Pulse UK

'A Challenge We Have To Rise To': Class Reps Take The Stage

Launching a series of interviews with lawyers, class representatives and litigation-funders to mark the 10-year anniversary of the collective proceedings order regime, Law360 spoke to Justin Gutmann and Rachael Kent about how the role of class reps has evolved in the decade since CPOs were introduced

10 Years On, CPO Regime's Success Hinges On Payouts

It's 10 years since the U.K. government approved legislation for opt-out collective actions, but lawyers believe it is still too early to tell whether the regime is working as it should be judged by what money ends up in the hands of consumers.

Kennedys' New Senior Partner Eyes Business In US, Australia

Kennedys' new senior partner, John Bruce, is on a mission to catapult the firm into the spotlight by redoubling its focus on business development and client relationships— with an eye on growth in the U.S. and Australia.

UK Firms Could Win Recruiting Edge From US DEI Crackdown

The Trump administration's clampdown on diversity programs has already begun to spill over to the U.K.'s legal industry, and some experts warn that the changes big U.S. and Magic Circle players are making could give firms with less exposure in America a competitive edge in recruiting.

March 27, 2025
Oligarch's Ex-Wife Ends Payne Hicks Negligence Case

A Russian oligarch's former wife has ended a negligence action against Payne Hicks Beach LLP over claims it failed to exercise the proper care and skill in a divorce battle involving the oligarch's £200 million ($260 million) yacht.
March 27, 2025
Key Moments That Formed The UK's Class Action Regime

The U.K.'s collective proceedings regime — introduced a decade ago — has grown rapidly after a slow start. Law360 looks here at the biggest moments of the regime so far and what's ahead.
March 27, 2025
Court Backlog To Soar To 100K Cases By 2029, Gov't Warns

The U.K. government announced a record high Crown Court backlog Thursday, warning that if the crisis continues at its current rate then 100,000 cases could be waiting to be heard by the end of 2029.
March 27, 2025
Law Firm Fined £25K For Being 13 Years Late On AML Rules

A law firm has been fined almost £25,000 ($32,400) for not being fully compliant with anti-money laundering regulations for more than a decade, which the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said fell below what the public would expect from a legal business.
March 27, 2025
Excello Law Expands Into US With New Calif. Office

Excello Law is expanding into the U.S. with the launch of Excello Law US LLP, the U.K. dispersed model firm announced Thursday.
March 27, 2025
TLT Names 7 New Partners In Promotion Round

TLT LLP said Thursday that it has elevated seven lawyers across the business to the partnership in a wider round of promotions at the firm.
March 27, 2025
5 Questions For Norton Rose's Global Head Of Corporate

Raj Karia, Norton Rose Fulbright's new global head of corporate, M&A and securities, has spent his entire legal career at the firm after a childhood watching boats on Africa's Lake Victoria propelled him to a training contract with a shipping focus.
March 26, 2025
Covington Hires Ex-CJEU Judge In Brussels

Covington & Burling LLP said Wednesday that it has hired a former judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union to help clients prepare case strategies amid a surge in litigation that has been fueled by new European rules.
March 26, 2025
Cooley Revenue Up 6% Despite Dip In London

Cooley LLP's revenue climbed nearly 6% between 2023 and 2024 to reach $2.2 billion even though its turnover in London slumped below $100 million, the firm's latest financial results show.
March 26, 2025
Jury's Still Out: Law360 Looks At Decade Of UK Class Actions

Ten years after the Consumer Rights Act received formal approval in March 2015, lawyers are still grappling with the opt-out class action regime it introduced in the U.K. for the first time for competition claims.
March 26, 2025
Ex-Law Firm Boss Denies Conspiring To Steal Probate Clients

The former boss of a law firm has denied conspiring to steal clients and business from a probate firm to advance her own interests, telling a London court that there is no evidence of such a plot.
March 26, 2025
Linklaters Promotes 34 To Partners

Linklaters LLP said Wednesday that it has elevated 34 lawyers to its partnership, a sizable jump from the number it promoted a year earlier.
March 26, 2025
Paralegal To Pay £20K Over 'Hopeless' Dismissal Claim

A paralegal must pay approximately £20,000 ($25,800) in costs after she brought a "hopeless" wrongful dismissal claim against her law firm and "behaved unreasonably" in turning down a settlement offer, an employment tribunal has ruled.
March 26, 2025
Judge's Relative Can't Quash 'Merciful' Sentence On Appeal

A London appeals court on Wednesday upheld a "merciful" decision to suspend a man's jail sentence following his baseless accusations that his brother-in-law, a judge, was engaged in fraud and money laundering.
March 26, 2025
Civil Service Cuts Could Have 'Significant' Impact On MoJ

The U.K. government said Wednesday it will cut administration costs in the civil service by 15% by the end of the decade, in a move that a trade union warned could have "significant ramifications" for the Ministry of Justice.
March 26, 2025
Slaughter And May Promotes 6 Lawyers To Partnership

Slaughter and May said Wednesday that it has appointed six new partners in a London-based cohort spread across a number of practice areas.
March 25, 2025
Delayed Tribunal Center Project To Cost Gov't £67M

A new tribunal center in London's financial district is currently set to cost about £67 million ($86.7 million) to make it fully functional following delays, the government has told Law360.
March 25, 2025
Macfarlanes Paralegal Barred From Legal Work For Cheating

The solicitors watchdog has banned a former Macfarlanes LLP paralegal from working in the legal profession after an investigation found that she had gained access to model answers and a mark scheme for a training contract assessment.
March 25, 2025
Womble Bond Atty's Contempt Order Isn't Final, 4th Circ. Told

A federal judge's order holding a Womble Bond Dickinson partner in contempt of court over misrepresentations he allegedly made to a foreign tribunal isn't a final decision capable of being appealed, a software company told the Fourth Circuit in seeking to have the appeal tossed.
March 25, 2025
Barrister Fails To Restore Full Harassment Claim Against BSB

A tribunal has blocked a barrister's attempt to rekindle her claim that the Bar Standards Board racially harassed her by mishandling a 2018 misconduct complaint from her neighbor, upholding an earlier ruling that she brought some of the case too late.
March 25, 2025
Law Firm PCB Fined £25K Over AML Failings On PEP Client

PCB Lawyers LLP has been fined for failing to carry out enhanced checks when it represented a foreign politically exposed person and associated companies for eight years, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.
March 24, 2025
McDermott Hires Skadden Partner To Lead London Tax Office

McDermott Will & Emery LLP announced Monday that it has chosen a former Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP partner to serve as the new leader of the firm's U.K. tax office in London.
March 24, 2025
Paul Hastings Plans UAE Launch With White & Case Attys

Paul Hastings is planning to launch its first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi after hiring a cross-border infrastructure team from White & Case LLP, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
March 24, 2025
Irwin Mitchell Eyes More Growth With Bigger Liverpool Office

Irwin Mitchell LLP officially relocated to a bigger office in Liverpool on Monday as it targets further growth in the city in the coming years.
March 24, 2025
Solicitor Failed To Cooperate With SRA Probe, SDT Says

A solicitor who owns a Midlands law firm has been fined and temporarily banned from running a practice after he caused a months-long delay to a property sale and failed to cooperate with the solicitor watchdog's investigation.

Expert Analysis

Series

Practice Leader Insights From Cleary's Gareth Kristensen

Gareth Kristensen, head of the Europe, Middle East and Africa intellectual property practice group at Cleary, discusses the challenges when data laws are not adapted to frontier artificial intelligence, why IP rights can have such significant value, and how nothing beats a deep understanding of what you enjoy within the realm of tech, IP and data.
Series

PR Perspectives: 3 Misconceptions Around Law Firm Brands

Despite an implicit understanding of the value of brand, misconceptions around logo and financial value have resulted in law firms being slow to manage and build this valuable asset, without which it becomes difficult to attract the same caliber of client or recruit the best lawyers, says Daniela Conte at Gibson Dunn.
Series

Practice Leader Insights From Covington's Sonia Campbell

Sonia Campbell, head of the U.K. insurance recovery practice at Covington, discusses the challenges of working during the COVID-19 pandemic, why cyber underwriting risk will be critical for sector reform, and how junior lawyers need to be resilient and tenacious.
Roundup

Practice Leader Insights

In this Law360 U.K. Expert Analysis series, leaders of employment, intellectual property, insurance and transactions practice groups share thoughts on keeping the pulse on legal trends, tackling difficult cases and what it takes to make a mark in their area.
Series

Practice Leader Insights: Bird & Bird's Rebecca O'Kelly-Gillard

Rebecca O'Kelly-Gillard, who co-heads Bird & Bird's international copyright group, discusses the challenges of working on long cases with complex issues, whether current copyright law is fit for purpose in light of artificial intelligence, and why understanding technology makes it easier to argue the nuances of the law.
Series

Practice Leader Insights From Birketts' Maria Peyman

Maria Peyman, who heads Birketts' intellectual property team, discusses the challenges of cases involving multiple patents, the need to reform legislative provisions in light of artificial intelligence, and why junior lawyers should take opportunities to get a broad range of experience before specializing.
Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
Series

Practice Leader Insights: Mishcon de Reya's Daniel Naftalin

Daniel Naftalin, who chairs the employment practice at Mishcon de Reya, discusses the challenges of working on multijurisdictional litigation, the need to show consideration for lawyers' well-being, and why employment law offers unique opportunities to specialize in a commercial field with a high degree of human interest.
Series

Practice Leader Insights From Baker McKenzie's David Scott

David Scott, head of the London mergers and acquisitions practice at Baker McKenzie, discusses the excitement of working on a highly complex transaction, the need for a harmonized approach to deal regulatory scrutiny, and why deal work can become addictive.
Transatlantic Law Firm Mergers Are Transforming UK Market

With the current prevalence for high-profile U.K.-U.S. law firm mergers likely to continue, a new type of firm could emerge that strikes a balance between U.K. culture and working style, but with the global ambition that U.S. firms offer, says Ria Karnik at Major Lindsey.
Series

Practice Leader Insights: Taylor Wessing's Paul Callaghan

Paul Callaghan, who leads Taylor Wessing's employment, pensions and mobility group, discusses the challenges of clients who take matters personally, why discrimination based on socioeconomic background needs to be addressed by the law, and how being contracted as an independent investigator is becoming a new trend for senior employment lawyers.
Series

Practice Leader Insights From BCLP's Benjamin Lee

Benjamin Lee, who co-leads BCLP's global corporate transactions practice, discusses the value of face-to-face meetings, how aspects of English company law could align with a more global approach, and what junior lawyers can learn by observing their senior colleagues.
Opinion

Defunding Lawyer Apprenticeships Could Have Hidden Costs

In proposing to reform the U.K. apprenticeship system, it is crucial that the government gives sufficient consideration to how funding changes could reduce opportunities for underrepresented groups and negatively affect firms' ability to deliver effective training, says Carrie Laws at The Family Law Co.
Series

Practice Leader Insights From Eversheds' Diane Gilhooley

Diane Gilhooley, who leads Eversheds Sutherland's employment, labor and pensions practice, looks at the multifaceted challenges of advising clients during pandemic lockdowns, the need to reform U.K.'s whistleblowing law, and why it's important for lawyers to enjoy their work.
'Revolving Door' Model Can Help Bridge Legal Sector Gaps

The ability for lawyers to move freely between private and public sectors, a long-time feature of the U.S. legal landscape that was recently embraced by the U.K. Government Legal Department, offers valuable career experience and an effective way to close talent gaps at either end, say James Lavan and Thomas Hanlon at Buchanan.