Pulse UK

  • November 21, 2025

    UK Government Faces Backlash Over Juryless Trial Proposal

    Controversial plans to overhaul criminal law to bar some defendants from electing to be tried by a jury won't succeed in reducing the backlog of cases without long-term funding, and it suggests that the government is no longer able to deliver justice, experts said Friday. 

  • November 21, 2025

    The Revolving Door: 2 Ashurst Pros Leave After Perkins Deal

    Over the past week, two senior Ashurst partners have left to join Baker McKenzie, DLA Piper strengthened its finance practice with a fintech pro from Clifford Chance and a finance specialist from Goodwin Procter and Hill Dickinson added three partners to its Leeds office.

  • November 21, 2025

    600 CILEX Lawyers Seek Litigation Rights After Mazur Ruling

    Almost 600 chartered legal executives have lodged applications to gain litigation rights after the shock decision known as Mazur, which restricts which employees within a law firm can conduct litigation, cast their jobs into doubt.

  • November 20, 2025

    Willkie Hikes Up Partnership Promotions With 30-Atty Class

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has announced that 30 of its attorneys from offices around the globe, who focus on a variety of practice areas, will be promoted to partner Jan. 1, more than its 19-member 2025 partner class.

  • November 20, 2025

    SQE2 Pass Rate Drops From Record High To 76%

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed that the pass rate for all candidates taking the second part of the solicitors qualifying examination was 76% in the latest sitting, down from a record figure it reported earlier in the year. 

  • November 20, 2025

    Lawyers Urged to Address Ethics Failures After Scandals

    Legal professionals should receive career-long ethics training to help repair the reputational hit the sector took after the U.K. Post Office Horizon scandal and other unethical practices, the House of Lords said in a report published Thursday.

  • November 20, 2025

    Solicitor Lied To Client's Wife About Seized Funds, SRA Says

    A criminal defense solicitor lied to an imprisoned client's wife by concealing the fact he was holding on to funds belonging to the client, the Solicitors Regulation Authority told a tribunal Thursday.

  • November 20, 2025

    Magistrate's 'Inappropriate' Behavior In Court Earns Sanction

    A magistrate has been sanctioned for behaving inappropriately in a family court hearing, where witnesses reported that she was "visibly frustrated" throughout the proceedings, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office has said.

  • November 20, 2025

    Fieldfisher Boosts NQ Pay To £100K In London

    Fieldfisher LLP has increased salaries of newly-qualified lawyers in London to £100,000 ($130,640) as the firm seeks to expand its ranks with new talent.

  • November 20, 2025

    EU Decides Against Regulating Third-Party Litigation-Funders

    The European Commission has opted not to introduce legislation to regulate third-party litigation-funding, more than four years after calls emerged for the nascent industry across the bloc to be regulated.

  • November 19, 2025

    Cleary Adds 2 Floors To London Office Amid Rapid Growth

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is increasing its office space in London, where massive investment over the past four years has seen its base in the English capital become the second largest in its global network.

  • November 19, 2025

    Pogust Goodhead Adds MoFo Litigator To Lead Mariana Case

    Pogust Goodhead said Wednesday that it has hired a senior litigator at Morrison Foerster LLP to take the lead in the damages phase of its £36 billion ($47 billion) case against mining giant BHP over the collapse of the Mariana Dam in Brazil.

  • November 19, 2025

    Ex-Cohen & Gresser Partner Faces SRA Probe For Misconduct

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Wednesday that it is investigating a claim of misconduct concerning Cohen & Gresser LLP's former London managing partner.

  • November 19, 2025

    V&E Elevates 10 Attys To Partner, 12 To Counsel

    Vinson & Elkins LLP announced Wednesday that it plans to promote 10 lawyers to partner and 12 more to counsel across seven offices and 11 practice areas.

  • November 19, 2025

    'VC Law' TM OK For Bulgarian Firm Despite 'Vklaw' Challenge

    A European court ruled Wednesday that a Bulgarian law firm should be able to register a trademark for "VC Law" despite several challenges from a Greek rival as clients looking for legal services would distinguish it from "vklaw." 

  • November 19, 2025

    Ex-Law Firm Litigation Head Barred After Misleading Client

    The legal regulator has banned the former head of a London laws firm's litigation group from being employed in legal practice for misleading a client about whether he had obtained a medical report.

  • November 19, 2025

    Autistic Barrister Reprimanded For Assaulting In-Laws

    A barrister who assaulted his in-laws during an "autism meltdown" was given a reprimand by a disciplinary tribunal on Wednesday as the panel said that his conduct was serious but that it was at least partly the result of his condition.

  • November 19, 2025

    Fintech Firm Hits Back At Fox Williams Over 'Excessive' Fees

    A financial technology company has hit back against a claim for unpaid fees brought by Fox Williams, saying the amount the law firm seeks for representing it in a dispute with a former employee is excessive.

  • November 19, 2025

    Irwin Mitchell's Advice Bankrupted Me, Ex-Club Boss Says

    A former nightclub boss told a London court on Wednesday that his second bankruptcy was the "direct result" of Irwin Mitchell's incorrect advice on the sale of his Edwardian country house, which had been valued at almost £4.4 million ($5.8 million).

  • November 19, 2025

    Scottish Sheriff Can't Fight Suspension For Suing Judge

    A part-time sheriff waited too long to file a victimization claim over his suspension in 2019 for suing a judge he was working with on a statutory child abuse inquiry in Scotland, a tribunal has ruled.

  • November 19, 2025

    White & Case Launches New AI Assistant For Staff

    White & Case LLP has launched a new in-house artificial intelligence assistant to help staff carry out everyday tasks as advances in technology continue to transform the way law firms work.

  • November 18, 2025

    Ashurst, Perkins Coie Deal Underscores US Legal Dominance

    A wave of transatlantic tie-ups is reshaping the U.K. legal market, underscoring a hard truth that scale and profitability increasingly hinge on U.S. access — and organic growth alone won't cut it.

  • November 25, 2025

    Capsticks Taps Employment Head For New Managing Partner

    Capsticks Solicitors LLP has appointed the head of its national employment and pensions team to serve as the next managing partner of the firm.

  • November 18, 2025

    Perkins Coie's Trump Fight Doesn't Scare Off UK Suitor

    Perkins Coie LLP's ongoing fight with the Trump administration did not deter a proposed combination with British law firm Ashurst, signaling that the legal community is not worried about fallout from the president's suspension of the firm's security clearances.

  • November 18, 2025

    Ex-Mishcon Client's Contempt Of Court Bid Challenged

    A London judge challenged a former client of Mishcon de Reya LLP who alleges that the firm's lawyers gave false statements to court, telling her Tuesday that she has put forward no simple or straightforward charge of contempt of court.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    PR Perspectives: 3 Misconceptions Around Law Firm Brands

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

    Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Mishcon de Reya's Daniel Naftalin

    Author Photo

    Daniel Naftalin, who chairs the employment practice at Mishcon de Reya, discusses the challenges of working on multijurisdictional litigation, the need to show consideration for lawyers' well-being, and why employment law offers unique opportunities to specialize in a commercial field with a high degree of human interest.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Baker McKenzie's David Scott

    Author Photo

    David Scott, head of the London mergers and acquisitions practice at Baker McKenzie, discusses the excitement of working on a highly complex transaction, the need for a harmonized approach to deal regulatory scrutiny, and why deal work can become addictive.

  • Transatlantic Law Firm Mergers Are Transforming UK Market

    Author Photo

    With the current prevalence for high-profile U.K.-U.S. law firm mergers likely to continue, a new type of firm could emerge that strikes a balance between U.K. culture and working style, but with the global ambition that U.S. firms offer, says Ria Karnik at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Taylor Wessing's Paul Callaghan

    Author Photo

    Paul Callaghan, who leads Taylor Wessing's employment, pensions and mobility group, discusses the challenges of clients who take matters personally, why discrimination based on socioeconomic background needs to be addressed by the law, and how being contracted as an independent investigator is becoming a new trend for senior employment lawyers.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From BCLP's Benjamin Lee

    Author Photo

    Benjamin Lee, who co-leads BCLP's global corporate transactions practice, discusses the value of face-to-face meetings, how aspects of English company law could align with a more global approach, and what junior lawyers can learn by observing their senior colleagues.

  • Opinion

    Defunding Lawyer Apprenticeships Could Have Hidden Costs

    Author Photo

    In proposing to reform the U.K. apprenticeship system, it is crucial that the government gives sufficient consideration to how funding changes could reduce opportunities for underrepresented groups and negatively affect firms' ability to deliver effective training, says Carrie Laws at The Family Law Co.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Eversheds' Diane Gilhooley

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Pulse UK archive.