Notes on legal technology — the China–UK corridor.
Editorial dispatches from our practitioners and engineers — written for in-house counsel, founders, immigration leads and individuals navigating UK and Chinese legal systems.
Negotiating a UK Settlement Agreement: What Actually Matters
Most settlement agreements are won or lost before the draft arrives. A clear-eyed look at heads of terms, tax, references, and the legal advice the law requires.
WFOE, FIE or Hong Kong Holding: Choosing a China Entry Structure
A calm look at how foreign companies actually weigh WFOE, broader FIE forms and Hong Kong holdings when entering mainland China today, and where the tradeoffs really sit.
Skilled Worker Rule Changes: A Practical Reset for UK Employers
Salary thresholds have risen, SOC codes have been rewritten, and sponsor compliance expectations have tightened. Here is what UK HR teams should actually do next.
Restructuring a China JV: Buyout, Wind-Up, or WFOE Conversion
Most foreign partners wait too long to restructure a China joint venture. The cleanest exits — and the cleanest stays — are decided eighteen months before the spreadsheet says they must be.
PIPL in Practice: A Realistic Compliance Baseline for Foreign Firms
China's Personal Information Protection Law has matured from headline risk into operational reality. Here is what foreign data teams actually need to build, document and defend.
When Overseas Businesses Must Register for UK VAT
A plain-English guide to UK VAT for non-resident sellers and service providers: thresholds, digital services, postponed accounting, and the intermediaries you can't ignore.
The Sponsor Licence Application, From the Inside
A practical look at what a modern Sponsor Licence application actually involves — from Key Personnel mapping to the post-grant compliance lifecycle most SMEs underestimate.
The Employment Rights Bill: What HR Should Update First
The Employment Rights Bill rewires the start of the employment relationship — from probation to zero-hours scheduling. Here is what HR teams should review before the changes land.
From Companies House to First Invoice: A UK Setup Guide
A calm walk-through of UK company formation for non-resident founders — entity choice, registered office, the PSC register, VAT and the banking question that trips most people up.
The Four Clauses That Actually Decide a UK Shareholder Agreement
Most shareholder agreements run to forty pages. In our experience, four clauses do almost all the work when the cap table, the founders, or the company itself come under stress.
NDAs That Actually Hold Up: A UK–PRC Drafting Guide
Most cross-border NDAs fail quietly — not in court, but at the moment a counterparty decides the risk of breach is lower than the cost of compliance. Here is how to draft one that bites.
China's First-to-File Trademark Trap: A Defence Playbook
China rewards whoever reaches the registry first, not whoever built the brand. For foreign businesses, that single rule reshapes every decision about classes, evidence and timing.
Enforcing a UK Judgment in Mainland China After 2022
The Supreme People's Court reframed reciprocity in 2022, and UK money judgments are no longer a theoretical dead end. The work now happens before you file.
Global Talent Visa: Endorsement Routes After Tech Nation
A clear-eyed guide to the UK's Global Talent visa for founders, researchers and creatives — endorsing bodies, evidence packs, and the route from endorsement to settlement.
WFOE, FIE or Hong Kong Holding: Choosing a China Entry Structure
The choice between a WFOE, a joint-venture FIE and a Hong Kong holding company is not a matter of preference. It is a decision that shapes tax, capital flow and operational control for years.
Building a Schedule of Loss the Tribunal Will Respect
A Schedule of Loss is a forensic document, not a wish list. Here is how to structure one a UK employment tribunal will actually engage with — heads of loss, mitigation, pensions, and the layout judges expect.
Drafting a Letter Before Action That Actually Complies with the CPR
A Letter Before Action is the quiet hinge on which most civil claims turn. Get it right and the dispute often ends there; get it wrong and the court may penalise you on costs.
Tracking Absences Correctly on the Road to UK ILR
The 180-day rule sounds simple until you try to apply it. Here is how the rolling 12-month window actually works, and the small errors that quietly derail ILR applications.
What an Evidence-Grade China Due-Diligence Report Actually Contains
Most "China DD" packs circulating in London deal rooms are summaries of summaries. Here is what a report actually fit for litigation, M&A or enforcement should look like.
Why Undefined CoS Timing Decides Who You Hire This Quarter
Monthly Undefined CoS allocations are finite, and they refresh on a clock that does not care about your hiring deadlines. Here is why timing — not headcount — is the real constraint.