Law Society of Scotland comment on Prime Minister’s Brexit statement

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s statement on Brexit today (17 January 2017), the President of the Law Society of Scotland, Eilidh Wiseman said:

“The UK’s exit from the EU has many significant aspects including economic, financial, legal, social, and cultural, which will affect every person living in the British Isles. With this in mind, the Prime Minister’s statement provides some welcome detail on a number of issues which the country will need to consider as Article 50 is triggered and the negotiations start on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

“It is crucial that the UK Government continues to engage with the devolved administrations and civic society to ensure their and our interests and priorities are seriously considered. We are grateful to the Secretary of State for Scotland who has met with us and our member law firms, listening to our concerns and those of businesses more generally. We are keen to maintain that engagement with both the UK and Scottish governments over the coming months.

“As the negotiations move forward, it is vital we ensure stability in the law and maintain, so far as possible, close collaboration in freedom, security and justice measures.  That is why we strongly welcome the Prime Minister’s intention to continue to work with the EU on cross border crime and law enforcement issues.  There also needs to be an agreed path for recognising and enforcing citizens’ rights including the rights of parties with pending cases before the Court of Justice of the EU”.