Pulse UK

  • May 27, 2026

    Ex-CPS Prosecutor Struck Off After Child Cruelty Conviction

    A disciplinary tribunal struck off a former Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor on Wednesday after finding his convictions for child cruelty and assault had undermined the public's trust and confidence in the solicitors' profession.

  • May 26, 2026

    In-House Legal Tech Budgets Could Double By 2028

    Legal technology budgets will double by 2028, according to an estimate published by global research firm Gartner, as artificial intelligence platforms accelerate routine workflows and improve efficiency for corporate law departments.

  • May 26, 2026

    How Anthropic Aims To Expand Access To Legal AI Tools

    Mark Pike, an in-house attorney and driving force behind artificial intelligence powerhouse Anthropic's recent launch of the Claude for the Legal Industry suite of AI tools, joined Law360 Pulse for a conversation about the new products and their effect on the market for smaller firms.

  • May 26, 2026

    Foley & Lardner Expands Use Of AI Platform Harvey

    Foley & Lardner LLP has expanded its artificial intelligence capabilities with a recent deployment of AI platform Harvey firmwide after what it says was a successful pilot program.

  • May 26, 2026

    Howard Kennedy Narrows Focus After Profit Drop

    Howard Kennedy said Tuesday that it is concentrating on a handful of core areas where it sees the greatest opportunities for growth, as the firm looks to bounce back after "subdued market conditions" contributed to disappointing performance in its latest financial results.

  • May 26, 2026

    Trade Union OK To Refuse Legal Help To Employment Solicitor

    A tribunal has ruled that Unite the Union did not unfairly penalize an employment solicitor who was a member of the union by refusing to fund legal action against his former employer after he terminated a retainer with his initial advisers.

  • May 26, 2026

    SRA Starts Search For New Chair As Bradley Steps Down

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Tuesday that it has started the process of finding a new chair, following Anna Bradley's decision to step down after an extended term designed to stabilize the watchdog after a series of scandals.

  • May 26, 2026

    Forsters' Email Service Nullifies Multimillion-Pound Claim

    A London judge threw out on Tuesday a property company's case worth tens of millions of pounds, concluding that the claimants' lawyers at Forsters LLP had failed to properly serve the claim over email to the solicitors of a construction group.

  • May 26, 2026

    Legora To Open New Offices In Singapore, Tokyo

    Legora has said that it will open new offices in Singapore and Tokyo later in 2026 as the legal artificial intelligence platform extends its reach in the Asia-Pacific region and expands its operations.

  • May 26, 2026

    Justice Ben Stephens To Retire From Top UK Court In 2027

    Justice Ben Stephens said Tuesday that he plans to retire from the U.K. Supreme Court in 2027 after serving for six years on the country's highest court.

  • May 22, 2026

    Legal Tech Tools Aimed At 'Democratizing' Access For Firms

    The recent debuts of free and lower-cost legal technology tools from artificial intelligence giant Anthropic and a former BigLaw associate bring the promise of "democratizing" access for small and midsize firms and creating a more level playing field with larger industry players.

  • May 22, 2026

    Law Firms Weigh Secretive Pay Models To Keep Top Partners

    Traditional equity structures that allow partners to see each other's pay are coming under strain as law firms pursue growth, prompting more firms to consider opaque "black-box" compensation systems that keep partner pay confidential, recruiters and advisers say.

  • May 22, 2026

    UK Crime-Reporting Push Stalls Over Lawyers' Privilege Fears

    Reluctance among lawyers to raise the alarm on suspicious clients is hampering the fight against economic crime as companies wrestle with legal and cultural issues that could land them in hot water with regulators.

  • May 22, 2026

    Pinsent Masons Self-Reports To SRA Over Lawyer's Use Of AI

    Pinsent Masons LLP has referred itself to the Solicitors Regulation Authority after admitting that one of its junior lawyers used artificial intelligence to generate made-up law in letters sent to court, as a London judge said Friday he would not consider initiating contempt proceedings.

  • May 22, 2026

    3 Kings Counsel Named In BSB Complaint Over Status Use

    David Pannick KC and two other senior barristers face a formal complaint to the Bar Standards Board from two legal advocacy groups accusing them of allowing their professional status to be used in correspondence intended to intimidate pro-Palestine campaigners.

  • May 22, 2026

    Gov't Unveils Initiative To Boost Diversity In Judiciary

    The Ministry of Justice said Friday that it has launched an initiative to accelerate the recruitment of judges from diverse backgrounds amid concerns that progress has been too slow in broadening representation in the profession.

  • May 22, 2026

    Rosenblatt Defeats Ex-Partner's Bid To Revive Race Bias Case

    An appellate tribunal refused on Friday to revive a former Rosenblatt partner's race discrimination claims against the law firm's senior figures and former chief executive, concluding that an executive's use of an inflammatory slur for Black people wasn't enough to prop up his case.  

  • May 22, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen Napster sued by a music royalties company, White & Case LLP and Laytons LLP targeted in a claim by a property developer, a short-term lender pursue legal action against law firm Rainer Hughes and its former founding partner following his strike-off for money laundering offenses, and the administrators of London Bridging sue the founder of collapsed Market Financial Solutions. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • 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.

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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