A bill recently introduced to Parliament, if enacted, would replace significant areas of contractual freedom concerning payment terms with mandatory rules that would fundamentally alter the balance of power between smaller suppliers and larger counterparties, says Sam Cooper at Crowell & Moring.

Recent final guidance on storage and access technologies from the U.K. Information Commissioner's Office reflects the government's emphasis on key data privacy concerns, though businesses should consider leveraging several crucial exceptions, say lawyers at Hunton.

Every match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup generates enormous volumes of information that can improve performance, enhance fan engagement and create new revenue streams, but that same data can also create significant legal exposure if rights and responsibilities are not clearly defined, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

While the U.K. Serious Fraud Office's recent conference demonstrated a global consensus on the importance of combating bribery and corruption, lagging enforcement from U.S. and U.K. regulators suggests that muscular supranational agencies may soon step up to lead cross-border investigations, say lawyers at Addleshaw Goddard.

Though proposed updates would result in greater overlap between European Commission merger control efforts and foreign investment screening, dealmakers must understand how different objectives still drive these regimes and how this recalibrated regulatory environment will affect their transactions, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

Andy Moody, head of Baker McKenzie's London disputes team, discusses the traits that he prioritizes as a leader, the unique challenges of international arbitration cases, and how global political and economic disruption is likely to generate more litigation and arbitration.

Recent action taken against BP PLC’s chair reveals the authority conferred on boards by an organization's bespoke articles of association and stands as a reminder that director removal in the U.K. is not a simply a voting rights issue, raising questions about the allocation of power between boards and shareholders, say Dan Coppel and James Ford at Faegre Drinker.

Following the European Union’s modernization of the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation, organizations should consider how the broadened antitrust safe harbor applies, particularly where technology licensing agreements involve data-sharing arrangements, territorial restrictions or competitor relationships, say lawyers at Steptoe.

As postgrant practice for life sciences patents is restructured in the U.S. and European Union simultaneously, patent owners will need to implement transatlantic coordination that treats international proceedings as components of a single intellectual property risk architecture, says Paul Calvo at Sterne Kessler.

The U.K.’s recent free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council is expected to deliver U.K. businesses a competitive advantage, with simplified procedures and tariff removal across manufacturing, services and digital trade sectors, but navigating Gulf regional tensions and differing regulatory regimes will create challenges, say lawyers at King & Spalding.

The U.K. government’s recently announced Russian sanctions package focusing on crypto-assets is a clear indication that authorities consider the crypto sector a major enforcement area, firmly within the scope of financial sanctions law, says Thomas Cattee at Gherson Solicitors.

Victoria Pigott, chair of Mishcon Private at Mishcon de Reya, discusses the challenges of lengthy multijurisdictional matters, how artificial intelligence helps lawyers deliver better outcomes for clients, and why curiosity is an essential skill for those joining the legal profession.

A recent Financial Services Skills Commission report illustrates the paradox that artificial intelligence increases the need for human oversight while automating the pathways through which that expertise is developed, and financial firms whose governance evolves at pace with technology are poised to benefit the most, say Louise Neave and Jack Paul at Fox Williams.

The Court of Appeal's ruling in Tonzip Maritime Ltd. v. 2Rivers Pte Ltd., the latest in the English law of sanctions ownership and control, confirms that where a contract refers to sanctions exposure, the relevant question may be whether there is a real and objectively reasonable risk, not whether a sanctions breach has already been proved, say lawyers at Michelman Robinson.

As artificial intelligence implementation is causing clients' expectations of outside counsel to shift toward greater risk control and more transparent value, successful law firm transformation and the preservation of professional trust will require governance, training and accountability, says John Hutchinson at Broadfield.

The growing convergence between cybersecurity and artificial intelligence means that businesses need to recognize the breadth of the threat, and conduct repeated testing and adjustment to address the shifting risk landscape, say lawyers at Debevoise.

A High Court judge's recent criticism of Pinsent Masons lawyers for reliance on a fictitious authority generated by artificial intelligence is a timely reminder that technology cannot replace lawyers’ proper analysis or verification, say lawyers at Wedlake Bell.

As U.K. legal industry policymakers debate how to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in expert testimony, lawyers can take steps now when working with experts to understand and mitigate risks of proposed AI use, says Andrew Judkins at Norton Rose.

Sinéad Lester, Broadfield's head of commercial litigation, discusses how important it is for a leader to support their team in meeting deadlines, the challenges of not receiving instructions from a client in good time, and how the reforms to witness evidence continue to reshape how lawyers prepare cases.