Doing Business in the UK
By Laytons ETL
English law underpins both national and international commerce and finance. London is still considered the world’s pre-eminent financial centre, and is one of the most attractive international cities for foreign investment. One of the reasons for this is the high regard that the international business community has for the principles of the English legal system and the fairness of the English Courts
Following Brexit, the UK has consistently remained a popular destination for doing business and attracts high levels of foreign direct investment (FDI). According to Ernst & Young’s 2024 annual European Attractiveness Survey, the UK has continued to outperform most of the other European destinations in terms of FDI – noting that the UK has bucked the trend of decline across Europe and continues to attract investment, particularly in areas where it has a comparative advantage such as the digital, financial services and business services sectors.
Some of the reasons that the UK has remained such a popular destination for business and investment include:
- its convenient location and time zone for global markets
- its competitive tax system
- the relative ease and speed of establishing a business
in the UK - the wide use of English law and English law frameworks
in business throughout the world - easy access to the UK’s skilled and diverse workforce
- support from UK government which incentivises and
promotes FD
The UK is made up of three distinct legal jurisdictions, namely England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This guide focuses on legal considerations in England & Wales so for ease of reference, when we refer to UK in this guide, the references relate to the legal position in England & Wales
There are various important legal considerations for a business looking to set up operations in the UK and we will cover some of the key legal considerations in relation to:
- corporate law (regarding setting up business);
- competition law;
- employment and immigration law;
- intellectual property law and data protection; and
- real estate law.
Laytons ETL is a full-service commercial law firm headquartered in the city of London which services UK and International clients and is part of ETL Global, a multinational professional services network. Our lawyers regularly advise on the breadth of issues discussed in this guide.
If you have any questions on the matters discussed in this guide or if you need further guidance, please do get in touch with us. The contact details of our team are set out at the conclusion of the guide.
For further information, please download the PDF file.