"Now is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
These famous words from Churchill, in a speech given nearly 75 years ago, provide an almost perfect description of where we are in the journey towards Brexit, following the Article 50 notice having been given at the end of March.
The Article 50 letter from the Prime Minister to the EU together with the draft guidelines for the negotiations which the EU Council published in response, do mean we have a much more meaningful framework or roadmap towards Brexit than at any point since 24th June last year. However, we are still largely in a world of principles and themes rather than specifics and certainties. What is clear is that we remain some distance away from having clarity on a number of crucial details, including on citizens’ rights, the mechanisms for securing a smooth transition and on the rules which companies will be operating once the UK ceases to be a member of the EU.
We are a firm which works across a wide range of sectors and with a wide range of clients - from large PLCs, owner-managed businesses, major clearing banks and angel investors to housebuilders, property developers, central and local government and private individuals. This allows us to take a broad view, whilst also seeing how the impact of Brexit-related issues can be quite different both between and within specific sectors.
So our task is to continue to work with our clients to assess what it means for each of them specifically, with the benefit of what we can see happening across the range of sectors we work in.
Read the full article from Chris Harte, Chief Executive, here.
Use the interactive timeline below to see how the Brexit road map has unfolded so far. You can also read about the Brexit related issues facing business, real state, the public sector and individuals and families as detailed by our legal experts.
March 21 - 2018
EU approves negotiation guidelines for future EU/UK relationship post Brexit
March 21 - 2018
United Kingdom Withdrawal from the European Union (legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill passed by Scottish Parliament
March 19 - 2018
Agreement reached on a Transitional Agreement until end of December 2019
March 12 - 2018
The Scottish EU Legal Continuity Bill notching up a number of firsts…
On 27 February 2018 the Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill was introduced into the Scottish Parliament. It may not have the catchiest title ever but this relatively short Bill is already clocking up a number of firsts.
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March 6 - 2018
Brexit and the snow - a perfect storm?
Last week was a strange week when the "Beast from the East" met "Storm Emma" and managed to bring most of the UK to a standstill in a blast of snow and ice. This was to be the week, however, when the Brexit hot air of the last couple of months was to morph into a series of focused ministerial speeches and proposals to enable decision makers in the UK: to move forward with Brexit planning; take informed steps for the future; and set out a platform for the next stage of Brexit negotiations.
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February - 2018
EU Draft withdrawal Agreement legal text published
January 30 - 2018
Brexit and Family Law
Lucia takes part in a round table evidence session of the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament, looking at the consequences of Brexit for family law.
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January 18 - 2018
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill introduced into the House of Lords
December 15 - 2017
EU agrees to move on to phase 2 negotiations
November 27 - 2017
Why Henry VIII is alive and well at Westminster...
Before Brexit, for most lawyers, Henry VIII was no more than a historical, rotund, Tudor character who managed to work his way through six wives. For the constitutional lawyer bells may have rung around a rather obscure drafting issue relating to powers in legislation.
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November 10 - 2017
Sewel, Legislative Consent Motions and Brexit
On 21 July 1998 Lord Sewel was a Government Minister tasked with taking the Scotland Bill through the House of Lords.
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September 22 - 2017
Brexit: Strategies for retaining and recruiting talent in uncertain times
Since the UK voted to leave the EU we have increasingly been asked to advise on what the immigration system may look like in the future.
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September 22 - 2017
Theresa May delivers a speech in Florence on Brexit laying out her offer to introduce a transition period after the UK formally leaves the European Union in March 2019.
July 31 - 2017
The Repeal Bill – a legal perspective on the realities of the process
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill has now been published. This is a major legislative step for the UK in leaving the European Union and achieving Brexit. In many ways the Bill contains few legal surprises. It now has a more formal "parliamentary" title than the earlier soundbite version of "The Great Repeal Bill".
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July 13 - 2017
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill introduced into the House of Commons
June 27 - 2017
UK Government announces its position on EU nationals after Brexit
The UK Government has published its position on the rights of EU nationals living in the UK after Brexit.
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June 23 - 2017
#BrexitAnniversary
It is almost a year since the UK Brexit Referendum vote on 23 June 2016. On that day, no one could have predicted where the UK would be now and all that has happened in the interim; legally, economically and politically.
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June 21 - 2017
Queen's Speech
June 19 - 2017
Formal Brexit negotiations commence
June 8 - 2017
UK General Election
April 18 - 2017
Whatever next? Another election and visit to the polling booth…..
When I turned 18 my idealistic young self promised that since women had gone through so much to obtain the vote, that I would always exercise my democratic right and vote when I had the chance.
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April 7 - 2017
Brexit: The end of the beginning
"Now is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." These famous words from Churchill, in a speech given nearly 75 years ago, provide an almost perfect description of where we are in the journey towards Brexit, following the Article 50 notice having been given at the end of March.
Read more
March 31 - 2017
A week is a long time in politics; at least it is in a Brexit world.
Monday was a quiet day but full of constitutional expectation. Tuesday saw the continued debate on and a vote in the Scottish Parliament seeking authority for the Scottish Government to apply to the UK Government for a section 30 Order under the Scotland Act 1998 to allow a further Scottish Independence Referendum to be held.
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March 31 - 2017
EU Draft Guidelines response drafted
A nine-page document containing the EU’s draft Brexit negotiating guidelines
Read the document
March 30 - 2017
Publication of The Great Repeal Bill: White Paper
Legislating for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union
Read the paper
March 29 - 2017
Article 50 triggered
Prime Minister Theresa May writes to European Council President Donald Tusk to notify him of the UK’s intention to leave the EU.
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March 14 - 2017
Brexit: Immigration and the Retail and Leisure Sectors
Since the UK voted to leave the EU I have spoken with many employers who have concerns about the implications of the decision for their EU staff members. These concerns apply across all sectors but there are particular concerns in the retail and leisure sectors.
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March 13 - 2017
Section 30 and the real start of another Scottish Independence Referendum campaign
This morning the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon fired the official starting gun for the next Scottish Independence Referendum campaign.
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March 13 - 2017
Dutch Prime Ministerial Election
Jan 26 - 2017
The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill is introduced into the House of Commons
A Bill to confer power on the Prime Minister to notify, under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the EU.
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Jan 25 - 2017
The Supreme Court decide on Article 50
The Supreme Court have now issued their judgement on whether the UK Government need to consult the Westminster Parliament before triggering Article 50 to start the formal process to take the UK out of the EU.
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Jan 25 - 2017
Prime Minister announces there will be a White Paper on Brexit
Jan 24 - 2017
Supreme Court decision in Miller & Ors v The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
The United Kingdom Supreme Court rules that the UK Government may not initiate withdrawal from the European Union by formal notification to the Council of the European Union as prescribed by Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union without an Act of the UK Parliament permitting the government to do so
Read the decision
Jan 17 - 2017
Prime Minister's Speech on UK negotiating position
Jan - 2017
Scottish Government Consultation on a Draft Referendum Bill closes
Dec 20 - 2016
The Scottish Government publish "Scotland's Place in Europe
The Scottish Government have today published their promised paper setting out how they consider Scotland's interests could be protected in the Brexit negotiations once Article 50 has been triggered. They also provide outcomes they consider the UK Government should seek to meet those Scottish interests.
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Dec - 2016
Scottish Government Publication Of "Scotland's Place in Europe" paper on SG preferred EU Brexit options
Scotland’s Place in Europe sets out the Scottish Government’s position following the result of the EU Referendum.
Read the publication
Dec 5-8 - 2017
Supreme Court Hearings in Miller & Ors v The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
Nov 3 - 2016
Article 50 Before the High Court in London - In R (on the application of Miller and Ors) v The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
Can the Government trigger Article 50 TEU to take the UK out of the EU by exercising the Crown prerogative? It is a short but constitutionally complex question, that has already been the subject of much external comment.
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Nov - 2016
Scottish Government Publication of "Scotland: A European Nation"
This publication outlines the historical, political and constitutional context that gives legitimacy to Scotland’s voice in the Brexit debate.
Read the publication
Oct 20 - 2016
Indyref 2 - Consultation on a Draft Referendum Bill
A Consultation on a Draft Referendum Bill was published this morning by the Scottish Government, all as trailed by the First Minister at the recent SNP Conference. The Bill being proposed is, essentially, an application of the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013, which governed the procedures at the last Independence Referendum, to any new Referendum. There are some technical changes as suggested by the Electoral Commission after the 2014 vote and some updating of practice to make the process work better.
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Oct - 2016
Scottish Government Consultation on a Draft Referendum Bill
This consultation paper invited views on the proposals for how the referendum would be run. A draft Scottish Independence Referendum bill is set out as an appendix to the document.
Read the consultation
Sept 9 - 2016
The Apple Dispute: A Fundamental Issue for the EU
On 30 August 2016 the EU Commission ruled that Ireland was in breach of the EU state aid rules by reaching decisions which substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991 in a way which had no factual or economic justification.
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Aug 31 - 2016
Brexit: A Litigator's Reflections
Almost exactly 20 years ago today I set off for the Netherlands to spend a year on the ERASMUS programme studying at the University of Leiden. In Edinburgh we now have to prepare for life outside the EU while Leiden remains at the heart of it.
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Aug 26 - 2016
Employment Law: Implications for Businesses of Leaving the EU
Innes Clark and Kate McGarrity look at the potential implications of Brexit on UK employment law and are joined by, Stuart McWilliams, one of our immigration specialists who provides his own thoughts on the possible consequences of Brexit.
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Aug 24 - 2016
Brexit - Immigration FAQ's for employers
Our immigration expert, Stuart McWilliams, answers your frequently asked questions about Brexit and immigration.
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Aug 16 - 2016
Brexit? Don't panic...
Property briefing: despite the shock to the commercial property market from the Brexit vote, the fundamentals remain quite strong, and those in the sector should stay level-headed as to its prospects.
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Aug 12 - 2016
BREXIT, Patents, Trade marks and Data Protection: FAQ for Businesses
With Brexit foremost in the minds of many organisations at present, here we give a short summary on the current situation with regard to European patents and European Union trade marks, and what measures to take regarding data protection compliance.
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Aug 1 - 2016
Niche no longer for constitutional lawyers as changes continue
The constitutional lawyer was a niche breed 20 years ago. We in the know knew who they were. They might usually be found working for Government, north and south of the border or in academia. They wrote the odd article or book. Their work was referred to in university law faculty lectures but otherwise they did not impinge much on the consciousness of the man on the "Clapham Omnibus", and it was definitely a man in those days.
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Jul 21 - 2016
Brexit update: One month on
We are almost one month on from the EU vote, and what a roller coaster of a month it has been. After the initial shock of the implications of the vote, certainly in Scotland, are we any clearer on the legal questions?
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Jul 14 - 2016
Brexit and Employee Relocation
Gordon Kerr of our Employee Mobility Unit discusses with colleagues in our immigration team what Brexit means for multi-national employers and their international workforces.
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Jul 8 - 2016
Putting Some of the Hysteria into Perspective
In the commercial property sector, share prices in some of the big housebuilders have fallen, and more recently Aviva, M&G, Standard Life Investments and other funds have suspended trading in their big property funds.
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Jul 8 - 2016
Brexit and Article 50 TEU
After the EU referendum decision commentators are telling us that we are living in legally, politically and financially turbulent times. It is likely that events will now move more slowly as decisions are made to resolve outstanding questions. It is also important to remember that much of what will be happening in the legal and business world will not change. The challenge will be recognising which changes in circumstances will be important for us in the months and years ahead.
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Jul 1 - 2016
What are the employment law implications of the UK leaving the EU?
Honouring their manifesto commitment, the Conservative government called an "in-out" EU Referendum on Thursday 23 June 2016, and after more than 40 years the UK will no longer be part of the European Union. At the time of writing David Cameron has confirmed he will stand down as prime minister and Jeremy Corbyn is desperately trying to hang on to his leadership of the Labour party. But apart from political melt down, what does this mean for employment law in the UK?
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Jun - 2016
Scottish Government First Minister Advisory Council set up
Jun 29 - 2016
Podcast: Brexit & Immigration
Our immigration team discuss the Brexit vote and what the consequences might be for immigration law.
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Jun 24 - 2016
Immigration Implications for Employers and Individuals
The UK has voted to leave the EU and this will have a significant impact for immigration, both for individuals and employers so - what happens next?
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Jun 24 - 2016
Wealth Management statement on Brexit
Through today's referendum result the UK electorate have indicated their belief that any costs of leaving the EU are more than offset by the potential benefits of an independent life outside.
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Jun 23 - 2016
Brexit Referendum Vote
Read the full result of the Brexit vote here
Read the full results