Following the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December, new rules are now in force. We discussed a number of likely Brexit consequences in our December bulletin, and since then the UK government has published more resources to help businesses understand what has changed.

Firstly, a Brexit checker is an online tool designed to give you a personalised list of all the actions you may need to take to comply with any new rules that may affect you.

If your business is looking to import from or export to the EU, you should also check the new government guidance on the rules under the agreed UK-EU trade deal.

One particular development since our December bulletin is on data protection. The UK and the EU have now agreed a 6-month interim period, during which personal data can continue to flow freely between the two. This means that if your business receives any kind of personal data from the EU, you don't need to immediately change anything. The 6 months is designed to give the UK and EU time to agree that the UK has adequate data protection standards – if that agreement is reached, things should continue as they are. However, in case there is no agreement, you could consider using the time to put predefined Standard Contractual Clauses into your relevant written agreements. The ICO have published guidance to help you plan.