Pulse UK

  • May 19, 2026

    Innsworth Challenges Share Of Mastercard Settlement Sum

    Litigation funder Innsworth told the High Court on Tuesday that the distribution of a £200 million ($268 million) settlement from a U.K. mass claim against Mastercard is "illogical" and "flawed" in the first case to test a Competition Appeal Tribunal settlement decision.

  • May 19, 2026

    Law Society Warns Ombudsman Plan May Miss Weakest Firms

    The Law Society warned Tuesday that the legal ombudsman's proposal to improve complaints handling standards across the sector risks failing to deliver meaningful change without a clear plan to get the weakest-performing firms to adopt its model.

  • May 19, 2026

    Ex-SFO GC Among 4 Tapped To Join BSB Board

    The Bar Standards Board said Tuesday that it has appointed four new members to join its board during 2026, including Sara Lawson KC, the former general counsel of the Serious Fraud Office. 

  • May 19, 2026

    PI Boutique Minster Law Appoints 1st Tech Director

    Minster Law has promoted its head of digital product delivery to the new role of director of technology and digital platforms, reflecting the part new tools will play in strengthening services to clients and supporting the future growth of the firm.

  • May 18, 2026

    Law Society Seeks Clearer Shields For Crime Data Sharing

    The Law Society on Monday called for greater clarity on legal protections for lawyers sharing client information in connection with economic crime investigations, saying that solicitors have been cautious divulging details despite landmark reforms designed to combat dirty money.

  • May 18, 2026

    ENRC Seeks 'Tender' Approach To Costs In $290M SFO Trial

    Kazakh miner ENRC urged a London judge on Monday to "adopt a tender approach" to decide how much compensation it should receive from the Serious Fraud Office and Dechert LLP after the agency's botched bribery and corruption probe.

  • May 18, 2026

    Cleary Loses 4 Antitrust Pros To Kirkland In London, Brussels

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP said on Monday that it has boosted its antitrust team in London and Brussels with the appointment of four partners from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

  • May 18, 2026

    City Lawyers Say SRA Can't Pass On Its Failings In Fee Hike

    The City of London Law Society pushed back on Monday against plans by the solicitors' watchdog to raise fees by almost 30%, arguing that the regulator is asking solicitors to bankroll reforms after its own failings.

  • May 18, 2026

    Employment Judge Reprimanded Over Drink-Driving Incident

    An employment judge has been reprimanded after he refused to provide a breath sample when police stopped him on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, according to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office.

  • May 18, 2026

    Orrick Hires 5-Lawyer Dechert Life Sciences Team In Paris

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP said Monday that it has hired a team of five lawyers from Dechert LLP in Paris to continue its international expansion in life sciences and healthcare technology.

  • May 18, 2026

    Womble Bond Beats Negligence Case Over £126M Deal

    Womble Bond Dickinson has beaten claims that it gave negligent advice which caused a £126 million ($169 million) apartment redevelopment deal to collapse, as a London court ruled on Monday that the firm's guidance was "reasonable and accurate."

  • May 18, 2026

    Moore Barlow Revenue Hits Record £45M Amid Knights Talks

    Moore Barlow reported record revenue of almost £45 million ($60 million) in its latest financial results on Monday, as talks continue over the firm's potential acquisition by Knights PLC.

  • May 18, 2026

    Treat Agentic AI With 'Absolute Caution,' BSB Guidance Warns

    The Bar Standards Board has become the first major legal services regulator in England and Wales to issue detailed guidance on lawyers' use of artificial intelligence, warning barristers on Monday to treat agentic AI systems as high risk and approach them with "absolute caution."

  • May 15, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen singer Rita Ora be sued by her management company, the billionaire Gertner brothers file a part 8 claim and Stephenson Harwood lodge a debt claim against a member of the Bulgari jewelry dynasty. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • May 15, 2026

    AmTrust Gets OK To Fight Ruling Capping Sompo Claim

    AmTrust persuaded a court Friday to allow it to challenge a decision capping its bid to hold an insurer of two defunct law firms liable for £15 million ($20 million) paid out under a failed litigation funding system.

  • May 15, 2026

    Irwin Mitchell Wraps Up Volume Wills Biz In Private Client Shift

    Irwin Mitchell LLP said Friday that it is winding down its volume wills service to focus on more complex private client matters, with "a small number" of partners exiting the firm as part of a broader shift to higher-value legal work.

  • May 15, 2026

    Legal Tech Roundup: Legora, Docusign

    Several legal technology companies formed new partnerships across the industry this past week.

  • May 15, 2026

    SRA Records 58% Jump In Misconduct Reports In 2 Years

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Friday that it has recorded a 58% increase in misconduct reports over the last two years as it seeks higher fees to strengthen its capacity to regulate the profession and improve protection for consumers.

  • May 15, 2026

    Brandsmiths Client Hit With Costs Penalty Over SRA Threat

    A London court has ordered a discount retailer to pay indemnity costs, finding the company's solicitors Brandsmiths misused criminal contempt proceedings and threatened to report their opposition lawyers to the profession's regulator in an attempt to gain leverage in a trademark dispute.

  • May 15, 2026

    The Revolving Door: US Firms Push Ahead With London Hires 

    Over the past week, Vinson & Elkins hired Ashurst's energy M&A head, White & Case tapped a Baker McKenzie infrastructure partner after a string of exits, Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen hired a construction partner from Quinn Emanuel, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher added a second restructuring partner from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett this year.

  • May 15, 2026

    Ex-Chair Of Law Firm Group Fights £1.1M Guarantee Claim

    The former executive chair of the collapsed Metamorph Group of law firms has said he does not owe approximately £1.1 million ($1.5 million) to two insurers under personal guarantees, arguing that money he authorized for release to them discharged his obligations.

  • May 15, 2026

    Law Firm Keystone To Return £1.5M To Shareholders

    Keystone Law kicked off a £1.5 million ($2 million) program to repurchase shares from investors on Friday after reporting higher revenue and amid growth in the number of lawyers at the firm.

  • May 14, 2026

    Barrister Loses Bid To Overturn £15K Fine Tied To Tax Row

    A London court has maintained a £15,000 ($20,100) fine imposed on a barrister after he sent a barrage of emails accusing HMRC and a caseworker of colluding to sabotage his tax appeal, backing a disciplinary panel's findings of misconduct.

  • May 14, 2026

    Spurs Hires Lawyer From Sports Boutique Northridge

    Tottenham Hotspur FC has hired a new in-house lawyer from sports boutique Northridge who worked on the sale of Chelsea FC and the partnership between Spotify and FC Barcelona.

  • May 21, 2026

    Reed Smith Adds Ex-Pinsent Masons IP Pro In Munich

    Reed Smith LLP has recruited a former partner at Pinsent Masons LLP in Germany to add to its intellectual property and life sciences offering in Europe.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Bristows' Robert Burrows

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    Robert Burrows, joint head of patent litigation at Bristows, discusses the challenges of remote working when preparing cases, the need for reform in respect of second medical use patents, and whether recent European Union court decisions could mark the beginning of a shift in European litigation practice.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Farrer & Co.'s Kathleen Heycock

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    Kathleen Heycock, leader of the employment practice at Farrer & Co., discusses why challenging cases foster a sense of achievement, how an increase in workplace investigations has affected her practice, and the importance of emotional intelligence when working on both positive and negative employment matters.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Morgan Lewis' Timothy Corbett

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    Timothy Corbett, leader of Morgan Lewis' London corporate and business transactions practice, discusses the challenges of divesting a company of its Russia operations under wartime conditions, the need to align regional regulatory approaches to artificial intelligence across global businesses, and why junior lawyers should develop an area of special interest.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Covington's Gregor Frizzell

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    Gregor Frizzell, head of the EMEA corporate group and vice chair of the global corporate practice at Covington, discusses the creative challenges of merger and acquisition document provisions, how modernizing the archaic stamp duty regime would be welcomed by tax lawyers, and the guidance offered by a recent case on the interpretation of material adverse clauses.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Farrer & Co.'s Simon Ward

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    Simon Ward, leader of the private capital practice at Farrer & Co., discusses the challenges of coordinating an acquisition with lawyers from other practice areas, why finding ways to connect education institutions to regulators and decision-makers would be a positive shift, and why young lawyers should get involved in the business world early on.

  • Russia Sanctions Spotlight: Divergent Approaches Emerge

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    With indications of greater divergence and uncertainty in Russia sanctions policy between the U.K., European Union and U.S., there are four general principles and a range of compliance steps that businesses should bear in mind when assessing the impact of a potentially shifting landscape, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.

  • 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.

  • FCA Update Eases Private Stock Market Disclosure Rules

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently updated proposals for the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System would result in less onerous disclosure obligations for businesses, reflecting ongoing efforts to balance an attractive trading venue for private companies while maintaining sufficient investor protections, say lawyers at Debevoise.

  • 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.

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