Pulse UK

  • 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."

  • April 27, 2026

    Shoosmiths Hires Construction Disputes Pro Peter Stockill

    Shoosmiths has hired Peter Stockill, a construction disputes expert formerly at Penningtons Manches Coopers LLP, as part of efforts to meet growing demand from clients in the real estate sector.

  • April 27, 2026

    ICO Commissioner Steps Down Amid HR Investigation

    The U.K. data protection watchdog confirmed Monday that its commissioner has voluntarily stepped down amid a human resources investigation.

  • April 27, 2026

    Mayer Brown Posts Record Revenue Of $268M In London

    Mayer Brown said Monday that its office in London had delivered record revenue of $268.2 million in 2025 as the firm invested in crucial practices including private equity and energy.

  • April 27, 2026

    Simmons & Simmons Promotes 9 To Partner In 2026

    Simmons & Simmons said Monday that it has promoted nine individuals from across the firm to its partnership, with women accounting for more than half of the latest round.

  • April 27, 2026

    Dentons Fails To Prevent Rerun Of Watchdog's AML Case

    Dentons failed on Monday to prevent a rerun of allegations that it breached money laundering rules while acting for a politically exposed client, as an appeals court said a new tribunal must decide whether the firm's actions amounted to professional misconduct and what sanction might follow.

  • April 26, 2026

    Ex-Mishcon Duo's Boutique Hires Legal AI Pro As Partner

    London boutique Three Points Law said Monday it has recruited a former KPMG and Bryan Cave lawyer in a deal where the firm will adopt a legal AI tool created by its new partner.

  • April 24, 2026

    Tribunals' Reform Plan May Not Be Enough To Avert Collapse

    Stewards and users of the U.K.'s employment tribunals are searching for ways to reform a system at breaking point — but proposed tweaks may not be enough amid a shortage of judges, rocketing numbers of claims and a deluge of AI-assisted correspondence.

  • April 24, 2026

    Tycoon's Son Can't Appeal £3.1M Howard Kennedy Bill

    The son of a diamond tycoon accused of swindling $1 billion from banks has lost his latest bid to challenge his legal bills from Howard Kennedy LLP, as a judge held Friday that he understood his "ongoing liability" from the international fraud case.

  • April 24, 2026

    The Revolving Door: Eversheds, CMS Make Big Hires

    Over the past week, Eversheds Sutherland recruited a derivatives expert from Macfarlanes, CMS UK brought on a patent litigation specialist from McCarthy Denning and Birketts appointed four new partners to boost its finance and construction offering. 

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Macfarlanes' Andrew Barton

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    Andrew Barton, head of the insurance team at Macfarlanes, discusses the challenges of conducting a transaction under Indian foreign direct investment rules, why the Draft Insurable Interest Bill should be followed through, and how the defined benefit pensions risk transfer space has become the fastest growing insurance market in the world.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From CRS' Sarah Wigington

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    Sarah Wigington, head of CRS' U.K. corporate team, discusses the challenges of conducting a joint venture with numerous moving parts that had to land at precisely the same moment, how simplification of corporate reporting and disclosure obligations would help midmarket businesses, and why ESG factors are now a threshold issue.

  • PE's Path In UK Legal Market Offers Playbook For US Firms

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    The U.K. offers 14 years' worth of data on private equity's involvement in the legal market, demonstrating for U.S. firms what worked, what didn’t and why, and illustrating several lessons about operational readiness, cultural fit and timing, says Tom Lenfestey at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Lack Of Associate Pay Progression May Leave Firms Exposed

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    Willkie’s recent salary increases for newly qualified lawyers in London made headline news, but the more important issue is how firms pay midlevel associates, since allowing pay progression to lag materially risks undermining the cohort firms rely on to sustain client relationships and train the next generation, says Adam Stocker at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Wedlake Bell's Adam Grant

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    Adam Grant, head of employment at Wedlake Bell, discusses the challenges of persuading a business to offer employees greater support when it makes large-scale redundancies, the need for new guidance on returning data subject access requests to their intended purpose, and how economic uncertainty with less job security may lead to more office presence.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Willkie's Gavin Gordon

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    Willkie's chair of European private equity, Gavin Gordon, discusses the challenges of conducting a merger across differing time zones and in a complex regulatory environment, how clients are frustrated by the growing impact of antitrust filings, and why there is a mismatch on valuation expectation between buyers and sellers.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From CRS' Dewdney Drew

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    Dewdney Drew, head of brand protection at Charles Russell Speechlys, discusses the challenges of working on a firm's rebrand under time pressure, how the process to simplify U.K. design protection is under way, and why lawyers need to harness the power of artificial intelligence.

  • What UK, EU Law Firms Can Do To Rectify Gender Inequality

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    The latest figures show that elite international law firms remain among the weakest performers on gender equality in the legal industry, demonstrating that equity is no longer external to the practice of law, and sits within the core responsibilities of those who steward trust in courts and governments, says Govindi Deerasinghe at Global 50/50.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Jones Day's Vica Irani

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    Vica Irani, co-leader of Jones Day's corporate practice, discusses the challenges of assisting a multinational client with divesting its Russian operations at the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, why greater harmonization across borders would be beneficial, and the increase in regulatory scrutiny for deals in terms of antitrust and foreign direct investment screening.

  • Why SRA Is Cracking Down On 'No Win, No Fee' Law Firms

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    Harriet Gamper at the Solicitors Regulation Authority discusses the regulator’s recent warning notice concerning "no win, no fee" arrangements in high-volume consumer claims, aimed at offering lawyers clarity in understanding their obligations following findings that many law firms were failing in their duty to protect clients' best interests.

  • Why UK Criminal Court Changes Need To Be Systemic

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    The proposals in the second part of Brian Leveson's long-anticipated independent review of criminal courts, aimed at easing pressure on the criminal justice system and restoring public confidence, are broadly welcomed, but without structural change and sustained funding, they risk becoming little more than temporary fixes, says Vicky Lankester at Brett Wilson.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Stewarts' Aaron Le Marquer

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    Aaron Le Marquer, Stewarts' head of insurance, discusses the challenges of conducting defamation proceedings in Thailand, why the minimal impact of the Insurance Act 2015 is disappointing, and how working in diverse environments provides a more holistic understanding of the way insurance works.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Skadden's Deborah Kirk

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    Deborah Kirk, Skadden's head of intellectual property and technology, discusses the challenges of cross-disciplinary collaboration on a transaction, how the proliferation of artificial intelligence is forcing clients to rethink their IP and data strategies, and why flexibility, curiosity and dynamism are key as a lawyer.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Stewarts' Joseph Lappin

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    Joseph Lappin, head of employment at Stewarts, discusses the challenges of representing barristers with very high IQs, how the employment tribunal system is crying out for proper investment, and the Financial Conduct Authority's inconsistent approach to nonfinancial misconduct.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Jones Day's Anna Cartwright

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    Anna Cartwright, co-head of Jones Day's real estate practice, discusses the challenges of working on a transaction requiring regulatory expertise from multiple regions, why new regulatory complexities in the real assets sector can introduce risks for clients, and how the convergence of real estate and infrastructure is playing out in asset managers' investment decisions.

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