Pulse UK

  • November 12, 2025

    FCA Oversight Spells Tougher AML Scrutiny For Law Firms

    The Financial Conduct Authority's new powers to police lawyers and other professionals could place law firms under a heightened supervisory regime similar to that of banks and other high-risk financial institutions, experts say.

  • November 12, 2025

    Avison Young Denies Blame In Trowers Lease Renewal Fight

    Avison Young has denied allegations by Trowers & Hamlins that it was to blame for a waste haulage company's bungled negotiations for a lease renewal, telling a London court that it was not asked to advise on the matter.

  • November 11, 2025

    BCLP Names 17 New Partners In Slimmer Promotion Round

    Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP has elevated 17 lawyers to its partnership in a reduced round of promotions that includes three newly minted partners who are based in its London office.

  • November 11, 2025

    Squire Patton Hires Ex-Southampton FC COO As Consultant

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP said Tuesday that it has recruited the former chief operating officer of Southampton Football Club to serve as a consultant to its sports practice, based in the law firm's office in London.

  • November 11, 2025

    Freeths Accused Of Negligence By Scottish Car Dealership

    Freeths is facing a negligence claim in a London court from a Scottish car dealership that it previously represented in litigation against a Renault-owned financing company.

  • November 11, 2025

    Ibori's Bid To Overturn £101M Confiscation Order Narrowed

    A former Nigerian governor convicted of money laundering in London can only partially challenge a £101.5 million ($134 million) confiscation order, as an appellate judge said Tuesday that his attempt to adjourn the proceedings "smacks very much of ambush."

  • November 11, 2025

    Burges Salmon Faces Negligence Case Over Fund Setup Fight

    An investment banker has sued Burges Salmon for negligence in a London court, accusing the firm of leading him into a "hopeless" legal battle over claims he was excluded from the creation of an investment strategy.

  • November 11, 2025

    Pogust Goodhead Accused By Ex-Partner Of Unfair Dismissal

    The former chief legal officer and partner at Pogust Goodhead appeared before the Employment Tribunal on Tuesday to accuse the law firm of unfairly dismissing him after he allegedly blew the whistle on its practices.

  • November 11, 2025

    Criminal Law Must Reform To Retain Talent, Leveson Warns

    Retired judge Brian Leveson told the Justice Committee on Tuesday that criminal law must become more attractive for legal professionals if it is to retain the talent and experience needed within the justice system.

  • November 11, 2025

    Solicitor Denies Intentionally Misleading Mortgage Lender

    A former employee of a now-defunct law firm denied allegations brought by the profession's regulator on Tuesday that she knowingly misled a mortgage lender in a conveyancing matter, admitting she made some mistakes but denying they were intentional or dishonest.

  • November 10, 2025

    Barristers Report Better Well-Being But Gaps Persist

    The Bar Council said Monday that more work needs to be done amid lower levels of well-being among younger barristers and women, as well as those working in criminal and family law. 

  • November 10, 2025

    Reed Smith Nets Ex-Leicester City GC As Partner In London

    Reed Smith LLP said Monday it has hired the general counsel of former Premier League champions Leicester City FC as a London-based partner in its entertainment and media practice.

  • November 10, 2025

    Solicitor Suspended For Keeping Law Firm's Woes From SRA

    A former head of legal practice at a law firm in northwest England has been suspended after she failed to tell the Solicitors Regulation Authority that the legal business was facing serious financial difficulties before it went bust.

  • November 10, 2025

    Paul Hastings Hires Weil, Cadwalader Pros For Tax Expansion

    Paul Hastings LLP said Monday that it has hired two new partners from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP in London as it looks to build a tax team to support its growing transactional practices.

  • November 10, 2025

    Ex-Rosenblatt Firm Argues VC Co. Can't Dodge £6M Legal Bill

    Winros Partnership, formerly known as Rosenblatt Solicitors, told a London court Monday that a venture capital firm can't escape paying £6 million ($7.9 million) in legal costs, arguing that a judge was wrong to find its bill invalid.

  • November 10, 2025

    Energy Co.'s Firing Of Lawyer Over Angola Role Found Unfair

    A former in-house lawyer at Italian energy giant Eni has convinced a tribunal that he unfairly lost his job after refusing an assignment in Angola amid concerns over the validity of his visa.

  • November 10, 2025

    Charles Russell Speechlys Adds Fladgate Corporate Pro

    Charles Russell Speechlys LLP said on Monday that it has hired a corporate lawyer as a partner to its team in London to boost the firm's global funds and real estate practice.

  • November 07, 2025

    PE-Backed Fletchers Enters Family Law With Rayden Deal

    British law firm Fletchers Group, backed by private equity firm Sun European Partners LLP, has agreed to acquire St. Albans-based Rayden Solicitors, stepping into the family law practice and adding a new specialty to its portfolio for an undisclosed amount.

  • November 07, 2025

    UK LLPs Face Reduced NICs, But Equity Partners Still At Risk

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has reportedly scaled back plans to impose National Insurance contributions on LLP members but is reportedly considering a reduced rate — a move experts warn could still significantly impact equity partners. 

  • November 07, 2025

    Minimum Pupillage Pay Raised To £26K In London In 2026

    The Bar Standards Board said Friday that the minimum amount those undertaking pupillages in London must be paid will rise to almost £26,000 ($34,000) at the start of 2026, as part of the regulator's latest round of uplifts.

  • November 07, 2025

    SRA Publishes Details Of Restrictions On Mazur Litigator

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority has published its decision on the law firm employee at the heart of the landmark Mazur court ruling, divulging that he had been suspended as a solicitor in 2008.

  • November 07, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Big Technologies file fresh claims against its ousted chief executive, West Ham United FC sue Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance for breach of duty, and RSM UK face a new claim over a company's administration. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K. 

  • November 07, 2025

    The Revolving Door: Eversheds, Paul Hastings Make Big Hires

    Over the past week, Eversheds Sutherland recruited three new partners from DLA Piper to boost its transactional risk insurance and construction practices, Paul Hastings LLP added a structured finance specialist from Ashurst LLP and Charles Russell Speechlys LLP hired a tax expert from Clifford Chance LLP. Here, Law360 looks at those and more of the week's most notable lateral hires around the U.K.

  • November 07, 2025

    Gov't Floats FCA Powers To Punish Lawyers For AML Lapses

    The U.K. government has said it intends to give the Financial Conduct Authority broad powers to enforce anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism regulations against the legal sector, including the ability to issue fines and bans mirroring those imposed against financial firms.

  • November 07, 2025

    AI Platform Legora Launches Portal To Ease Firm-Client Work

    Swedish legal AI platform Legora said Friday it is developing a document portal that lets lawyers and clients work together in a secure workspace that avoids "inefficient" email chains with a roll-out date expected in early 2026.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Shakespeare's Selina Hinchliffe

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    Selina Hinchliffe, head of commercial services at Shakespeare Martineau, discusses the challenges of advising a large U.S. corporation on complex licensing issues, how copyright law is struggling to keep pace with technology, and why mastering contract drafting and negotiation is so important for IP lawyers.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From RPC's Patrick Brodie

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    Patrick Brodie, head of employment at RPC, discusses the challenges of working with government departments and National Health Service trusts to find common ground between competing interests, the increasing use of AI in recruitment and performance management, and why finding an exceptional mentor is so important.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Baker Botts' Neil Coulson

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    Neil Coulson, chair of intellectual property at Baker Botts, discusses the challenges of tackling a patent litigation with a short timetable, the post-Brexit delineation between the European Union's and the U.K.'s approaches to trademark examination, and why it is important to be able to discourse with clients easily on technical topics.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Freshfields' Kathleen Healy

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    Kathleen Healy, partner in London and co-leader of Freshfields' people and reward practice in Asia, discusses the challenges of advising on employment and industrial relations during the financial crisis, why the employment tribunal system would benefit from additional funding, and how reforming noncompete clauses will create plenty of legal and practical issues.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From HSF Kramer's Sarah McNally

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    Sarah McNally, head of the global insurance disputes practice at HSF Kramer, discusses the challenges of orchestrating an expedited proceeding during the pandemic, how document disclosure in litigation is becoming a huge burden, and why insurance is all-pervasive, and accordingly interesting and varied.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Shakespeare Martineau's Phil Pepper

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    Phil Pepper, head of employment at Shakespeare Martineau, discusses the challenges of working on a high-stakes case that progressed to the European Court of Justice, the need for reform of employees' rights legislation when a business transfers, and why lawyers should develop soft skills early in their careers.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Forbes' Kella Bowers

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    Kella Bowers, head of insurance at Forbes, discusses the challenges of balancing the needs of the people and institutions involved in child sexual abuse exploitation cases, why a preaction protocol for abuse work is needed, and how insurance law can enable lawyers to work on many hard-hitting issues.

  • AI Risks Legal Sector Must Consider In Dispute Resolution

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    Artificial intelligence presents significant opportunities to lawyers and decision-makers navigating increasingly data-heavy legal proceedings, but two recent cases provide a sobering reminder of the potential for misuse, say lawyers at White & Case.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Harbottle & Lewis' Yvonne Gallagher

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    Yvonne Gallagher, head of employment at Harbottle & Lewis, discusses the challenges of dealing with clients' emotions, the significance of the widening scope for discrimination disputes, and why junior lawyers should focus on learning the basic contractual and statutory principles of employment law. 

  • How Cos. Can Straddle US-UK Split On Work Misconduct, DEI

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    With U.K. regulators ordering employers to do more to prevent nonfinancial misconduct and discrimination, and President Donald Trump ordering the rollback of similar American protections, global organizations should prioritize establishing consistent workplace conduct frameworks to help balance their compliance obligations across the diverging jurisdictions, say lawyers at WilmerHale.

  • Viral Comms Crises Create Dual Corp. Governance Threats

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    As legislative hearings increase in frequency and social media fuels their reputational impact, corporate legal teams face a new dual challenge that reflects a fundamental shift in accountability and demands new strategies, governance frameworks and organizational capabilities, says Joanna Ludlam at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Mishcon's Richard Leedham

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    Richard Leedham, head of the commercial litigation practice and insurance disputes team at Mishcon de Reya, discusses the challenges of coordinating a complex lawsuit during lockdown, why the remedy for damages for late insurance claim payments is practically worthless, and the importance of focusing on hard legal argument in class actions.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From V&E's David Berkery

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    David Berkery, head of aviation finance at Vinson & Elkins, discusses the challenges of striking an asset-backed securitization deal after the 2008 financial crisis rewrote the rules, why sustainable aviation goals need more government encouragement, and why young attorneys should focus on finding people they enjoy working with.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Gibson Dunn's Sandy Bhogal

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    Sandy Bhogal, co-chair of Gibson Dunn's tax practice, discusses the challenges of working on a complicated restructuring during the financial crisis, the difficulty of dealing with rules that are adjusted by nonbinding guidance, and why tax lawyers need to know the law as well as they possibly can.

  • SRA Ruling Raises Issue Of Jurisdiction Over Private Conduct

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    The recent Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruling, suspending a former Orrick associate after determining that a criminal offense of nonconsensual touching had occurred, serves as a cautionary tale that the regulator's jurisdiction may extend into private social settings, even where no abuse of power is proven, says Nick Brett at Brett Wilson.

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