland has thrown an obstacle in the path of English lawyers wanting work in the European Union after Brexit by registering as Irish.

Faced with the risk of being excluded from core files in EU and competition law after Brexit, many English and Welsh lawyers have been registering themselves as Irish. According to a report from the Law Gazette, 2,772 English and Welsh solicitors have been admitted to the Irish bar since the U.K. voted to leave the EU.

This workaround has run into trouble. On March 25, the Dublin-based Law Society wrote to solicitors registered at the Irish bar, but based outside of Ireland, announcing that they need to work from an Ireland-based "establishment," according to a letter seen by POLITICO.

"Practising certificates issued by the Law Society of Ireland entitle the solicitor holder to provide Irish and EU legal services ... solely from an establishment in the Irish State," the guidance note accompanying the letter stated.

Only lawyers who qualify in an EU country can make a submission to the European courts.

The Law Society also insisted that these lawyers need professional indemnity insurance from Ireland.

The restriction applies equally to Irish nationals. Irish-registered lawyers in Brussels complained that the rules mean they would not be able to practice on the Continent.

English and Welsh solicitors have an automatic right to qualify as an Irish solicitor under a reciprocal arrangement between the Law Society of Ireland and the Law Society of England and Wales, but Brexit has pushed many U.K. lawyers to Dublin.

Two reasons may explain this surge.

A lawyer in Brussels explained that U.K. solicitors would not be allowed to represent clients before the European top courts in Luxembourg after Brexit unless they obtain the right to practice EU law in another country. This is because only lawyers who qualify in an EU country can make a submission to the European courts.

Another lawyer explained that U.K.-qualified lawyers are also concerned that their correspondence could be seized following Brexit, as the European Commission does not recognize legal privilege for advisers who are not registered at an EU bar. Privilege exempts the seizure of a lawyer's files.

Four lawyers POLITICO spoke to consider these restrictions to be a breach of EU free movement rights, including the lawyers' Establishment Directive, which allows lawyers qualified in one EU member state to establish themselves in another.

The Law Society of Ireland declined to comment, when asked about the letter.