Osborne Clarke among founding members of Sharing Economy UK

A new trade body has been established to champion the United Kingdom’s ‘sharing economy’, with Osborne Clarke representing the legal profession as a founding member.

Sharing Economy UK (SEUK) has 21 founding members across all sectors, with Osborne Clarke joined by companies including Airbnb, ZipCar and Tech City. SEUK has been set up to represent businesses which encourage consumers and businesses to share their assets, such as cars in the case of ZipCar and accommodation in the case of Airbnb. The body’s members will work together on a code of conduct and attend an annual conference.

Andrew Saul, senior partner at Osborne Clarke and deputy chair of SEUK, commented: “While connected consumers have been quick to see the benefits of home sharing or car-pooling, matters of insurance, regulation and tax continue to be a challenge for sharing economy businesses. Osborne Clarke has long supported the sharing economy community across Europe and the United States and is currently advising many businesses on how to match their innovative business models with existing regulation. We’re excited to be supporting SEUK, tackling legal and regulatory issues to work on practical solutions for this booming industry.”