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Pulse UK
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May 15, 2024
Womble Bond Names 'Fearless Leader' As Chair, CEO-Elect
Womble Bond Dickinson announced Wednesday that global finance partner Merrick Benn has been elected U.S. chair and CEO, for a three-year term effective Jan. 1.
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May 15, 2024
Legal Bodies Update Cybersecurity Checks For Law Firms
The Law Society and the Bar Council said on Wednesday that they have updated a questionnaire that helps shield barristers' chambers against cyberattacks as the legal profession responds to warnings of a rise in threat levels.
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May 15, 2024
Ex-Candey Partner Did Not Think Client Funds Were Criminal
A former Candey partner who is accused of not adequately checking the source of almost £24 million ($30 million) in client funds earmarked for a property purchase told a tribunal on Wednesday that he did not believe the money was the proceeds of crime.
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May 15, 2024
SRA Should Ditch Plans To Regulate CILEX, Law Society Says
The Law Society has urged the watchdog that oversees solicitors to abandon plans to regulate legal executives, arguing on Wednesday that it should maintain its focus on its "core regulatory responsibilities."
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May 15, 2024
Fired Judge Loses Appeal Over Deleting Data During Probe
A former judge who was removed from office for deleting data relevant to a police investigation had his bid to appeal his dismissal rejected by the High Court on Wednesday as a judge ruled that his removal from the bench was "clearly justified."
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May 15, 2024
6 Questions For Sebastian Moore, HSF's IP Head In The UK
Sebastian Moore, head of the intellectual property practice of Herbert Smith Freehills LLP in the U.K., has told Law360 that he had been keen to make use of his chemistry degree when he decided to become a lawyer specializing in IP.
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May 15, 2024
Ex-RFB Partner Claims Ouster By Firm's 'Bullying' Boss
The former head of employment at Ronald Fletcher Baker LLP has sued the firm, claiming that he was unfairly demoted and exposed to what he alleges was the "constant bullying treatment of staff" by the managing partner.
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May 14, 2024
Communications Panel Seeks Stiffer Fines On SLAPP Suits
The chair of a House of Lords committee on Tuesday urged the government to increase the Solicitors Regulation Authority's fining powers to crack down on litigation designed to silence reporting about wealthy and powerful individuals.
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May 14, 2024
UK Gov't Rules Out NDA Ban In Harassment Cases
HM Treasury said Tuesday that the U.K. government will not commit to a legislative ban on nondisclosure agreements in harassment cases, rejecting a call from MPs to bring an end to the "abusive use" of NDAs to silence victims.
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May 14, 2024
Tech Biz Helm360 Launches Legal Partner Alliance Program
Helm360, an American legal IT provider, has launched a program offering law firms a one-stop shop for "essential" products, services and expert knowledge.
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May 14, 2024
Brodies, Pinsent Advise On £100M Loan For Green Port Project
Haventus, a green projects site manager, has secured a £100 million ($126 million) joint credit facility from UK Infrastructure Bank and the Scottish National Investment Bank for the redevelopment of its Ardersier Port near Inverness, Scotland, law firm Brodies LLP said Tuesday.
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May 14, 2024
Perkins Coie Launches In London With PE Veteran
Perkins Coie LLP said Tuesday that it has launched in London with a team of six corporate lawyers led by a private equity veteran to serve European technology companies and investors from one location.
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May 14, 2024
London Law Firms Look Abroad As Home Market Stagnates
Some London law firms are looking to expand in Europe and beyond for business growth after feeling the constraints of Brexit and a saturated legal marketplace — ignoring warnings that the rates for work in the Continent are low in comparison with fees in Britain.
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May 13, 2024
UK Gov't Looking To Bolster Legal Tech Ties With Australia
The government said Monday that it is extending its campaign to boost the legal technology sector's ties with Australia to help pull trade back to the U.K.
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May 13, 2024
Candey, Ex-Partner Face Tribunal Over Alleged AML Breach
Candey Ltd. and a former partner breached money laundering regulations by not adequately checking the source of nearly £24 million ($30 million) of client funds earmarked for a property purchase, the Solicitors Regulation Authority told a tribunal Monday.
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May 13, 2024
Law Firm Beats Paralegal's COVID Whistleblower Claim
An employment tribunal has dismissed a former paralegal's claim alleging she was unfairly dismissed for raising complaints about her mentor's behavior and COVID-19 practices, finding the disclosures didn't play a part in the firm's decision to fire her.
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May 13, 2024
Barrister May Have 'Dozed Off' For Medical Reasons, She Says
A barrister denied undermining the public's trust in the legal profession on Monday after she was brought before the barristers' tribunal for allegedly falling asleep during a coroner's inquest in which she was acting as counsel.
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May 13, 2024
Haynes Boone Makes UK Real Estate Debut With New Hire
Haynes and Boone LLP has moved to establish its real estate practice in the U.K. with the addition of a new partner from Clifford Chance LLP.
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May 13, 2024
Temple Bright Launches Flexible Legal Business
Temple Bright LLP said on Monday it has become the latest law firm to launch its own flexible resourcing business, joining what it called the fast-growing market of organizations offering temporary and interim legal support.
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May 13, 2024
Gov't Tells Finance, Law Watchdogs To Improve AML Reports
HM Treasury and Britain's anti-money laundering watchdog have told professional bodies in sectors including law and accounting to sharpen the focus in their annual reports on failures in compliance and supervisory actions.
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May 10, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
The past week in London has seen Playtech file an intellectual property claim against online casino company OnAir Entertainment amid allegations of corporate spying, a broadcast equipment company sue its former owner amid allegations he conspired to inflate a customer’s finances, and aerospace company Vertical Aerospace hit a manufacturer with a claim following a test flight crash. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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May 10, 2024
Former Akin Chairman R. Bruce McLean Dies At 77
Former Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Chairman R. Bruce McLean — who helped transform Akin into an international powerhouse — died Thursday, the firm said. He was 77.
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May 10, 2024
University Of Dundee Receives £1.1M For Legal Tech Center
Scottish law firm Thorntons announced in collaboration with the University of Dundee on Friday a government-derived award of £1.1 million ($1.38 million) to fuel education in law and technology at the school.
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May 10, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Loses Co-Head Of UK Competition Group
The co-head of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP's U.K. competition practice group has left after less than a year and a half at the firm.
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May 10, 2024
Quinn Emanuel NQs' Pay Hits £180K To Match City's Top Tier
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP said on Friday that its newly qualified London lawyers will receive an extra £28,000 ($35,000) from June, taking their remuneration to £180,000, which makes it one of the highest-paying firms in the City.
Expert Analysis
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Disciplinary Ruling Has Lessons For Lawyers On Social Media
A recent Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal judgment against a solicitor for online posts deemed antisemitic and offensive highlights the serious sanctions that can stem from conduct on social media and the importance of law firms' efforts to ensure that their employees behave properly, say Liz Pearson and Andrew Pavlovic at CM Murray.
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Law Firm Considerations In Attracting And Retaining Talent
As law firms move away from a solely seniority-based partner remuneration model toward a reward performance system, they need to look holistically at overall contribution, maintaining an effective hierarchy of entrepreneurial senior partners, diligent management and hardworking junior staff in order to incentivize the stars they wish to keep, says Catriona Watt at Fox & Partners.
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PR Perspectives: Focusing On The Truth Will Gain Trust
With a firm’s hard-won reputation at risk of being trashed if news breaks that the business has misled its stakeholders, it is far better for a public relations team to insist that external promotions be truthful, driving the organization to look critically at itself and make positive change, says Clare Rodway at Kysen PR.
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Why It's Helpful To Understand The Role Of The SRA
With the ongoing Post Office inquiry and review of the role lawyers played in the scandal, the Solicitors Regulation Authority is currently under wider public consideration, and it is worth examining its role as a regulator, says Steve Roberts at Richard Nelson.
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Tips For Hiring Adaptable Legal Talent In Uncertain Times
Amid the current period of economic and regulatory turbulence, businesses will need to consider skills that go beyond technical excellence when hiring in-house legal talent — including versatility, commercial awareness and artificial intelligence proficiency, says Jerry Temko at Major Lindsey.
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PR Perspectives: The Future For Legal Press Releases
Although press releases are used less frequently now, they still have a place in the legal public relations repertoire, alongside the commentary, articles and social media aimed at getting law firms' or barristers' chambers' messages across, says Steve Rudaini at SJR Communications.
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How Pro Bono Work Can Strengthen A Law Firm
Creating a sustainable pro bono program can enhance a law firm's reputation and make it attractive to prospective clients and talent in several ways, says Shams Merchant at Jackson Walker.
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Why Neurodiversity Support In The Legal Sector Is Important
With recent statistics revealing that high numbers of legal professionals are reluctant to disclose their neurodivergence for fear of adverse consequences, organizations and employers should develop awareness and understanding to encourage a committed source of talent with requisite skills to make a positive contribution, says Kevin Athow, general counsel at BSH Home Appliances.
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Legal Sector Will Benefit From New Data Security Standard
The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office-approved new privacy certification scheme for the legal profession will inevitably become the default for law firms, chambers and vendors to prove their U.K. General Data Protection Regulation compliance, says Orlagh Kelly at Briefed.
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PR Perspectives: Navigating UK And US Legal PR Differences
Despite apparently negligible differences between U.S. and U.K. legal systems, public relations requires an understanding of regional nuances and complex legal issues, and U.K.-based PR professionals looking to gain traction in the U.S. must adapt their strategies accordingly to achieve successful cross-jurisdictional campaigns, say Ben Finnis and Elizabeth Rincon at Greentarget.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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Risks The Judiciary Needs To Be Aware Of When Using AI
Recently published judiciary service guidance aims to temper reliance on AI by court staff in their work, and with ever-increasing and evolving technology, such tools should be used for supplementary assistance rather than as a replacement for already existing judicial research tools, says Philip Sewell at Shepherd & Wedderburn.
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Prompt Engineering Skills Are Changing The Legal Profession
With a focus on higher-value work as repetitive tasks are delegated to artificial intelligence, legal roles are set to become more inspiring, and lawyers need not fear the rising demand for prompt engineers that is altering the technology-enabled legal environment, say Eric Crawley, Shah Karim and Paul O’Hagan at Epiq Legal.
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4 Legal Privilege Lessons From Dechert Disclosure Ruling
The Court of Appeal's recent decision in Al Sadeq v. Dechert LLP, finding that evidence may have been incorrectly withheld, provides welcome clarification of the scope of legal professional privilege, including the application of the iniquity exception, says Tim Knight at Travers Smith.
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PR Perspectives: Don't Overstate Well-Being Or Enviro Efforts
Law firms should look to embrace a strong arsenal of sustainability and well-being initiatives before beginning to publicize their commitment to green and mental health efforts, or they can face the risk of making false claims, says Steve Rudaini at SJR Communications.