Guidance on the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)

The UK-EU transition period ended on 31 December 2020 and the UK has now left the single market. Following the conclusion of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the legislation covering legal services, establishment and some specific practice areas has changed.

The Law Society of England and Wales has produced extensive guidance covering the following key issues as agreed in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement:

• Legal Services
• EU legal professional privilege
• Data flows
• Civil justice (evidence, service, jurisdiction, ADR, enforcement of judgments, choice of court)
• Criminal judicial cooperation
• Anti-money laundering
• Family law (private and public)
• Immigration law and the end of free movement
• Intellectual Property

The trade agreement itself does not cover the areas of civil or commercial judicial cooperation, or family law.

Legal Services

The Law Society of England and Wales prepared an initial analysis of the TCA and a guide on the impact on solicitors. Further country-specific guidance on the practice rights of solicitors in several EU countries is available here and is regularly updated. However, the exact scope of practice rights for UK solicitors under the TCA will take time to determine. If you have any questions, email the Law Society of England and Wales’s international team at international@lawsociety.org.uk.

Webinars

To assist practitioners during this time, the Law Society of England and Wales have been running a number of webinars, helping to guide practitioners through the new rules and answering questions. All past webinars are now available here.