Brexit: What Effect On Instructing A Barrister?

None, actually.

There will be a two year period for the UK to leave the EU. The clock starts ticking when an application is made under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Once an application has been made, it has to be completed within two years. That period can be extended but only if all 28 EU countries agree.

So, for the time being at least, things remain as they were. 

Although stepping down as Prime Minister, David Cameron seems likely to remain in office until the Conservative party conference in October. If it is his successor who will activate Article 50, the two year deadline is unlikely to be any sooner than November 2018, at the earliest.

Boris Johnson looks like a front-runner for the PM job. In today's press, he has been quoted as saying "nothing would change over the short term" and there was "no haste" in triggering the legal process for exit talks. This hardly suggests that the Brexit will be swift.

Amidst the hype of the newspapers, watch out for the activation of Article 50. Then start counting...