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 freedom to practise and, for instance, civil justice co-operation, are
