Pulse UK

  • 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.

  • April 28, 2026

    Akin Rehires Weil Trio For London Restructuring Practice

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP said Tuesday that a team of three partners at U.S. rival Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP is returning to the firm to strengthen its financial restructuring practice in London.

  • April 28, 2026

    Gray's Inn Barrister Hit With 2-Year Ban For Misleading Boss

    The barristers' regulator has banned a junior lawyer from practicing until 2028 after a disciplinary tribunal found that she had lied to her supervisor when she was still in the final practicing stage of her pupilage at Gray's Inn.

  • April 28, 2026

    Solicitor Suspended For Misleading Client About Fees

    A solicitor has been suspended for two years and ordered to pay £15,000 ($20,000) after a tribunal found she had fabricated an attendance note certifying that a client had agreed to a change in legal fees.

  • April 28, 2026

    Ex-ENRC Internal Lawyer Says SFO Probe Justified Legal Bills

    A former top in-house lawyer for ENRC told a London court Tuesday that fees paid to law firms during the mining company's response to the Serious Fraud Office's criminal investigation were not excessive, as the company was in an "existential" situation.

  • April 28, 2026

    Ex-SRA GC To Help Steer New Consumer Law Firms Group

    The former general counsel of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has joined the board of a new industry body representing the interests of consumer law firms.

  • April 28, 2026

    Winston Taylor Merger Launch Date Might Slip To June

    Winston & Strawn LLP and Taylor Wessing LLP said Tuesday that they might have to delay the launch of their merger until June rather than May as initially planned. 

  • April 28, 2026

    LexisNexis Parent RELX Agrees To Buy Legal AI Co. Doctrine

    LexisNexis Legal & Professional plans to expand its offerings in Europe as its parent company, RELX Group, agreed to acquire the France-based legal artificial intelligence platform Doctrine on Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Gibson Dunn Expands In EU With Paris Hires, Madrid Opening

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has hired a team of seven lawyers from Clifford Chance LLP to launch an investment funds practice in Paris and has also opened its first office in Spain as it pursues further growth in Europe.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Collective Action Reform Can Save UK Court System

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    The crumbling foundations of Britain’s legal system require innovative solutions, such as investment in institutional infrastructure to reduce court backlogs, a widening of the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s remit and legislative clarity over litigation funding underpinning collective actions, says Neil Purslow at the International Legal Finance Association.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Baker Botts' Mark Castillo-Bernaus

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    Mark Castillo-Bernaus, global chair of project finance at Baker Botts, discusses the challenges of working on a global project financing in multiple time zones, the need for consistency in regulatory frameworks across different jurisdictions, and why lawyers who work constructively with clients and colleagues tend to deliver better outcomes.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Shakespeare's Selina Hinchliffe

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    Selina Hinchliffe, head of commercial services at Shakespeare Martineau, discusses the challenges of advising a large U.S. corporation on complex licensing issues, how copyright law is struggling to keep pace with technology, and why mastering contract drafting and negotiation is so important for IP lawyers.

  • 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.

  • What To Know About Interim Licenses In Global FRAND Cases

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    Recent U.K. court decisions have shaped a framework for interim licenses in global standard-essential patent disputes, under which parties can benefit from operating on temporary terms while a court determines the final fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms — but the future of this developing remedy is in doubt, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • 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.

  • EU-US Data Transfer Ruling Offers Reassurance To Cos.

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    The European Union General Court’s recent upholding of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework in Latombe v. European Commission, although subject to appeal, provides companies with legal certainty for the first time by allowing the transfer of European Economic Area personal data without relying on alternative mechanisms, say lawyers at Wilson Sonsini.

  • 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.

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