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26 July 2019 / Christian Wisskirchen
Categories: Opinion , Profession , Brexit , EU
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International special: Open for business

Christian Wisskirchen explains why doing legal business in the UK post-Brexit makes sense

Since the EU Referendum in the UK three years ago, many law firms and in-house counsel around the world have been asking themselves whether it may be advisable for their clients to continue using English law in their international contracts and whether to continue to resolve their disputes in our jurisdiction.

Understandably, there has been significant marketing activity, notably by legal stakeholders in leading EU jurisdictions, advising international clients to move away from the use of English law and jurisdiction because of the perceived ‘uncertainty’ arising from Brexit. Let me be crystal clear: whereas there exists uncertainty in relation to economic and regulatory EU-UK cross-border issues, there is no uncertainty whatsoever in relation to the use and the usefulness of English law and dispute resolution in the English Courts. EU law simply does not apply to commercial contracts and to commercial dispute resolution.

"The Bar has successfully positioned itself in a turnkey role to access English and international
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