Pulse UK

  • May 01, 2026

    Dentons Ruling Recasts Test For Lawyers' AML Misconduct

    The Court of Appeal's recent decision that the Solicitors Regulation Authority must prove that Dentons' breach of money laundering legislation was "sufficiently serious" could complicate the watchdog's job of enforcing its rules, experts say.

  • May 01, 2026

    Paul Hastings Recruits Powerhouse PE Team From Covington

    Paul Hastings has recruited a four-strong private equity and real estate team from Covington & Burling LLP, as the London-headquartered firm expands its offering following heavy turnover in the City. 

  • May 01, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen a Swiss energy trader bring a Financial List claim against shipping benchmarking company Baltic Exchange, law firm Slater and Gordon sued by a former client, Slack and Salesforce hit Microsoft with an antitrust claim, and Stephen Fry bring a personal injury claim after he broke bones falling off a stage.  Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K...

  • May 01, 2026

    GB News Pundit Claims Race Bias In Bar Council's Internship

    A GB News commentator has said she plans to sue the Bar Council and a charity which works with under-represented groups, alleging that a legal internship program unlawfully excluded her because she is white.

  • May 01, 2026

    DWF Director Eyes More IP Growth After Oatly TM Win

    Coming off its victory at one of the highest-profile U.K. trademark disputes in recent years, DWF Group has high hopes for the future of the intellectual property practice. Here, director Asima Rana talks to Law360 about the challenges of the case and the growing demand for IP work in the U.K.

  • May 01, 2026

    Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    Insights on 2026 law firm performance and BigLaw firm efforts to expand practice offerings made this another action-packed week for the legal industry. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • May 01, 2026

    Lender Wins Payout From Law Firm Over Botched Pub Loan

    A lender has won a £578,000 ($787,000) claim against its former solicitors after a London court found that the law firm failed to properly check and explain risks tied to a loan secured against two London pubs. 

  • May 01, 2026

    Gowling Elevates 5 To Partner In UK, Germany, UAE

    Gowling WLG said on Friday that it has elevated five lawyers from offices in the U.K., Germany and the United Arab Emirates to its partnership.

  • May 01, 2026

    Kennedys Elects 20 To Partner In 2026 With Half In US

    Kennedys said on Friday that it has elected 20 lawyers to its partnership in 2026, the seventh consecutive year that partner promotions have hit double digits.

  • April 30, 2026

    Legora Extends Series D With Additional $50M

    Sweden-based Legora, which offers a legal artificial intelligence platform, announced Thursday a $50 million extension of its $550 million Series D fundraise.

  • April 30, 2026

    Dutch IP Group Snaps Up European Patent Prosecution Firm

    House of IP, a newly launched consultancy, said Thursday that it has acquired patent prosecution firm Patentwerk BV, marking the first step in its plan to build a broader network of intellectual property businesses across Europe.

  • April 30, 2026

    Regional Firm BLB Solicitors Enters Administration

    Regional law firm BLB Solicitors confirmed on Thursday that it has entered administration, closing its doors at six offices in the southwest of England.

  • April 30, 2026

    Stewarts Promotes Four Lawyers To Partner

    Stewarts Law LLP said Thursday that it has promoted four lawyers to its partnership, in a slight dip from recent years.

  • April 30, 2026

    Bird & Bird Elevates 19 To Partner In Global Promotions

    Bird & Bird said Thursday that it has elevated 19 lawyers to its partnership, a larger number than in 2025, with the firm's office in London representing around a third of its latest promotions.

  • April 30, 2026

    Mazur Ruling Shows Law Needs Refresh, CILEX Chief Says

    The head of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives is calling on the government to update the legislation that governs the regulation of legal services, saying that the recent ruling over who can conduct litigation has starkly exposed the limits of the U.K.'s 19-year-old framework.

  • April 30, 2026

    Tech Startup's Legal Chief Wins Claim For Unpaid Wages

    A former legal chief at a tech startup has won his claim for unpaid wages after a tribunal found he had never agreed that the company would have to pay his full £120,000 ($162,000) salary only if the business raised enough outside investment. 

  • April 30, 2026

    Clifford Chance Names 28 New Partners Across Globe

    Clifford Chance LLP said Thursday that its office in London has accounted for around a third of 28 lawyers across the firm who have made the grade to become partners in its latest round of promotions.

  • April 29, 2026

    SFO 'Appropriately' Using External Counsel, Watchdog Finds

    The U.K.'s prosecution watchdog said Thursday that the Serious Fraud Office is using external counsel "appropriately," but that the agency is relying on outside help to fill vacancies and needs to ensure that it is drawing from a diverse pool.

  • April 29, 2026

    GCs, Now That You're At The Table, How Fast Can You Lead?

    For general counsel, the pivotal question is no longer do they have a seat at the leadership table, but can they design a legal operation to run at the speed of modern decision-making.

  • April 29, 2026

    Reed Smith Expands In Germany With Dentons Team Hire

    Reed Smith LLP has taken on six lawyers from Dentons in Munich to strengthen its corporate practice in Europe.

  • April 29, 2026

    Solicitor Fined Over £237M LC&F Mini-Bond Scheme Conflict

    A senior solicitor has been fined by a tribunal over an "obvious" conflict of interest by serving as both a bondholder trustee and as a legal adviser to a firm behind a collapsed £237 million ($320 million) mini-bond scheme that defrauded investors.

  • April 29, 2026

    Ex-Lawyer For Hong Kong Billionaire Family Revives UK Claim

    A lawyer resurrected her claim she was mistreated by a wealthy Hong Kong family for blowing the whistle on potential tax evasion as the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled Wednesday that a judge was too quick to dismiss her case as being outside British territorial jurisdiction.

  • April 29, 2026

    Keystone Law's Revenue Hits Record-Breaking £115M

    Keystone Law reported Wednesday that its revenue has hit a record-breaking £115 million ($155.4 million) and profits soared as it delivered another year of strong performance amid sustained demand for its services and growth in lawyer numbers.

  • April 28, 2026

    HSF Kramer Appoints Belfast Lead As ALSP Managing Partner

    Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP on Tuesday announced the appointment of a partner who has been with the firm for over two decades as its new managing partner of digital legal delivery, its alternative legal services practice.

  • April 28, 2026

    Ropes & Gray Bets AI Will Fuel More Work — And Junior Jobs

    Ropes & Gray is betting that artificial intelligence means more work rather than fewer lawyers and is increasing its trainee intake, even as anxiety grows that junior lawyers will be hit the hardest by the new tech.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Macfarlanes' Andrew Barton

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    Andrew Barton, head of the insurance team at Macfarlanes, discusses the challenges of conducting a transaction under Indian foreign direct investment rules, why the Draft Insurable Interest Bill should be followed through, and how the defined benefit pensions risk transfer space has become the fastest growing insurance market in the world.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From CRS' Sarah Wigington

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    Sarah Wigington, head of CRS' U.K. corporate team, discusses the challenges of conducting a joint venture with numerous moving parts that had to land at precisely the same moment, how simplification of corporate reporting and disclosure obligations would help midmarket businesses, and why ESG factors are now a threshold issue.

  • PE's Path In UK Legal Market Offers Playbook For US Firms

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    The U.K. offers 14 years' worth of data on private equity's involvement in the legal market, demonstrating for U.S. firms what worked, what didn’t and why, and illustrating several lessons about operational readiness, cultural fit and timing, says Tom Lenfestey at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Lack Of Associate Pay Progression May Leave Firms Exposed

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    Willkie’s recent salary increases for newly qualified lawyers in London made headline news, but the more important issue is how firms pay midlevel associates, since allowing pay progression to lag materially risks undermining the cohort firms rely on to sustain client relationships and train the next generation, says Adam Stocker at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Wedlake Bell's Adam Grant

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    Adam Grant, head of employment at Wedlake Bell, discusses the challenges of persuading a business to offer employees greater support when it makes large-scale redundancies, the need for new guidance on returning data subject access requests to their intended purpose, and how economic uncertainty with less job security may lead to more office presence.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Willkie's Gavin Gordon

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    Willkie's chair of European private equity, Gavin Gordon, discusses the challenges of conducting a merger across differing time zones and in a complex regulatory environment, how clients are frustrated by the growing impact of antitrust filings, and why there is a mismatch on valuation expectation between buyers and sellers.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From CRS' Dewdney Drew

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    Dewdney Drew, head of brand protection at Charles Russell Speechlys, discusses the challenges of working on a firm's rebrand under time pressure, how the process to simplify U.K. design protection is under way, and why lawyers need to harness the power of artificial intelligence.

  • What UK, EU Law Firms Can Do To Rectify Gender Inequality

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    The latest figures show that elite international law firms remain among the weakest performers on gender equality in the legal industry, demonstrating that equity is no longer external to the practice of law, and sits within the core responsibilities of those who steward trust in courts and governments, says Govindi Deerasinghe at Global 50/50.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Jones Day's Vica Irani

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    Vica Irani, co-leader of Jones Day's corporate practice, discusses the challenges of assisting a multinational client with divesting its Russian operations at the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, why greater harmonization across borders would be beneficial, and the increase in regulatory scrutiny for deals in terms of antitrust and foreign direct investment screening.

  • Why SRA Is Cracking Down On 'No Win, No Fee' Law Firms

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    Harriet Gamper at the Solicitors Regulation Authority discusses the regulator’s recent warning notice concerning "no win, no fee" arrangements in high-volume consumer claims, aimed at offering lawyers clarity in understanding their obligations following findings that many law firms were failing in their duty to protect clients' best interests.

  • Why UK Criminal Court Changes Need To Be Systemic

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    The proposals in the second part of Brian Leveson's long-anticipated independent review of criminal courts, aimed at easing pressure on the criminal justice system and restoring public confidence, are broadly welcomed, but without structural change and sustained funding, they risk becoming little more than temporary fixes, says Vicky Lankester at Brett Wilson.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Stewarts' Aaron Le Marquer

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    Aaron Le Marquer, Stewarts' head of insurance, discusses the challenges of conducting defamation proceedings in Thailand, why the minimal impact of the Insurance Act 2015 is disappointing, and how working in diverse environments provides a more holistic understanding of the way insurance works.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Skadden's Deborah Kirk

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    Deborah Kirk, Skadden's head of intellectual property and technology, discusses the challenges of cross-disciplinary collaboration on a transaction, how the proliferation of artificial intelligence is forcing clients to rethink their IP and data strategies, and why flexibility, curiosity and dynamism are key as a lawyer.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Stewarts' Joseph Lappin

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    Joseph Lappin, head of employment at Stewarts, discusses the challenges of representing barristers with very high IQs, how the employment tribunal system is crying out for proper investment, and the Financial Conduct Authority's inconsistent approach to nonfinancial misconduct.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Jones Day's Anna Cartwright

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    Anna Cartwright, co-head of Jones Day's real estate practice, discusses the challenges of working on a transaction requiring regulatory expertise from multiple regions, why new regulatory complexities in the real assets sector can introduce risks for clients, and how the convergence of real estate and infrastructure is playing out in asset managers' investment decisions.

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