Pulse UK

  • May 22, 2026

    The Revolving Door: Shoosmiths Continues Real Estate Push

    Over the past week, Shoosmiths made another addition to its real estate practice, Clifton Ingram and Hill Dickinson revealed hires from Knights, and four European antitrust pros left Cleary for Kirkland. 

  • May 22, 2026

    PE-Backed AGRD Buys Swedish Law Firm In Expansion Drive

    Private equity-backed legal services group AGRD Partners said Friday that it has acquired a law firm based in the Swedish city of Malmö as it continues to implement its expansion strategy.

  • May 21, 2026

    Debevoise Adds Bonus Pool For Partners, Retains Lockstep

    Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is creating a bonus pool for partners and retaining its lockstep compensation model, the firm confirmed Thursday.

  • May 21, 2026

    Osborne Clarke Spins Off AI Compliance Info Venture

    Osborne Clarke LLP said Thursday that it had spun off its AI-powered regulatory monitoring startup for legal and compliance departments, the first time the firm has launched an independent company.

  • May 21, 2026

    Asset Manager Lawyer Struck Off For Altering Emails

    A solicitor working in-house at an asset management firm has been disbarred after a tribunal found that she acted dishonestly by fabricating emails to delay an investigation into her drunk driving conviction.

  • May 21, 2026

    Criminal Lawyer Sanctioned For Bullying Female Workers

    A senior partner at a criminal defense specialist has been sanctioned by a tribunal after he was found to have abused his position by subjecting five young female employees to bullying, harassment and other inappropriate behavior.

  • May 21, 2026

    Debevoise Names 16 New Partners As London, NY Dominate

    Debevoise & Plimpton LLP said Thursday that it is elevating 16 lawyers to its partnership, with London and New York accounting for most of the U.S. firm's promotions round.

  • May 21, 2026

    Dentons Wins 65% Of Its Costs From SRA Over AML Case

    An English appeals court ruled Thursday that the Solicitors Regulation Authority might have to pay Dentons more than £515,000 ($690,000) over the watchdog's failed attempt to prosecute the firm for breaching the U.K.'s money laundering rules. 

  • May 21, 2026

    Ex-Gunnercooke Pro Rebuked For Not Revealing Drink-Driving

    A former senior lawyer at Gunnercooke LLP has been rebuked for failing to report his drink-driving conviction to the Solicitors Regulation Authority promptly during his time at the firm, the solicitors' watchdog said Thursday.

  • May 21, 2026

    Employment Lawyers Propose 'Radical' Tribunal Reform Plan

    Employment lawyers are calling for "radical reform" of the workplace disputes resolution system, saying in research published on Thursday that compulsory mediation and a multi-track system based on the value of claims would improve access to justice as a backlog of cases at the Employment Tribunal grows.

  • May 20, 2026

    Investcorp Eyes More Law Firm Deals In AI-Resilient Practices

    Investcorp’s first investment in the legal sector has prompted the firm to explore further deals in mid-market "human" intensive law firms that managing director Owen Li told Law360 are better insulated from AI disruption.

  • May 20, 2026

    Jylo Picks Strasbourg For 1st European Office

    An AI software company spun off from Travers Smith LLP in 2024 has announced the opening of a new office in France, its first permanent location beyond the U.K. as part of a broader global expansion plan.

  • May 20, 2026

    Merricks Says Innsworth Made Enough From £200M CPO Deal

    The class representative of a U.K. mass claim against Mastercard said Wednesday that a London court should rebuff litigation funder Innsworth's challenge to the distribution of the claim's £200 million ($269 million) settlement, arguing that it received enough profit in light of how the claim had gone.

  • May 20, 2026

    Charles Russell Speechlys Moves To Bigger Office In Milan

    Charles Russell Speechlys LLP said Wednesday that it has moved to a larger office in Milan as it continues to expand its Italian practice.

  • May 20, 2026

    KC Used Expertise To Dodge £2M In Tax, Prosecutors Say

    A senior tax barrister cheated the public purse out of almost £2 million ($2.7 million) through a series of "elaborate arrangements," a prosecutor said on the first day of the lawyer's criminal trial on Wednesday.

  • May 20, 2026

    Knights Expects Record £200M+ Revenue In Full-Year Results

    Knights said on Wednesday that it expects to report that revenue has exceeded £200 million ($268 million) for the first time and that profits have hit an all-time high when it releases its financial results later in 2026, driven by organic growth and acquisitions of other law firms.

  • May 19, 2026

    Italy-Based Lexroom Raises $50M Series B

    Italy-based Lexroom.ai, which offers an artificial intelligence-based legal research tool for civil law markets, announced Tuesday it has closed a $50 million Series B round, eight months after its Series A raise.

  • May 19, 2026

    Stockholm AI Patent Co. Stilta Raises $10.5M

    Stilta, a Stockholm-based artificial intelligence company working in patent litigation, announced Tuesday the raising of $10.5 million in funding.

  • May 19, 2026

    Criminal Solicitor Struck Off For Pocketing Client Money

    A former criminal law specialist at a firm in northeast England has been barred from practicing after he deliberately directed a client to pay into his personal bank account more than £5,000 ($6,698) intended for his firm in legal fees.

  • May 19, 2026

    Boodle Hatfield Nears £50M On Private Capital Demand

    Boodle Hatfield LLP said Tuesday that its revenue has come close to the £50 million ($67 million) mark for the first time, reporting a 14.9% rise in annual turnover as its focus on private capital clients continued to fuel growth.

  • May 19, 2026

    Innsworth Challenges Share Of Mastercard Settlement Sum

    Litigation funder Innsworth told the High Court on Tuesday that the distribution of a £200 million ($268 million) settlement from a U.K. mass claim against Mastercard is "illogical" and "flawed" in the first case to test a Competition Appeal Tribunal settlement decision.

  • May 19, 2026

    Law Society Warns Ombudsman Plan May Miss Weakest Firms

    The Law Society warned Tuesday that the legal ombudsman's proposal to improve complaints handling standards across the sector risks failing to deliver meaningful change without a clear plan to get the weakest-performing firms to adopt its model.

  • May 19, 2026

    Ex-SFO GC Among 4 Tapped To Join BSB Board

    The Bar Standards Board said Tuesday that it has appointed four new members to join its board during 2026, including Sara Lawson KC, the former general counsel of the Serious Fraud Office. 

  • May 19, 2026

    PI Boutique Minster Law Appoints 1st Tech Director

    Minster Law has promoted its head of digital product delivery to the new role of director of technology and digital platforms, reflecting the part new tools will play in strengthening services to clients and supporting the future growth of the firm.

  • May 18, 2026

    Law Society Seeks Clearer Shields For Crime Data Sharing

    The Law Society on Monday called for greater clarity on legal protections for lawyers sharing client information in connection with economic crime investigations, saying that solicitors have been cautious divulging details despite landmark reforms designed to combat dirty money.

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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