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

    Practice Leader Insights From V&E's David Berkery

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    David Berkery, head of aviation finance at Vinson & Elkins, discusses the challenges of striking an asset-backed securitization deal after the 2008 financial crisis rewrote the rules, why sustainable aviation goals need more government encouragement, and why young attorneys should focus on finding people they enjoy working with.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Gibson Dunn's Sandy Bhogal

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    Sandy Bhogal, co-chair of Gibson Dunn's tax practice, discusses the challenges of working on a complicated restructuring during the financial crisis, the difficulty of dealing with rules that are adjusted by nonbinding guidance, and why tax lawyers need to know the law as well as they possibly can.

  • SRA Ruling Raises Issue Of Jurisdiction Over Private Conduct

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    The recent Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruling, suspending a former Orrick associate after determining that a criminal offense of nonconsensual touching had occurred, serves as a cautionary tale that the regulator's jurisdiction may extend into private social settings, even where no abuse of power is proven, says Nick Brett at Brett Wilson.

  • Why Leveson Review Is Significant For UK Court System

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    Brian Leveson’s recent review into the U.K. criminal justice system calls for judge-only trials in serious and complex fraud cases, a controversial recommendation that is sparking debate over the future of jury trials, says Louise Hodges at Kingsley Napley.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From V&E's Ben Higson

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    Ben Higson, head of Vinson & Elkins' London transactions practice, discusses the complexities of knitting together businesses across the world into a joint venture, how warranty and indemnity insurance has altered the way deals are conducted, and why discipline and resilience are key for M&A lawyers.

  • Challenges Law Firms Face In Recruiting Competitor Teams

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    Since the movement of lawyer teams from a competitor can bring legal considerations and commercial risks into play, both the target and recruiting firms should be familiar with the relevant limited liability partnership deed to protect their business, say lawyers at Fox & Partners.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Travers Smith's Louisa Chambers

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    Louisa Chambers, head of technology and commercial transactions at Travers Smith, discusses the challenges of working on a series of deals under time pressure, why data subject access requests can be a disproportionate burden on businesses, and how a career in technology and intellectual property will suit a lawyer with energy and creativity.

  • Practice Leader Insights From Bristows' Gareth Wadley

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    Gareth Wadley, head of the employment and immigration team at Bristows, discusses the challenges of resolving disputes where compensation is not the primary driver, why employment status law needs to better reflect the realities of modern work, and how neurodiversity is reshaping the workforce in a positive way.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Linklaters' Julia Schönbohm

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    Julia Schönbohm, global head of technology, media and telecommunications and intellectual property at Linklaters, discusses the challenges of deciding patent validity in complex litigation cases, why the enforcement of standard essential patents is an area in need of reform, and how the advent of the Unified Patent Court is having a significant impact on patent litigation in Europe.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Walker Morris' Andrew Rayment

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    Andrew Rayment, head of employment at Walker Morris, discusses the challenges of dismissing employees at a coal mine, how the proposed employment law reforms could create logistical burdens for businesses, and why prioritizing effectively is key for a lawyer.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Kennedys' Matthew Poli

    Matthew Poli, head of Kennedys' corporate M&A transactions team, discusses the challenges of rushing to close transactions ahead of possible budgetary changes, why reform is needed in the way a company's statutory books can be altered at Companies House, and that client service needs to be a lawyer's watchword.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Broadfield's Caroline Yarrow

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    Caroline Yarrow, head of Broadfield's employment practice, discusses the challenges of analyzing huge volumes of data in a service provider transfer of 2,000 employees, why the employment tribunal system needs urgent review, and why being pragmatic and commercial when giving advice is important.

  • 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.

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