Pulse UK

  • October 24, 2025

    Ex-Law Firm Manager Barred For Misappropriating £163K

    The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has barred the former manager of a London law firm from practicing as a solicitor after he misappropriated client funds for four years and caused a shortage of more than £163,000 ($217,000) to arise on its client account.

  • October 24, 2025

    Property Purchaser Can't Revive Simmons & Simmons Case

    A London appeals court denied a prospective property buyer permission on Friday to challenge an earlier finding that there was no case to answer over his allegation that two Simmons & Simmons lawyers had breached money laundering regulations.

  • October 24, 2025

    SRA Plans 'Intrusive' Regulation After Axiom, SSB Failures

    The solicitors' watchdog has warned the profession that it might take "a far more intrusive" approach to regulation after the Legal Services Board penalized it over the collapses of Axiom Ince and SSB Group.

  • October 24, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen the Financial Conduct Authority launch legal action against a Chinese cryptocurrency exchange, The Londoner magazine face a defamation claim from an entrepreneur accused of "scamming" Knightsbridge landlords, and Gucci sued by its cosmetics supplier as L'Oréal announces plans to buy the Italian fashion house's beauty brand. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • October 24, 2025

    The Revolving Door: Simmons Names Global Pensions Head

    Over the past week, Simmons & Simmons has appointed its global head of pensions from DLA Piper, Travers Smith lost its head of tax to King & Spalding and CMS fueled its energy practice with an automotive specialist.

  • October 24, 2025

    Bank Of England General Counsel Exits After 10 Years

     The Bank of England has lost its lead lawyer, a former partner at Clifford Chance LLP, after she spent a decade managing and mitigating its legal risks.

  • October 23, 2025

    SRA Risks Losing Staff, Budget As FCA Takes Over On AML

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority could find itself with a smaller budget and a diminished workforce as a result of the government's decision to move all anti-money laundering oversight to the Financial Conduct Authority, experts have warned.

  • October 23, 2025

    Solicitor Referred To Tribunal Over Misconduct Allegations

    The solicitors watchdog has referred a London litigator to a disciplinary tribunal to face accusations that he engaged in inappropriate behavior, including allegedly touching colleagues in an unwanted sexual manner.

  • October 23, 2025

    Law Firms Could Face £1.4B Bill Under Rumored Tax Change

    Partners at law firms face paying up to £1.4 billion ($1.9 billion) more in tax each year if the government imposes a new tax on limited liability partnerships to help plug a hole in Britain's finances, UHY Hacker Young said Thursday.

  • October 23, 2025

    Squire Patton Hit With £3.7M Claim Over Tech Buyout Advice

    A software company has sued Squire Patton Boggs for £3.7 million ($4.9 million) in a London court, alleging that the law firm's faulty advice led to a dispute over intellectual property that was fundamental to its acquisition of a rival business.

  • October 23, 2025

    Ex-Clifford Chance Pro Hit With £8M Libel Claim By Barrister

    A barrister has sued legal commentator Dan Neidle and his think tank for £8 million ($10.6 million), accusing the former Clifford Chance partner of engaging in a vendetta against him, according to court filings that have now been made public.

  • October 23, 2025

    Albion Chambers Barrister Tapped For High Court Post

    The government said Thursday that it has named as a High Court judge a senior criminal and regulatory barrister from Albion Chambers, who chaired an independent review into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by the Isle of Man government.

  • October 22, 2025

    Michelman & Robinson Opens First Overseas Office In London

    Los Angeles-based Michelman & Robinson LLP announced it has made its first expansion outside the U.S. with the launch of a London office.

  • October 22, 2025

    UK To Crack Down On Fake Immigration Lawyers

    The Home Office detailed plans to combat abuse in the immigration system on Wednesday by giving authorities new powers to confiscate the profits fake immigration lawyers make from providing unlawful advice.

  • October 22, 2025

    BHP Seeks To Block US Testimony In Pogust Goodhead Row

    BHP urged a judge Wednesday to prevent Pogust Goodhead, which represents thousands of claimants in a £36 billion ($48 billion) trial over a Brazilian dam disaster, from obtaining information from a U.S. court in order to support proposed litigation against the Australian mining giant.

  • October 22, 2025

    Lawyers Could See Probes Double As FCA Takes Over AML

    The decision to make the financial watchdog the sole regulator of AML and counter-terrorist financing for professional services providers could be "tricky" for lawyers in the short term, even as some experts predict it might ultimately help to simplify an overly complex regulatory regime.

  • October 22, 2025

    Email 'Did Not Cause' Barrister's Mistreatment, Stonewall Says

    An email complaining about a gender-critical barrister's tweets was not the cause of discrimination against her, LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall argued Wednesday as it fought her appeal to hold the organization liable.

  • October 22, 2025

    Kingsley Napley Hires 1st Chief Legal Officer From Mishcon

    Kingsley Napley has appointed a former Mishcon partner to serve as its chief legal officer, a newly-created board-level position.

  • October 22, 2025

    Oil Co. Loses £44M Costs Appeal Over Fraud At Top UK Court

    Britain's top court rejected on Wednesday an attempt by an energy company to change the currency of its £44 million ($59 million) costs bill after it committed fraud, with the justices calling the dispute a "sorry tale involving human greed and corrupt practices."

  • October 21, 2025

    Debevoise Taps Goodwin Team For Private Funds Group

    Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has hired a team of secondaries lawyers from Goodwin Procter LLP, including a partner who will co-chair the firm's private fund transactions group.

  • October 21, 2025

    Outgoing SRA Chief Criticizes Solicitors Holding Client Funds

    The chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority said Tuesday that the cost of regulation would decrease considerably if solicitors and their firms were no longer allowed to hold client money, as he prepares to step down after nearly 12 years at the helm.

  • October 21, 2025

    Trowers Accused Of Coercion In $1.1M Fees Dispute

    An affordable housing provider has denied owing Trowers & Hamlins LLP more than £800,000 ($1.1 million) for work between 2023 and 2024, arguing that the law firm had used "coercion" to secure approval for out-of-scope fees from an unauthorized individual. 

  • October 21, 2025

    Gender-Critical Barrister Fights To Blame Charity For Probe

    A barrister argued at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday that LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall should be held liable for a complaint by one of its employees that prompted a discriminatory probe into her online activity.

  • October 21, 2025

    SRA Chief Downplays Mazur Impact Ahead Of New Guidance

    The solicitors' watchdog promised Tuesday to publish more guidance for lawyers after a ruling on who can litigate fee disputes for law firms, as its chief said the decision didn't change the law but called into question how "diluted" litigation outfits might have become.

  • October 21, 2025

    FCA To Take Reins Of AML Regulation From SRA

    The government said Tuesday that the Financial Conduct Authority will become the sole regulator of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing for professional services providers, slashing the supervisory role of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and other industry watchdogs.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Morgan Lewis' Nick Bolter

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    Nick Bolter, leader of the London intellectual property practice at Morgan Lewis, discusses the challenges of acting in disputes where the other party is a lay person representing themselves, the need to refocus trademark law on consumer protection, and why IP is a challenging area of law.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Mayer Brown's James West

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    James West, co-leader of Mayer Brown's private equity practice, discusses the challenges of conducting complex deals at pace, the benefits of maintaining a relatively light regulatory framework in the private equity arena, and why the current economic climate has led to a need for the industry to be more flexible in its approach to dealmaking.

  • Practice Leader Insights From Norton Rose's Paul Griffin

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    Paul Griffin, head of employment and labor for Europe, Middle East and Asia at Norton Rose, discusses the challenge of litigating a whistleblowing case with a CEO remaining in post, why the qualifying period for claiming unfair dismissal should be reviewed, and the importance of retaining one's authenticity as a lawyer.

  • What Rise Of AI Means For Future Of Junior Lawyer Careers

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    While artificial intelligence is reshaping law firms’ approach to core tasks, it is unlikely to eliminate the need for human oversight, and if junior lawyers can embrace new technologies with integrity, they can focus on more meaningful work and add greater value to their teams, says Valeriya Zinchenko at Teacher Stern.

  • Practice Leader Insights From HFW's Michelle Chance

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    Michelle Chance, head of HFW's London employment practice, discusses the challenges of defending a high-profile race discrimination class action in the civil courts, the need for male employees to take shared parental leave, and the significance of the new employer duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Cleary's Sebastian Sperber

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    Sebastian Sperber, leader of Cleary's EMEA capital markets and debt finance practice, discusses the challenges of working on complex transactions in pre-internet days, why regulators should think carefully before imposing additional disclosure burdens on corporations, and his hope that the recent U.K. listing reforms will encourage more companies to choose to list in London.

  • What Age Bias Ruling Means For Law Firm Retirement Policies

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    The recent employment tribunal age discrimination decision in Scott v. Walker Morris demonstrates that while law firms may implement mandatory retirement schemes, the policy must pursue a legitimate aim via proportionate means to pass the objective justification test, says Chris Hadrill at Redmans Solicitors.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From HFW's Christopher Foster

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    Christopher Foster, global head of insurance and reinsurance at HFW, discusses the challenges of conducting complex arbitration, why arbitration rules should be amended, and how learning about the market makes working in insurance law easier.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Broadfield's Sajjad Khan

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    Sajjad Khan, head of Broadfield's intellectual property practice, discusses how trademark matters that appear to be simple can end up being complex, why the regulatory framework for artificial intelligence and copyright is in clear need of reform, and how junior lawyers should persevere if interested in this competitive area of law.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Cleary's Gareth Kristensen

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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