Pulse UK

  • 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.

  • April 28, 2026

    Solicitor Avoids Immediate Suspension For Antisemitic Tweets

    A former Rosenblatt Solicitors lawyer avoided an immediate suspension on Tuesday for posting a series of antisemitic and offensive comments on social media when he was no longer at the firm, with a tribunal agreeing to suspend his sanction for two years.

  • April 28, 2026

    Fletchers Acquires 2 Firms To Create Court Of Protection Arm

    Fletchers Group said Tuesday that it has acquired two law firms to create a specialist court of protection and private client division, as consolidation continues in the U.K. legal sector.

  • April 28, 2026

    Weil Expands German Antitrust Team With Heavyweight Duo

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP has hired a pair of antitrust partners in Germany from White & Case and Latham & Watkins to meet rising demand for cross-border regulatory advice.

  • April 27, 2026

    BSB Confirms 10 Investigations Linked To Post Office Scandal

    The Bar Standards Board said Monday it has 10 open investigations in the wake of the Post Office scandal that saw hundreds of branch managers wrongfully convicted of fraud and theft due an accounting software glitch.

  • April 27, 2026

    Solicitor Beats Dishonesty Claims Over Late Applications

    A solicitor has been cleared of dishonesty over emails she sent about lasting powers of attorney applications she had unknowingly filed late, with a tribunal finding no intention to mislead while accepting that she was overworked and given limited support from her firm.

  • April 27, 2026

    Top White-Collar Pro Admits Overcharging ENRC On £22M Bill

    A top commercial crime lawyer admitted on Monday that his former barristers' chambers overcharged ENRC some of the £22 million ($30 million) his team earned on the Serious Fraud Office's criminal investigation, but denied suggestions the billing process was "shambolic."

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Eversheds' Diane Gilhooley

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    Diane Gilhooley, who leads Eversheds Sutherland's employment, labor and pensions practice, looks at the multifaceted challenges of advising clients during pandemic lockdowns, the need to reform U.K.'s whistleblowing law, and why it's important for lawyers to enjoy their work.

  • 'Revolving Door' Model Can Help Bridge Legal Sector Gaps

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    The ability for lawyers to move freely between private and public sectors, a long-time feature of the U.S. legal landscape that was recently embraced by the U.K. Government Legal Department, offers valuable career experience and an effective way to close talent gaps at either end, say James Lavan and Thomas Hanlon at Buchanan.

  • Pros And Cons Of Nonequity Partnership For English Firms

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    With Cleary recently announcing a new nonequity partner category, it is an opportune time for firms governed by English law to examine the advantages and disadvantages of this position from the perspective of both the firm and the lawyer, says John Gould at Russell-Cooke.

  • Global Law Firms: The Challenge Of Where To Do Business

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    As the world becomes less predictable and operational risks present greater challenges, global law firms must contend with a range of pressures, yet financial considerations still drive much of the process when deciding where to plant a flag, say Bethaney Durkin and Liam McCafferty at Byfield Consultancy.

  • How Partners' Role In Firm Culture Affects Pay Decisions

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    Amid an increased regulatory focus on workplace culture, law firms are more than ever having to grapple with how they can reinforce the right partner behaviors when making decisions as to promotion or remuneration, in a way that is objective and fair, say Andrew Pavlovic and Corinne Staves at CM Murray.

  • 3 Reasons For Popularity Of Pro Bono In UK, Europe BigLaw

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    Several factors have contributed to the rise in organized pro bono work in the legal sector across the U.K. and Europe, and with large law firms looking to distinguish themselves and compete for talent, the trend seems likely to continue, says Paul Yates at Freshfields.

  • UK Election Offers New Opportunity To Promote Rule Of Law

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    With many members of Parliament entering the House of Commons for the first time following the election in July, it is a daunting time for those transitioning into elected legislators, and the input of lawyers is crucial to ensure we see evidence-driven and legally certain legislation, says Tyrone Steele at Justice.

  • The Art Of Storytelling In E-Discovery, And Why It Is Important

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    With document review accounting for a large proportion of legal costs, weaving in a storytelling approach to e-discovery alongside increasingly automated processes allows a more effective way of producing evidence that minimizes inefficiencies and ultimately achieves better outcomes, says Tiana Van Dyk at Epiq Legal Solutions.

  • Tips On Preparing A Business To Navigate A Corporate Crisis

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    The recent CrowdStrike IT issue demonstrates that while it can be difficult to predict when a crisis might hit, there are proactive steps senior executives and their legal advisers can take to be better prepared for such an eventuality and to weather the storm more effectively, says Jenny Afia at Schillings.

  • How Generative AI Is Changing Legal Department Functions

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    Generative artificial intelligence is of much greater consequence than previous legal technologies and is therefore poised to reshape legal functions, redefine the roles of legal professionals, and change how much legal work is delivered — and some key practice areas and legal activities stand to be most transformed, say members of Deloitte Legal.

  • Examining The State Of Paccar Fixes After General Election

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    Following the U.K. Supreme Court's Paccar decision last year, which made many litigation funding agreements for opt-out collective actions in the Competition Appeal Tribunal unenforceable, the judiciary will likely take charge in implementing any fixes — but the general election has created uncertainty, says Ben Knowles at Clyde & Co.

  • PR Perspectives: Judging When To Engage With Politics

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    Parliament's recent return from its summer break brings opportunities for legal public relations professionals to engage with political topics, and although it is less risky to say nothing, deciding to enter the conversation can reap rewards, says Ben Finnis at Greentarget.

  • Opinion

    Gov't Should Offer Support To Improve Firms' Cybersecurity

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    With an escalating sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks in law firms and businesses, there is a need to address potential threats and an opportunity to push the new government for significant legislative change to strengthen the U.K.’s cybersecurity framework, says Scott Kramer at Clio.

  • What M&A Uptick Will Mean For Legal Hiring

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    Thomson Reuters research reveals an improving macroeconomic picture of incoming interest rate cuts, and with market confidence in the new U.K. government, there is a higher corporate demand for transactional advice, leading law firms to increase their hiring in preparation for this heavier workload, says James Lavan at Buchanan Law.

  • How In-House Legal Teams Can Improve Their Reputation

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    In-house legal teams, long believed to create unnecessary hurdles, can reframe themselves as integral business partners by embedding best practices in governance and compliance, engaging directly with key stakeholders and fostering relationships with colleagues, says Sarah Davis at The Legal Director.

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