Pulse UK

  • May 14, 2026

    BP Deputy General Counsel To Join Rio Tinto As CLO

    Mining business Rio Tinto said Thursday it has appointed BP's deputy general counsel as its new chief legal officer for governance and corporate affairs.

  • May 14, 2026

    Inside A Legal Team's Push To Cut Law Firm Bills With AI

    The legal department of the European-based private debt firm Park Square Capital slashed review times and outside spending costs for certain documents in early 2026 by turning to an artificial intelligence tool.

  • May 14, 2026

    Pogust Goodhead's Brazil Shipwreck Case Struck Out

    A judge struck out on Thursday a claim brought by Pogust Goodhead on behalf of approximately 18,000 Brazilians over pollution caused by a shipwreck, after the law firm's authority to bring the action was thrown into doubt.

  • May 14, 2026

    Freshfields Taps Private Capital Co-Head For New UK Chief

    Freshfields LLP appointed a new managing partner for the U.K. on Thursday, naming private capital partner Victoria Sigeti as successor to Mark Sansom.

  • May 14, 2026

    Legal Sector Revenue Hits Record £5.6B High In March

    The U.K. legal industry posted revenue of approximately £5.6 billion ($7.6 billion) in March, according to official statistics released Thursday, making it the highest-ever monthly figure the sector has recorded.

  • May 14, 2026

    Burness Paull Posts Record £100M Turnover On Growth Push

    Burness Paull said Thursday that it has posted record turnover of more than £100 million ($135 million) and that profit and partner profits have also hit new highs in the first 12 months of the Scottish law firm's three-year strategy for growth.

  • May 14, 2026

    Freeths Settles £5M Claim Over Advice On Soured Quarry Deal

    Freeths has reached a settlement in its £5 million ($6.8 million) negligence dispute with a litigation-funder at a London court, swerving claims that its advice caused the owner of a quarrying business to lose his company.

  • May 13, 2026

    Dentons Hires Europe Head Of Legal Tech Enablement

    Ana Burbano, a legal operations and technology expert, announced on Wednesday that she has been hired as head of legal tech enablement for the European region at global law firm Dentons.

  • May 13, 2026

    Akin Adds 4 PE Attys From Sidley, Gains New Practice Head

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP announced Wednesday that it has welcomed four private equity attorneys to its New York and London offices, with three returning to the firm, including one who will lead the private equity practice.

  • May 13, 2026

    Carta Buys AI-Native Law Firm Avantia To Target PE Market

    U.S.-based private markets fintech company Carta said Wednesday that it has acquired U.K. law firm Avantia Law Ltd. in a move that enables it to offer artificial intelligence-powered legal and compliance services to private equity and venture capital firms.

  • May 13, 2026

    Ex-BDB Pitmans Client Challenges Denial Of Fee Protections

    A former client of BDB Pitmans urged a London appellate court on Wednesday to overturn rulings that their agreement for contentious work with the firm did not meet the requirements for statutory protections.

  • May 13, 2026

    Gov't Draws Funders' Ire After Avoiding PACCAR Again

    Litigation-funding companies said Wednesday that they were "deeply disappointed" by the absence in the King's Speech of legislation to reverse the effects of a landmark ruling that upended their business model.

  • May 13, 2026

    Stephenson Harwood Sues Bulgari Jewelry Heiress Over Debt

    Stephenson Harwood has sued a member of the Bulgari family, upping the stakes in her fight against another jewelry heiress over a $130 million family trust. 

  • May 13, 2026

    Fletchers Group Hires 42 From Freeths In Practice Expansion

    Fletchers Group said Wednesday that it has acquired the clinical negligence and Court of Protection teams of another English law firm as it continues to expand its coverage across the country.

  • May 20, 2026

    Eversheds Sutherland Hires 2 Partners In Dublin, Belfast

    Eversheds Sutherland has hired two new partners in Dublin and Belfast, continuing its expansion after the firm integrated its Irish operations into its international business in 2025.

  • May 13, 2026

    Sweden's AGRD Taps Icelandic Firm As It Eyes Expansion

    Swedish legal services group AGRD Partners said on Wednesday that it has acquired a leading Icelandic law firm, marking the group's first move outside Sweden as part of a plan for expansion that could reach the U.K.

  • May 13, 2026

    Ex-TLT Employee Barred Over 'Sexually Motivated' Conduct

    A former facilities assistant at TLT LLP has been barred from working for another law firm after making unwanted advances toward junior female staff, which the Solicitors Regulation Authority has described as "a clear and calculated pattern of behavior."

  • May 12, 2026

    Law Society Says AI Court Guidance Lags Behind Rising Use

    The Law Society said Tuesday that it broadly supports greater transparency around court documents that have been prepared using artificial intelligence, but warned that new disclosure rules alone are insufficient without proper guidance, training and governance.

  • May 19, 2026

    Morgan Lewis Hires Covington Partner To Lead Europe M&A

    Morgan Lewis said Tuesday that it has recruited a partner from Covington & Burling LLP in London to lead the firm's European M&A practice.

  • May 12, 2026

    Whitestone Denied Judicial Review In BSB Pupillage Row

    Whitestone Chambers was denied permission on Tuesday to challenge a decision by the Bar Standards Board which prevented the London commercial set from continuing to train pupils, with a London court ruling the chambers had not used alternative routes to resolve the dispute. 

  • May 12, 2026

    Anthropic's Claude Expansion Tests Legal Vendor Boundaries

    Months after releasing a new legal plug-in for its Claude product, Anthropic made a deeper push into the legal sector on Tuesday with new dedicated artificial intelligence offerings for both law firms and legal departments.

  • May 12, 2026

    Barrister Loses Bid To Revive Race Bias Case Against 10 KBW

    A criminal barrister has lost her appeal, in which she claimed that she was racially discriminated against by her chambers, as a judge ruled on Tuesday that her case had "no merit whatsoever."

  • May 12, 2026

    Palestine Action Barrister Wins Appeal To Block Contempt Bid

    A London appeals court has knocked back contempt of court proceedings against a barrister accused of breaching a court order in a closing speech while representing a Palestine Action activist who took part in a raid on an Israeli arms manufacturer.

  • May 12, 2026

    Judicial Watchdog To Reopen Bullying Judge Complaints

    The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office will reopen complaints by several women who say that they were bullied by an Employment Tribunal judge, conceding before an upcoming court hearing that it had misapplied rules on how it investigates conduct.

  • May 11, 2026

    DWF Hires Brecher Partner As Planning Team Head

    DWF has hired a partner from Brecher LLP as its new planning head, bringing in nearly four decades of experience as a qualified planner as the firm aims to expand the department against a backdrop of significant legal reform in the U.K. 

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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