Pulse UK

  • 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.

  • November 06, 2025

    Akin's London Chief Leaves For GC Spot At Dubai Tech Biz

    Digital technology provider Veon Ltd. said Thursday that it has hired Sebastian Rice as general counsel, where he will take on a new role after spending the past 24 years at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

  • November 06, 2025

    City Firms Lead Profit Growth As Regional Firms See Decline

    The financial gap between City and regional law firms is widening, with big players seeing their partner profit pools surge more than 12% in financial years ending in early 2025 while regional firms saw declines of more than 10%, according to a new report published Thursday.

  • November 06, 2025

    Broadfield Can't Dodge £10M Property Sale Negligence Claim

    Broadfield Law cannot dodge a £10 million ($13 million) negligence claim over a botched property transaction, after a judge held Thursday that the sellers had a realistic chance of proving that it was liable for the actions of its predecessor.

  • November 06, 2025

    Historic England Picks 3 Law Firms For Legal Panel

    Bevan Brittan LLP, Trowers & Hamlins LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson have all secured places on the legal panel of Historic England, a public body responsible for protecting and promoting the country's heritage.

  • November 06, 2025

    Solicitor Avoids Suspension Over Fraudulent Property Deals

    A solicitor who failed to prevent a number of fraudulent or potentially fraudulent property deals can continue to practice after the profession's tribunal declined to impose an immediate suspension on Thursday.

  • November 05, 2025

    SDT Bars Solicitor Who Lied Over Client's Asylum Claim

    A former law firm partner who misled a client and other parties into thinking that he had lodged information with the Home Office to support an asylum claim has been barred from practicing as a solicitor, a tribunal has said.

  • November 05, 2025

    Legal Watchdog Pushes For Hub To Flag Troubled Firms Early

    A leading legal consumer advocate called Wednesday for the creation of a centralized hub to pool all warning signs about solicitors' firms — from complaints and inspection findings to whistleblower reports — to prevent another collapse like that of SSB Group Ltd.

  • November 05, 2025

    Funder Can't Stop Businessman's Bid To Reopen Asset Fight

    A businessman can try to reopen a long-running dispute over the assets of Gerald Smith, a former software company boss with a long history of financial crime, a London judge ruled on Wednesday. 

  • November 05, 2025

    No5 Barrister Tapped As New High Court Judge

    A silk at No5 Barristers' Chambers has been appointed as a judge at the High Court to the King's Bench Division.

  • November 05, 2025

    Burges Salmon Names Ex-Foot Anstey Vet New Finance Chief

    National U.K. law firm Burges Salmon has appointed a former Foot Anstey finance executive as its new chief financial officer.

  • November 05, 2025

    Fieldfisher To Merge With Regan Wall To Boost Irish Presence

    Fieldfisher LLP said Wednesday that it is merging with boutique law firm Regan Wall LLP, a move to boost its services in the corporate market in Ireland as it continues its expansion in Europe.

  • November 04, 2025

    Pierson Ferdinand Adds 6 More Partners In US, London

    Fast-growing Pierson Ferdinand LLP has announced that the firm added six new partners in five U.S. markets and in its London office during the month of October.

  • November 04, 2025

    Dechert Requiring 4 Days In Office For Some Attys, All Staff

    Dechert LLP joined a growing list of BigLaw firms increasing their office attendance requirements, rolling out a new policy requiring rising second-year associates and all nonattorney business professionals to work in person four days a week beginning next year.   

  • November 04, 2025

    London Partner Moves Surge 12% In Post-Summer Rebound

    London partner hiring bounced back in September and October after a summer dip to post a 12% increase, according to data published Tuesday by a leading London legal recruiter.

  • November 04, 2025

    Proposed Tax Reform Could Spur UK Law Firm Consolidation

    Facing a new tax on limited liability partnership members, U.K. law firms are weighing alternative structures in a shift experts say could accelerate consolidation across the sector and spur U.S. firms to reconsider their local setups.

  • November 04, 2025

    Ex-Slaughter & May Lawyer Banned For Lying In Pupillage Bid

    A disciplinary tribunal has struck off a former Slaughter and May associate after he admitted to telling a host of lies in his attempt to secure a pupillage within a prominent central London barristers' chambers.

  • November 04, 2025

    Carter-Ruck Invokes Privilege In Legal Bid To Stop SRA Case

    Carter-Ruck has asked the High Court to block the Solicitors Regulation Authority from investigating it for allegedly using abusive tactics against a politician during a failed libel claim brought by a client who is a donor to the Conservative Party.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 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.

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