Pulse UK

  • October 01, 2024

    Axiom Ince Ex-Staffer Wins £5K For Constructive Dismissal

    Axiom Ince Ltd. must pay a former employee £5,400 ($7,200) after it forced him out of the door before the firm collapsed, a tribunal held in a ruling released Tuesday.

  • October 01, 2024

    Cyber Insurance Business Promotes Atty To General Counsel

    Cyber insurance company Cowbell announced Tuesday that it has promoted to serve as its general counsel an attorney who has served as its vice president of legal for more than two years.

  • September 30, 2024

    German Lawyer Charged Over €428M Cum-Ex Fraud

    A lawyer has been charged in Germany with several counts of "serious tax evasion" over his alleged role in a €428 million ($477 million) so-called cum-ex dividend tax fraud, a German court confirmed Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    Apprenticeship Providers Urge Gov't To Rethink Reform

    A leading apprenticeship provider in England urged the government Monday to reconsider plans to cut public funding for solicitor apprenticeships, emphasizing that this relatively new, debt-free qualification method is already helping to narrow the legal industry's diversity gap.

  • September 30, 2024

    Stephenson Harwood Adds Legal Tech Product To AI Toolkit

    Stephenson Harwood LLP said on Monday that it has adopted a new generative artificial intelligence platform, its second investment in AI, as it continues exploring ways to improve the delivery of legal services to clients.

  • September 30, 2024

    Schillings Opens New Office In Dublin In EU Push

    Schillings International LLP announced Monday that it has opened a new office in Dublin, its first in the European Union.

  • September 30, 2024

    Akin Launches New AI Director Role With Bryan Cave Pro

    Akin is redoubling its commitment to emerging technology and artificial intelligence with a new director of practice technology and AI innovation at its London office who most recently was at Bryan Cave and previously spent more than seven years with Akin.

  • September 30, 2024

    Ex-Human Rights Lawyer Pleads Guilty To Fraud

    A former British human rights lawyer admitted on Monday to making a fraudulent application for legal aid on behalf of Iraqi detainees bringing claims against British soldiers who served in Iraq, the National Crime Agency said.

  • September 30, 2024

    Shoosmiths Launches Legal And Compliance Operations Unit

    Shoosmiths LLP has joined forces with two consultants to launch a legal and compliance operations team as the firm continues to offer wider solutions to clients that complement the traditional legal advice it provides.

  • September 30, 2024

    Ex-Judges Blame Opaque Selection Process For Hiring Woes

    Vacancies for judges are staying unfilled because of a shortage of high-quality applicants, as former members of the bench tell Law360 that the selection process discourages exceptional candidates at a time when the government is grappling with court backlogs.

  • September 29, 2024

    Law Firm Mergers Stay High As Consolidators Press On

    Merger activity in the British legal sector continued to recover in 2023 from the low levels seen two years earlier, partly driven by consolidator firms acquiring other practices, Hazlewoods LLP said on Monday.

  • October 04, 2024

    Clifford Chance Hires Ex-Sidley Restructuring Pro

    Clifford Chance LLP has recruited a former restructuring partner at Sidley Austin LLP in Germany, amid high demand from clients for specialist advice in the face of challenging macroeconomic conditions.

  • September 27, 2024

    Legal Services Board Greenlights Compensation Fund Hikes

    The Legal Services Board said Friday that it has approved an increase of more than 200% in compensation fund contributions required of solicitors and law firms as a result of the collapse of Axiom Ince Ltd. and the expenses of compensating its victims.

  • September 27, 2024

    Candey Cleared Of AML Breaches Over £24M Of Client Funds

    Candey Ltd. was cleared on Friday of breaching money laundering regulations by failing to adequately check the source of nearly £24 million (£32 million) of client funds, by a tribunal that also found a former partner improperly transferred some of the money to third parties.

  • September 27, 2024

    Ex-Linklaters Partner Loses Fight To Block Charge On Homes

    An ex-Linklaters LLP partner failed to stop a Saudi princess from securing charges over two of his family members' homes to settle a $25 million judgment, with a London court on Friday rejecting his claim to have no interest in the properties.

  • October 04, 2024

    Ex-Solicitor General Rejoins 3PB After Decade In Parliament

    Michael Tomlinson KC, a former solicitor general in England and Wales, has returned to 3 Paper Buildings to continue practicing as a barrister after he lost his seat following nearly a decade as a member of Parliament.

  • September 27, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Coca-Cola bring a trademark infringement claim against its former marketing director, Glencore face legal action by American Century ETF Trust, law firm Bishop Lloyd & Jackson defend itself against two solicitors it worked alongside during inquiries into Grenfell Tower, and a U.K. cruise line face a claim by a subsidiary of the sanctioned gambling platform GTLK.

  • September 27, 2024

    Revived Freshfields Eyes US Growth As Rivals Target UK

    Freshfields is taking big swings in the American market and at home with a rebrand and a willingness to plunge headfirst into salary battles for the best lawyers. And London managing partner Mark Sansom told Law360 that he's not about to slow down.

  • September 27, 2024

    Citizens Advice Lawyer Loses Birthday Reward Scheme Claim

    A tribunal has chucked a solicitor's claim that Citizens Advice bosses forced her to quit following her online post criticizing a birthday reward scheme, ruling that the response to her message did not sever her trust in the bureau.

  • September 27, 2024

    Duncan Lewis Settles Legal Aid Fee Case Against UK Gov.

    Duncan Lewis Solicitors announced Friday that it has dropped its legal aid fee claim against the U.K.'s justice secretary, after the minister promised to make a decision on raising rates for immigration and asylum work after the first Labour budget next month.

  • September 26, 2024

    Merger Between Lester Aldridge And Mackrell Called Off

    Lester Aldridge LLP and Mackrell Solicitors will no longer unite and become one law firm after talks about a proposed merger were called off.

  • September 26, 2024

    Burford's New Development Chief Eyes Law Firms, Legal Tech

    Burford Capital LLC is entering a more aggressive phase of its expansion strategy, looking at everything from acquiring stakes in boutique law firms and legal tech companies to expanding into the alternative legal services space, the legal funder's new chief development officer tells Law360.

  • September 26, 2024

    Solicitor Ordered To Pay Over £81K Over COVID Vax Letters

    A London tribunal has ordered a solicitor to pay more than £81,000 ($108,649) for improperly threatening legal action against a GP surgery and a government agency on behalf of clients who opposed being vaccinated against COVID-19.

  • September 26, 2024

    Lawyer Must Pay £8.7K For Late Exit In Case Against Ex-Firm

    A consultant solicitor must pay his former firm £8,700 ($11,700) in costs after bringing a claim that was obviously past due before waiting more than two months too long to withdraw it, a tribunal has ruled.

  • September 26, 2024

    ECJ Backs Strong Protection For Lawyer-Client Discussions

    Confidentiality of lawyer-client communications has enhanced protection under European Union law, including in cross-border tax disclosures, the European Court of Justice ruled Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Lessons In Civility From The Alex Oh Sanctions Controversy

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    Alex Oh’s abrupt departure from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and admonishment by a D.C. federal judge over conduct in an Exxon human rights case demonstrate three major costs of incivility to lawyers, and highlight the importance of teaching civility in law school, says David Grenardo at St. Mary's University.

  • Rebuttal

    US Legal System Can Benefit From Nonlawyer Ownership

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    Contrary to claims made in a recent Law360 guest article, nonlawyer ownership has incrementally improved the England and Wales legal system — with more innovation and more opportunities for lawyers — and there is no reason why those outcomes cannot also be achieved in the U.S., say Crispin Passmore at Passmore Consulting and Zachariah DeMeola at the University of Denver.

  • Increasing Investment Scams Can Implicate Lawyers, Too

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    With the pandemic serving as a catalyst for increased financial fraud, it's important to recognize that these scams are not only devastating for victims, they also pose a significant threat to law firms and individual solicitors who fail to do their due diligence, say James Darbyshire at the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and Heather Clark at Burness Paull.

  • UK Lawyers Can Adapt Due Diligence To Screen New Clients

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    As COVID-19-related fraud gains pace, U.K.-based practitioners should help combat money laundering by using alternative methods to verify that new clients are who they say they are, says Christopher Convey, a barrister at 33 Chancery Lane and chair of the Bar Council's Money Laundering Working Group.

  • Key Risks And Developments For UK Law Firm Culture In 2020

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    In 2020, law firms throughout the U.K. will be increasingly reshaped by rapid changes in societal expectations and advances in technology, say Helen Rowlands and Niya Phiri of Clyde & Co.

  • #MeToo Pressure On UK Businesses Is Set To Rise

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    Recent declarations by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority indicate that sexual harassment in the U.K.'s financial services industry may lead to consequences under the newly expanded Senior Managers and Certification Regime, and other sectors are facing growing scrutiny as well, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Corporate Wrongdoing Risks Go Beyond Exec Departures

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    Recent controversy over misconduct allegations that led to the ousting of a KPMG executive reminds firms that the challenges caused by suspecting or uncovering internal wrongdoing are not so easily solved by the implicated executive's exit, says Sarah Chilton of CM Murray.

  • 2 Perspectives On Navigating The Litigation Funding Process

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    Paul Martenstyn of Vannin Capital and Daniel Spendlove of Signature Litigation share their top tips on how to get a case funded, drawing from their respective experience as a funder and a lawyer.

  • Answers To Key Legal Finance Ethics Questions

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    While there is discussion in some quarters about new regulations on commercial legal finance, the hands-off approach taken by the majority of courts and legislatures is an implicit recognition that it is already sufficiently regulated, says Danielle Cutrona of Burford Capital.

  • New Scrutiny For NDAs In Sexual Harassment Matters

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    Recent government scrutiny of nondisclosure agreements related to allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Steve Wynn and Harvey Weinstein raises the question of whether some uses of NDAs could amount to obstruction of justice or a violation of lawyers' ethical obligations, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Opinion

    SRA Should Not Condemn Lawful Tax Avoidance

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    In suggesting that solicitors who facilitate tax avoidance breach its code of conduct, the Solicitors Regulation Authority fails to distinguish between legal tax avoidance and illegal tax evasion, says attorney Martin Kenney.

  • Proposed Arbitration Law May Be A Misstep For India

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    A proposed Indian law, which could have the effect of excluding non-Indians from acting as arbitrators, is threatening to undermine the country's ambition to become an important seat of international arbitration, says Sarosh Zaiwalla of Zaiwalla & Co.

  • British Overseas Territories Can Benefit From Transparency

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    British overseas territories have pushed back against a recent U.K. measure requiring them to create publicly accessible registers of companies' beneficial owners. However, considering global trends toward transparency, perhaps the territories should embrace the new rules as a force of good, says Simon Airey of Paul Hastings LLP.

  • Legal Technology Is Likely To Flourish In The UK

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    The U.K. may soon surpass the U.S. in legal technology, thanks to regulatory reform, law firm investment and an entrepreneurial environment, says Bridget Deiters of InCloudCounsel.

  • Law & Reorder: The Emergence Of The UK Legaltech Sector

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    Recent market dynamics are driving the U.K. legal industry to adopt nascent technologies in new service offerings as well as pre-existing solutions. The rise of legaltech should also lead to an increase in acquisitions by law firms striving to maintain relevance, says Jo Charles of Livingstone Partners LLP.

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