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 in the first week of drafting. Here is what UK employees and HR teams should actually be negotiating — heads of terms, tax, references, and advice.
WFOE, FIE or Hong Kong Holding: Choosing the Right China Entry Today
The default playbook for entering mainland China has quietly changed. Here is how to think about WFOE, broader FIE structures and a Hong Kong holding layer without overpaying in tax, capital or time.
The Employment Rights Bill: What HR Needs to Fix First
The Employment Rights Bill rewrites the early weeks of the employment relationship. Here is what changes for day-one rights, qualifying periods and zero-hours work — and what to update now.
Drafting a Letter Before Action That Actually Complies With the CPR
Most civil disputes in England and Wales are settled — or lost — long before a claim form is issued. The Letter Before Action is where that work begins.
AI Legal Drafting: What It Does Well, Where It Fails
A calm look at AI drafting tools through a UK-law lens — what they handle competently, where they quietly break, and how to build a workflow your regulator would recognise.
When Overseas Businesses Must Register for UK VAT
The UK's VAT rules treat non-resident sellers differently from domestic ones — often with a threshold of zero. Here is what overseas businesses need to know before their first British invoice goes out.
Restructuring a China JV: Buyout, Wind-Up, or WFOE Conversion
A calm guide for foreign partners weighing their options when a China joint venture has run its course. What buyout, wind-up and WFOE conversion really involve, and where the tax and licensing traps sit.
Global Talent Visa: Endorsement Routes After Tech Nation
Tech Nation no longer endorses the UK's digital technology route. Here is a calm map of the alternatives, what an evidence pack actually needs, and how endorsement converts into settlement.
PIPL in Practice: What Foreign Businesses Actually Have to Do
China's Personal Information Protection Law is now a settled part of the compliance landscape. The harder question is what a realistic baseline looks like for foreign data-processing teams.
NDAs That Actually Hold Up: A UK–PRC Drafting Guide
Most cross-border NDAs are signed in a hurry and read like templates because they are. Here is what separates a confidentiality agreement that survives litigation from one that quietly fails.
Building a Schedule of Loss the Tribunal Will Respect
A Schedule of Loss is not a wish list. It is an evidentiary document, and how you build it shapes how seriously the tribunal — and the other side — take your case.
Recovering Unpaid Invoices in Mainland China: A Practical Guide
An editorial walk-through of the realistic routes overseas creditors have when a mainland Chinese counterparty stops paying — from quiet pressure to asset freezes.
From Companies House to First Invoice: A UK Setup Guide
A calm walk-through of UK company setup for overseas founders — choosing Ltd or LLP, handling the PSC register, VAT thresholds and the banking puzzle.
Defending IP Rights Inside China: A Practical Field Guide
Administrative complaints, civil litigation, and customs recordal each solve a different problem. Knowing which lever to pull — and what it actually costs — is half the battle.
After Section 21: Building a Possession Case That Survives
Section 21 is going. What replaces it is a slower, evidence-led system where the quality of your paperwork decides the outcome. Here is how to prepare.
Enforcing a UK Judgment in Mainland China After the 2022 Reciprocity Update
The Supreme People's Court's 2022 conference summary did not unlock the door overnight, but it moved the hinge. Here is what changed for UK judgment creditors, and what to assemble before you file.
The Employment Rights Bill: What HR Should Update First
Day-one rights, zero-hours reform and the end of the two-year unfair dismissal qualifying period are reshaping UK employment in 2026. Here is what to prepare now.
Tracking Absences for UK ILR: The Rolling 12-Month Rule, Explained
Most ILR refusals on absence grounds are arithmetic errors, not policy failures. Here is how to count days correctly under the rolling 12-month window.
What an Evidence-Grade China Due Diligence Report Actually Contains
Most "China background checks" sold to UK firms are a translated company printout and a vibe. Here is what a report should look like when it may need to stand up in an English court.
WFOE, FIE or Hong Kong Holdco: Choosing a China Entry Structure
The structure you pick for entering mainland China decides your tax base, your repatriation route and how easily you can pivot later. Here is how to think about it.
When Overseas Businesses Must Register for UK VAT
The UK's VAT rules for non-resident sellers are quieter than headlines suggest, but unforgiving. A practical map of thresholds, postponed accounting and intermediary duties.
Negotiating a UK Settlement Agreement: What Actually Matters
Most settlement agreements are won or lost in the heads of terms, not the final draft. A calm guide to tax thresholds, references, and the legal advice that has to happen.
The Skilled Worker Reset: Salary, SOC Codes and What HR Should Do Now
Salary thresholds and SOC code mappings have shifted again, and the operational impact on UK sponsors is not subtle. Here is what HR and compliance leads should actually change this quarter.
The Four Clauses That Decide What Your Shareholder Agreement Is Worth
Most UK shareholder agreements run forty pages and turn on four. Here is how pre-emption, drag and tag, vesting, and deadlock mechanics actually shape outcomes when things get serious.
Drafting a Letter Before Action That the Court Will Respect
A Letter Before Action is the first move in nearly every UK civil claim. Get its structure right and you save time, costs and credibility before the court even sees the file.
From Companies House to First Invoice: A UK Setup Guide
A calm walk-through of UK company setup for overseas founders — entity choice, registered office, PSC register, VAT thresholds and the banking question that trips most people up.
Restructuring a China JV: Buyout, Wind-Up or WFOE Conversion
A calm guide for foreign partners weighing their options when a China joint venture has stopped working. Buy out, wind up, or convert — and the tax and licensing wrinkles that decide which is realistic.
Recovering Unpaid Invoices from Mainland China: A Practical Map
Four routes to recover commercial debt from a mainland counterparty, from pre-litigation pressure to court-ordered asset freezes. What actually works, and in what order.
AI Legal Drafting: What It Does Well, Where It Fails
A practical, UK-law view of where AI drafting tools earn their keep and where they quietly create risk. Plus a workflow in-house counsel and firm leaders can actually deploy.
Defending IP Rights Inside China: A Practical Field Guide
Administrative complaints, civil litigation, customs recordal — what actually works against Chinese infringement, what it costs, and how long it takes.