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22 May 2019 / David Greene
Issue: 7841 / Categories: Opinion , Brexit , Constitutional law
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Brexit: the final round (or two)?

Formal constitutional upheaval can mask the vast amounts of work being undertaken on all sides to find a workable Brexit, says David Greene

I spend much time with European colleagues talking about Brexit. Many ask what is going to happen. They think that I have some greater insight than Theresa May. I suppose I might but it’s pure speculation. As practitioners we remain in a period of great uncertainty as do clients. Most have now taken steps to prepare for both a no deal Brexit or a deal with a transition period. Law firms are doing similarly and there is much happening below the surface.

Progress at home & abroad

The Labour Party has been pressing for a customs union and stipulated it as one of its preconditions to an agreement with the Government. Some assume that a customs union assists the profession (as distinct from its clients) but a simple customs union, like most free trade agreements, addresses goods rather than services. Further, the important Directives that regulate the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Michelman Robinson—Daniel Burbeary

Michelman Robinson—Daniel Burbeary

Firm names partner as London office managing partner

Bellevue Law—Sally Hall

Bellevue Law—Sally Hall

Employment boutique strengthens data protection and privacy offering with senior consultant hire

NLJ Career Profile: Ken Fowlie, Stowe Family Law

NLJ Career Profile: Ken Fowlie, Stowe Family Law

Ken Fowlie, chairman of Stowe Family Law, reflects on more than 30 years in legal services after ‘falling into law’

NEWS
Personal injury lawyers have welcomed a government U-turn on a ‘substantial prejudice’ defence that risked enabling defendants in child sexual abuse civil cases to have proceedings against them dropped
Children can claim for ‘lost years’ damages in personal injury cases, the Supreme Court has held in a landmark judgment
The cab-rank rule remains a bulwark of the rule of law, yet lawyers are increasingly judged by their clients’ causes. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, warns that conflating representation with endorsement is a ‘clear and present danger’
Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already embedded in the civil courts, but regulation lags behind practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Roe of Baker McKenzie charts a landscape where AI assists with transcription, case management and document handling, yet raises acute concerns over evidence, advocacy and even judgment-writing
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