header-logo header-logo

14 June 2024 / Simon Cohen
Issue: 8075 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology , Jurisdiction , Career focus
printer mail-detail

Digital nerve centre

The common law gives England & Wales the flexibility to be a technology hub—and the draft digital assets Bill reinforces that, writes Simon Cohen
  • The Law Commission is seeking to cement England and Wales as the leading jurisdiction for digital assets law and disputes.
  • The draft Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill would put a third category of personal property on a statutory footing.

Steeped in history (English legal memory began in 1189) and always forward-looking, English common law has repeatedly proven itself permissive, adaptable, commercially minded and—crucially—certain.

These are the reasons why common law systems across the world (all of which have their origins in English law) have the advantage over the fixed and rigid (some might argue sclerotic) codified systems of law that are prevalent in, among other places, continental Europe. It is the reason why entrepreneurs and businesses with no connection with Britain, and whose arrangements may have little to no nexus with these shores, repeatedly choose to have their commercial agreements governed by English law and

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

Sackers—Zak Ullah

Sackers—Zak Ullah

Sackers welcomes new associate

Christy Davies—Birmingham Law Society

Christy Davies—Birmingham Law Society

Ward Hadaway lawyer joins Birmingham Law Society Council

Ellisons—Stephanie Westwood & Anisa Khan

Ellisons—Stephanie Westwood & Anisa Khan

Ellisons expands Chelmsford commercial litigation team with two appointments

NEWS
Construction workers injured in comparable accidents can face sharply different routes to compensation on opposite sides of the Atlantic
Victims of undue influence may have more options than simply unwinding a tainted transaction, with courts able to order profits accounts, compensation and, exceptionally, severance
Disabled people could lose vital safeguards following the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Cheshire West test for deprivation of liberty, two barristers warn
A formidable reputation cannot protect a law firm when partner departures, fragile finances and client uncertainty begin feeding each other
Businesses incorporating open-source software into commercial products could face obligations to disclose valuable source code, with AI-assisted development making licensing risks harder to track
back-to-top-scroll