Pulse UK

  • 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

    Legal Tech Roundup: Freshfields Partners With Anthropic

    A BigLaw firm partnering with a leading developer of generative artificial intelligence models tops this week's news. Other developments include another partnership and a legal tech company establishing an entity in Singapore. Here's a roundup of the week's biggest legal tech news.

  • 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. 

  • April 24, 2026

    Women Still Make Up Just 1 In 5 KCs Despite Influx, BSB Says

    Only about one in five women are King's Counsel, even though women now make up the majority of lawyers entering the profession, the Bar Standards Board said Friday.

  • April 24, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen a Hong Kong company sue the government and a COVID-19 PPE company linked to Tory peer Michelle Mone, an oligarch bring a fresh claim against a rival in a long-running feud, a rugby league club sue over a canceled mass dance event, and Visa and Mastercard hit with legal action from H&M, Eurostar, and Bang & Olufsen. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • April 23, 2026

    Tax Barrister Suspended After Failed Libel Claim

    A tax barrister has been suspended from practice until 2027, the bar regulator has said, following the failure of his £8 million ($10.8 million) libel claim against former Clifford Chance LLP partner Dan Neidle.

  • April 23, 2026

    Justice Council Weighs Overhaul To Solicitor Costs Regime 

    The Civil Justice Council launched a consultation Thursday on reforming solicitors' costs, which could change how solicitors bill clients and how disputes over their fees are resolved. 

  • April 23, 2026

    Ex-Rosenblatt Partner Fights To Revive Racism Case

    A former Rosenblatt partner argued on Thursday to resurrect his race discrimination claim against the law firm's senior figures and former chief executive, who he is suing for using a racial slur at a work dinner.

  • April 23, 2026

    Vape Co.'s Lawyer Beats Rival's UKIPO Email Contempt Claim

    A Chinese vape company and its solicitors defeated contempt proceedings over emails that asked the U.K. Intellectual Property Office to delay registering a trademark pending an appeal, as a London judge ruled on Thursday that this was "nothing improper."

  • April 23, 2026

    Legora Snaps Up Legal Startup Qura To Expand AI Reach

    Legora said Thursday that it has acquired Stockholm-based legal startup Qura, which the company expects will strengthen its artificial intelligence research capabilities as competition grows for the emerging tech. 

  • April 23, 2026

    SRA Wants Solicitors To Declare How They Keep Skills Sharp

    Lawyers could be required to sign a declaration detailing how they have kept their skills up to date as part of a stronger regime of continuing competence that the Solicitors Regulation Authority has floated.

  • April 23, 2026

    Taylor Rose Fined £160K For Client Account Breaches

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Thursday that it has fined Taylor Rose £160,100 ($216,000) for breaching client account rules over several years.

  • April 22, 2026

    Law Firms Form Global Legal Tech Alliance

    Several international law firms, including Hogan Lovells, have formed a global legal tech alliance to foster innovation and collaboration, Law360 Pulse confirmed Wednesday.

  • April 22, 2026

    Abuse Inquiry Lawyer Loses Appeal For Status To Sue Chair

    A lawyer has lost his bid to revive his disability discrimination claim against the chair of a Scottish inquiry into child abuse as an appellate tribunal ruled that he did his job too independently to be considered a worker.

  • April 22, 2026

    Law Society Won't Appeal Mazur Ruling On Litigation Rights

    The Law Society said Wednesday that it will not challenge the Court of Appeal's recent landmark Mazur ruling, which allows non-solicitors to carry out litigation work under supervision.

  • April 22, 2026

    Addleshaw Goddard Hires Real Estate Partner From DWF

    Addleshaw Goddard LLP has recruited a new real estate partner from DWF in Manchester, with the lawyer saying Wednesday that his "irresistible" new firm is the perfect place to build out his practice in northwest England.

  • April 22, 2026

    Osborne Clarke Promotes 6 New Partners In UK

    Osborne Clarke LLP said Wednesday that it has promoted six lawyers to partner across its three offices in England, with half of the newly elevated cohort having trained at the firm.

  • April 22, 2026

    Morgan Lewis Hires New CIO From Dechert

    Morgan Lewis has hired a new chief information officer with 15 years of leadership experience at major law firms to strengthen its technology and cybersecurity capacities.

  • April 22, 2026

    LC&F Solicitor Banned For Backdating Docs To Mislead FCA

    A solicitor found to have abetted a Ponzi scheme that siphoned off millions of pounds from British investors was banned from practicing on Wednesday after a disciplinary tribunal found that he had backdated documents to mislead auditors and regulators.

  • April 22, 2026

    PE Firm Sullivan Street Hires New GC From Hogan Lovells

    London-based private equity house Sullivan Street Partners has announced the appointment of a former Hogan Lovells and Shoosmiths lawyer as its new general counsel.

  • April 22, 2026

    Ashurst Names 18 New Partners With 5 In London

    Ashurst named five new partners in London among a worldwide cohort of 18 promotions on Wednesday, marking a second consecutive year of shrinking partner elevations at the firm as it gears up to merge with U.S. outfit Perkins Coie LLP.

  • April 21, 2026

    SRA Fights Axiom Ince's £65M Fraud Oversight Claim

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority hit back at claims from the now-defunct Axiom Ince that it was negligent in failing to spot the firm's leaders' alleged misappropriation of £65 million ($87.7 million) in client money early on.

  • April 21, 2026

    London Comes Top In HSF Kramer Partner Round

    Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP named 25 new partners across its global network on Tuesday, with more than a quarter being based in the U.K. 

  • April 21, 2026

    Ex-RAF Officer Loses Sex Bias Claim Over Internal Ranking 

    A Royal Air Force officer has lost her sex discrimination case over the military's assessment of her bid for a promotion with a tribunal finding she faced the same grading criteria as her male peers.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • What Age Bias Ruling Means For Law Firm Retirement Policies

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    The recent employment tribunal age discrimination decision in Scott v. Walker Morris demonstrates that while law firms may implement mandatory retirement schemes, the policy must pursue a legitimate aim via proportionate means to pass the objective justification test, says Chris Hadrill at Redmans Solicitors.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From HFW's Christopher Foster

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    Christopher Foster, global head of insurance and reinsurance at HFW, discusses the challenges of conducting complex arbitration, why arbitration rules should be amended, and how learning about the market makes working in insurance law easier.

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