Brexit and the legal profession

The UK left the EU single market and customs union on 31 December 2020. Its relations with the bloc are now regulated by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). 

There are substantial changes affecting English and Welsh solicitors servicing clients in the EU from 1 January 2021:

  • EU laws including the EU lawyers' directives no longer apply to English and Welsh solicitors. The rules governing their practising rights vary in each EU member state, country in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
  • freedom of movement to the continent has come to an end. There are new rules governing the ability of solicitors to cross the border to each EU member state, countries in the EEA and Switzerland
  • Brexit also impacts matters including enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, EU legal professional privilege, tax, anti-money laundering regulation, intellectual property and data flows

We're holding a series of webinars and regularly publishing guidance to support you and your firm in adapting to these changes. 

What you can do now

  1. Read our analysis of legal services in the TCA
  2. Review our guidance on:
  3. Review the UK government's country-specific guides on providing services and travelling for business to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, which contain and/or signpost information on matters including travel and entry requirements that apply to UK service providers travelling to each EU/EEA country and Switzerland
  4. Read the country-specific guidance on the European Commission's EU Immigration Portal
  5. Attend upcoming Law Society events

Webinars and events

We're holding a series of webinars to help solicitors and firms adapt to post-Brexit rules and regulations.

Recordings of the following webinars are available for free online:

Further questions?

Send your feedback or specific queries to international@lawsociety.org.uk.

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