Cancellation rights

Cancellation rights

This subtopic contains guidance and tools for law firms in relation to client cancellation rights that may apply under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. This subtopic will help you understand whether the Regulations apply and, if they do:

•
whether you need to comply with requirements about distance contracts or off-premises contracts
•
the differences in those requirements

Which clients do the regulations apply to?

To have the benefit of cancellation rights under the Regulations your client must be an individual acting for purposes which are wholly or mainly outside their trade, business, craft or profession.

Which contracts do the regulations apply to?

A solicitor/client retainer is a contract for services for the purpose of the Regulations.

The Regulations will apply if your retainer falls within the definition of:

•
an off premises contract, or
•
a distance contract

See Practice Note: Different types of cancellation rights—law firms and Different types of cancellation rights—law firms

What is an off-premises contract?

The definition of off-premises contract has several alternatives:

Definition	Example
(a) Contract concluded somewhere other than at your business premises in

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Practice Compliance News

Question of the week: If a law firm acts for a consumer client and the client has an individual guarantor giving a personal guarantee for the client's legal fees, is that guarantee agreement subject to any legislation or regulatory requirements?

This Q&A considers key legal issues for where an individual guarantor is giving a personal guarantee for a law firm consumer client’s fees, including whether the guarantee is a regulated credit agreement and the application of the CRA 2015.

European Parliament examines EU AI Act-EU GDPR tensions on algorithmic discrimination

The European Parliament has highlighted the challenges posed by Regulation (EU) 2024/168 (EU AI Act), which entered into force in August 2024, in mitigating discrimination in high-risk AI systems while respecting fundamental rights, including data protection. The EU AI Act allows processing special categories of personal data to detect and correct bias, but its interplay with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR)), which is more restrictive, creates legal uncertainty. Legislative reform or further guidance may be needed to clarify these issues.

DBT updates guidance on applying for a trade sanctions licence

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has revised its guidance on applying for a licence to provide sanctioned trade services. The revision consolidates the previously separate sections on purposes and licensing grounds, clarifying that the DBT considers licensing grounds to be examples of activities that align with the aim of sanctions. The guidance includes further examples of information that may be required before making an application for a licence. The guidance also states that due to case complexity, the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) cannot provide definitive timescales for application responses.

FATF consulting on AML/CFT guidance and proliferation financing schemes

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has launched two public consultations. The first consultation seeks feedback on updated guidance for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures and financial inclusion, reflecting recent amendments to FATF standards on proportionality and simplified measures. The second consultation addresses complex proliferation financing and sanctions evasion schemes, following the October 2020 amendments to Recommendations one and two. Stakeholders can respond to the financial inclusion consultation until 4 April 2025 and the proliferation financing consultation until 21 March 2025. . Both consultations aim to enhance understanding and implementation of risk-based approaches in their respective areas.

View Practice Compliance by content type :

News