Pulse UK

  • April 21, 2026

    Glencore Ruling Broadens Scope For Challenge Over Privilege

    A recent court ruling that expands legal advice privilege to cover some internal corporate communications gives companies greater scope for withholding sensitive material but is likely to prompt challenges over whether those documents meet the test for protection, lawyers say.

  • April 20, 2026

    Spencer West's US, UK Heads On American Expansion

    United Kingdom-based distributed law firm Spencer West announced earlier this spring that it has officially launched a practice based in the United States with nearly 20 partners working in a wide range of major markets including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

  • April 20, 2026

    SRA Fines 4 Firms Over Anti-Money Laundering Breaches

    The English solicitors watchdog has hit a law firm with an almost £14,000 ($19,000) penalty and fined three others £750 in the latest round of sanctions over anti-money laundering compliance failings.

  • April 20, 2026

    Solicitor Barred After Falsifying Time Sheets 

    An associate who falsified time records and billed clients for work he never completed has been struck off and ordered to pay £10,000 ($13,540), after admitting that he had created misleading billing entries for up to three years. 

  • April 20, 2026

    Firms Still Face Pressure Post-Mazur Amid Regulatory Muddle

    An appeals court eased some pressure on high‑volume litigation firms when it cleared the way for paralegals and legal executives to resume conducting litigation, but firms still face a heavier compliance burden and lingering unease over a period of conflicting regulatory guidance.

  • April 20, 2026

    Taylor Wessing Names 4 New Partners Ahead Of Merger

    Taylor Wessing said this week that it has promoted four lawyers to its partnership across London and Europe, a smaller group than last year as the firm readies for a merger with U.S. firm Winston & Strawn. 

  • April 20, 2026

    ENRC Says SFO Probe Tarnished Rep And Scared Off Lenders

    The prolonged investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into ENRC hammered the company's reputation, scared off lenders and ultimately drove up its borrowing costs, the miner's counsel said at the start of a $290 million trial on Monday.

  • April 17, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen Aston Martin file an appeal in a row with Chinese carmaker Geely over its winged logo for London black cabs, Ineos sue Ben Ainslie's America's Cup team for a £180 million ($244 million) boat, White & Case face a claim from two energy storage companies, and a golf tour company bring a claim against Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund after the fund invested in its rival.

  • April 17, 2026

    ENRC Seeks $290M As Final SFO Damages Trial Opens

    The 13-year legal battle between the Serious Fraud Office and Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. could be headed for its final chapter on Monday as the mining company demands compensation for a botched criminal investigation.

  • April 17, 2026

    Litigation Funder Fenchurch Legal Enters Administration

    London-based litigation funder Fenchurch Legal has entered administration amid a winding-up petition from an investment manager that previously warred with the company over a multimillion-pound loan.

  • April 17, 2026

    Maastricht University Loses Cryogenic Patent To IP Firm

    European appellate officials have nixed a university's patent for a method of freezing biological samples, ruling that it required "extensive experimentation" for a skilled inventor to carry it out and lacked clarity.

  • April 17, 2026

    The Revolving Door: Cadwalader Exodus To Orrick Hits 42

    Over the past week, the exodus of Cadwalader lawyers to Orrick reached 42, Weil expanded its securities bench with the addition of a funds partner from Kirkland & Ellis, which also lost a tax partner to Vinson & Elkins.

  • April 17, 2026

    Head Of Employment Tribunals Calls For More Video Hearings

    More remote hearings are a "needs must" to cope with a surge in claims from workers and difficulties in recruiting judges to work in London, the president of the Employment Tribunals has said.

  • April 17, 2026

    Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    Partnership promotions, BigLaw hires and firm merger votes helped make this another action-packed week for the legal industry. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • April 17, 2026

    SRA Adds GC In Leadership Expansion Push After Scandals

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Friday that it is creating four new senior leadership roles as part of a major effort to rebuild trust after the Axiom Ince and SSB Group scandals.

  • April 17, 2026

    Ex-Goldman Banker Must Pay Back £400K Legal Aid Funding

    A former Goldman Sachs banker must repay almost £400,000 ($534,000) in legal aid funding after being sentenced for contempt of court, an appeals court ruled on Friday as it rejected his case that the recovery regime caused inconsistent results.

  • April 17, 2026

    Taylor Wessing's German Arm Seeks UK Tie-Up Deals

    The German arm of Taylor Wessing is looking to expand in Europe by bringing law firms in other jurisdictions — including in the U.K. — into the fold, sources close to the firm said Friday.

  • April 16, 2026

    IP Docketing Co. Alt Legal Acquires UK-Based WebTMS

    Automated trademark docketing software company Alt Legal announced on Thursday its acquisition of fellow intellectual property management provider WebTMS.

  • April 16, 2026

    TransPerfect Acquires Italy-Based Studio Emme

    TransPerfect, which provides translation and language services, announced Wednesday its acquisition of Rome-based audiovisual postproduction and dubbing facility Studio Emme SpA.

  • April 16, 2026

    Bar Standards Board Taps Ex-Law Commission Chief As Head

    The Bar Standards Board has appointed a new director general with prior experience as chief executive of the Law Commission, marking the end of a three-month search.

  • April 16, 2026

    Linklaters To Exit Hamburg In Germany Office Overhaul

    Linklaters LLP said Thursday that it will close its Hamburg office by the end of 2026 as it focuses its German operations on four other significant locations in Europe's largest economy.

  • April 16, 2026

    Ex-Leigh Day Pro Struck Off For Faking Letter To Hide Error

    A former Leigh Day lawyer who tried to cover up missing a disclosure deadline by claiming he had written and sent a disclosure letter when he had not was struck off by the profession's disciplinary tribunal Thursday.

  • April 16, 2026

    Freshfields Names 47 New Partners Worldwide

    Freshfields LLP said Thursday that it has promoted 47 lawyers to its partnership, with London-based solicitors representing around a quarter of the cohort.

  • April 16, 2026

    SRA Probes Firms Accused Of Fake Gay Asylum Claims

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Thursday that it is investigating two law firms accused of advising migrants to fake being gay to claim asylum in the U.K.

  • April 16, 2026

    Glencore Can Shield Internal Legal Prep Docs In Investor Case

    Glencore does not have to disclose internal communications whose primary purpose was to obtain legal advice in its legal battle with investors who said they were misled about wrongdoing, as a court held on Thursday that they were covered by legal privilege.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Why Leveson Review Is Significant For UK Court System

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    Brian Leveson’s recent review into the U.K. criminal justice system calls for judge-only trials in serious and complex fraud cases, a controversial recommendation that is sparking debate over the future of jury trials, says Louise Hodges at Kingsley Napley.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From V&E's Ben Higson

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    Ben Higson, head of Vinson & Elkins' London transactions practice, discusses the complexities of knitting together businesses across the world into a joint venture, how warranty and indemnity insurance has altered the way deals are conducted, and why discipline and resilience are key for M&A lawyers.

  • Challenges Law Firms Face In Recruiting Competitor Teams

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    Since the movement of lawyer teams from a competitor can bring legal considerations and commercial risks into play, both the target and recruiting firms should be familiar with the relevant limited liability partnership deed to protect their business, say lawyers at Fox & Partners.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Travers Smith's Louisa Chambers

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    Louisa Chambers, head of technology and commercial transactions at Travers Smith, discusses the challenges of working on a series of deals under time pressure, why data subject access requests can be a disproportionate burden on businesses, and how a career in technology and intellectual property will suit a lawyer with energy and creativity.

  • Practice Leader Insights From Bristows' Gareth Wadley

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    Gareth Wadley, head of the employment and immigration team at Bristows, discusses the challenges of resolving disputes where compensation is not the primary driver, why employment status law needs to better reflect the realities of modern work, and how neurodiversity is reshaping the workforce in a positive way.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Linklaters' Julia Schönbohm

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    Julia Schönbohm, global head of technology, media and telecommunications and intellectual property at Linklaters, discusses the challenges of deciding patent validity in complex litigation cases, why the enforcement of standard essential patents is an area in need of reform, and how the advent of the Unified Patent Court is having a significant impact on patent litigation in Europe.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Walker Morris' Andrew Rayment

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    Andrew Rayment, head of employment at Walker Morris, discusses the challenges of dismissing employees at a coal mine, how the proposed employment law reforms could create logistical burdens for businesses, and why prioritizing effectively is key for a lawyer.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Kennedys' Matthew Poli

    Matthew Poli, head of Kennedys' corporate M&A transactions team, discusses the challenges of rushing to close transactions ahead of possible budgetary changes, why reform is needed in the way a company's statutory books can be altered at Companies House, and that client service needs to be a lawyer's watchword.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Broadfield's Caroline Yarrow

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    Caroline Yarrow, head of Broadfield's employment practice, discusses the challenges of analyzing huge volumes of data in a service provider transfer of 2,000 employees, why the employment tribunal system needs urgent review, and why being pragmatic and commercial when giving advice is important.

  • 8 Ways Law Firms Can Prepare For SRA's AML Offensive

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    The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s recent plans to intensify anti-money laundering enforcement means firms need to concentrate on strengthening client matter risk assessments, policies and procedures, source of funds checks and firmwide risk assessments, says Harriet Holmes at Thirdfort.

  • How Fostering Well-Being Can Drive Law Firm Profitability

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    To counter the common assumption that prioritizing lawyer’s well-being damages profitability, firms should look at the role itself and build strategies to reduce stress, especially with the current focus on delivering more billable hours in light of artificial intelligence tools creating new capacity, says Charlotte Clegg at The Mindful Business Charter.

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