The legal system in Britain is often referred to as Anglo Saxon, and is based more on common law, not statute law as is usual in many European countries. This means that agreements tend to be longer than in the rest of Europe as they need to incorporate all the matters relating to them. Companies from countries which have an Anglo Saxon based system will understand this, but the statute law countries sometimes find the process difficult to follow. The reality is that the British will consult their lawyer in the early stages of a negotiation in order to avoid difficulties and misunderstandings later. Please do not be offended by this, as it is the normal way to reach an agreement.
As examples, a distribution agreement can be 60 or more pages long, and even a simple employment contract can be 10 pages, and there will be additional items such as a Disciplinary procedure which must be also in writing. When making agreements you will notice that no one mentions UK or British law, and that is because there is none. The system is so old that there are still different legal systems for England and Wales as one, with Scotland and Northern Ireland as separate. This comes from the origins of these countries many years ago, and is just something you should know about. For most practical purposes modern commercial law will be much the same everywhere across the EU, but you should always take professional advice.
