header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
22 November 2018 / David Greene
Issue: 7818 / Categories: Opinion , Brexit
printer mail-detail

Deal or no deal?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

Whether or not the latest Withdrawal Agreement succeeds, Brexit is still likely to launch a thousand writs, says David Greene

The latest version of the draft Withdrawal Agreement lies before us, but we are no nearer to concluding what the outcome of all the political events will be as we head towards the EU exit. Mine is not to speculate, but to contemplate the two main possible outcomes and the effect on civil justice: a departure with no deal, or a departure largely on the basis of the draft Withdrawal Agreement.

Status update

The Withdrawal Agreement is of course simply a preliminary agreement dealing with the immediate consequences of departure next March. It proposes in the main a transition period until the end of 2020 while the longer-term relationship is negotiated. The agreement provides that the period may be extended, by the newly created Joint Committee, as long as the extension is agreed by July 2020. It might thus be better termed a Transition Agreement; that was how it appeared in its original

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Media and technology expert joins employment team as partner in Cambridge

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Divorce ‘nuclear weapon’ freezes assets but entangles outsiders
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
NLJ this week: What counts as ‘rent’? Court says labour alone won’t do
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Your magistrates’ court needs you!
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026—the winners!
The winners of the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026 have now been announced, marking another outstanding celebration of excellence, innovation, and impact across the legal profession
NLJ this week: Freed but failed—justice system leaves the innocent empty-handed
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll