Pulse UK

  • June 19, 2026

    Law Firm Revives Bid To Ax Negligence Suit Over SOCA Case

    A London judge has dismissed an order requiring a law firm to pay £27,500 ($36,355), ruling that a new court should consider the firm's bid to put an end to a couple's claims of professional negligence in a wider case over drug trafficking allegations. 

  • June 19, 2026

    IP Firm Mathys & Squire Promotes 3 To Partner

    Intellectual property law firm Mathys & Squire LLP said Friday that three people in its Birmingham and London offices have been elevated to the role of partner as part of a wider promotions round that also includes six new managing associates.

  • June 19, 2026

    The Latest Status Symbol For Firms In London? NQ Pay Rates

    As top U.S. law firms push newly qualified lawyer salaries in London toward £200,000 ($268,000), recruiters and consultants say the latest pay hikes are driven as much by market positioning as by competition for talent.

  • June 19, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen Royal Mail Pension Plan companies sue Wates Construction after investing in a Cambridge development project, law firm Ronald Fletcher Baker launch proceedings against several former partners and the rival firm they moved to, Lansdowne Law, and energy group VAROPreem bring an intellectual property claim against North Sea producer Viaro Energy and its chief executive. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K...

  • June 19, 2026

    ​​​​​​​The Revolving Door: Steptoe Lands Arbitration Pro From Clyde

    Over the past week, a data security lawyer joined K&L Gates from Hunton Andrews Kurth, Steptoe hired an international arbitration specialist and professor from Clyde & Co. and Orrick recruited a structured finance pro from McDermott.

  • June 19, 2026

    SRA Calls For Merger Notifications After Series Of Scandals

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority set out proposed rules on Friday that would require law firms to notify it of mergers and acquisitions, and when they begin holding client money, as it seeks to avoid another scandal such as the collapse of Axiom Ince.

  • June 18, 2026

    Boies Schiller Adds London Partner To Executive Committee

    U.S. law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP has elected a senior arbitration partner in its London office to a place on its executive committee, which has expanded from nine seats to 10.

  • June 18, 2026

    Ex-Partner Partly Recovers Pruned Claims Against Firm

    A former head of family law at Hampshire firm Dutton Gregory LLP succeeded Thursday at a London appellate tribunal in reviving her claim that she was expelled for whistleblowing.

  • June 18, 2026

    JMW Ordered To Hand Over Docs In Negligence Claim

    A London judge has given two property owners extra time to file a negligence claim against their former lawyers at JMW Solicitors LLP, ruling that key documents were missing from a client file the firm had provided them with regarding their breach claims over building defects.

  • June 18, 2026

    AI Uncertainty Cools PE Appetite For UK Law Firms

    Investors are increasingly cautious about U.K. law firms because of billing uncertainty driven by artificial intelligence and unpredictable revenue, legal industry figures have said.

  • June 18, 2026

    Solicitor Can Sue Council For Bias In Cuts To Working Hours

    A solicitor can sue his local authority employer for discrimination over cuts it made to its staff's working hours in 2025, after a judge said it was fair to allow the worker's late claim to proceed.

  • June 18, 2026

    Solicitor Reprimanded For Not Disclosing SRA Probe

    A lawyer has been reprimanded by a tribunal for failing to disclose in a bar application that he was being investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority over a potential breach of his anti-money laundering obligations.

  • June 18, 2026

    Kennedys Hires New Global GC From Trowers

    Kennedys said Thursday that it has appointed a new global general counsel from Trowers & Hamlins LLP to a position that will see her lead the firm's risk and compliance function.

  • June 17, 2026

    Ex-Syke Founder Joins AI Co. Flank As Senior Executive

    Flank, which offers an artificial intelligence-driven legal assistant that automatically addresses requests from business users, announced Wednesday that it hired Alistair Maiden, founder of legal engineering consultancy group Syke, as a senior executive.

  • June 17, 2026

    AI-Driven Spike In Complaints May Not Mean More Sanctions

    Complaints against lawyers in England and Wales have soared over the past year as artificial intelligence equips clients to sound the alarm over potential misconduct that might have previously gone unreported — but as regulators struggle to keep up, experts say the flood doesn't necessarily herald more penalties.

  • June 17, 2026

    Barrister Disbarred For Sexual Comments To Juniors

    A legal watchdog said Wednesday that it has disbarred a barrister over sexual comments he made while on a work-related trip and a series of inappropriate messages he sent to a junior colleague via WhatsApp.

  • June 17, 2026

    Lawmakers Table Twin Anti-SLAPP Bills After Reform Delays

    A Conservative lawmaker was set to introduce a private member's bill in the House of Commons on Wednesday aimed at expanding protection against strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as SLAPPs, a day after similar measures were proposed in the House of Lords.

  • June 17, 2026

    Ex-Novartis, Gilead Atty Joins Danish Biotech Group As GC

    Danish biotech firm Gubra has appointed a former Novartis and Gilead lawyer as its new group general counsel, adding experience leading teams in areas like intellectual property and corporate governance strategy.

  • June 17, 2026

    Pinsent Masons Boosts Tribunal Service With Generative AI

    Pinsent Masons LLP said Wednesday that it has enhanced its employment tribunal service with artificial intelligence and lawyers from its employment and alternative legal services teams to help clients tackle a rise in claims.

  • June 17, 2026

    Barrister Disbarred After Failing To Report DUI Convictions

    A barrister has been disbarred after he failed to disclose to the Bar Standards Board that he had been convicted of driving while disqualified and driving over the legal alcohol limit, the regulator said Wednesday.

  • June 16, 2026

    Working Patterns 'Unsustainable' For Half Of Women In Law

    Half of women in law say their working pattern is unsustainable, and two-thirds have considered quitting amid concerns over their health and wellbeing, according to survey results published on Wednesday by an organization that champions women in the profession.

  • June 16, 2026

    Orrick Adds 4 Structured-Finance Partners In US And UK

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has expanded its structured-finance team on both sides of the Atlantic by hiring four attorneys from Morrison & Foerster LLP, Mayer Brown LLP and McDermott Will & Schulte as partners, Orrick announced Tuesday.

  • June 16, 2026

    Hill Dickinson Promotes 4 To Partner In UK, Singapore

    Hill Dickinson LLP said Tuesday that it has promoted four lawyers from offices in the U.K. and Singapore to its partnership, taking the total number at the firm to 180.

  • June 16, 2026

    For 6th Time Since 2022, Wolters Kluwer Prices Eurobond

    Wolters Kluwer priced a new seven-year, €500 million (about $580 million) senior unsecured Eurobond on Monday, marking the fifth consecutive year the professional information software and services giant has relied on this debt instrument.

  • June 16, 2026

    KC Defends Gardener Trust Deal In £2M Evasion Trial

    A senior barrister accused of cheating the public purse out of almost £2 million ($2.7 million) argued Tuesday that his former gardener perfectly understood that an agreement to be compensated for his services via a trust was not binding.

Expert Analysis

  • Bar AI Guidance Shifts Verification Duty Focus To Law Firms

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    The Bar Standards Board’s new guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, following two recent cases highlighting risks of misuse, sends a clear message to law firm leadership that firms’ operational processes and the conduct of those who supervise now sit within the regulatory frame, says Marcella Rich at Williams Lea.

  • Nonequity Partner Tier Presents Lawyers With Pros And Cons

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    While the nonequity partner model may offer law firms' management flexibility and be a genuine stepping stone for lawyers in some organizations, at others the tier functions more as an extended holding pattern whose uncertainty can cause frustration for ambitious lawyers, say Filippo Falchi and Portia White at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Covington's David Berman

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    David Berman, Covington's head of EMEA financial services, discusses how he perceived a gap in the market for practical financial regulatory advice, the challenges of advising Egypt on its new banking law, and how firms that neglect artificial intelligence governance do so at their peril.

  • Internal Investigation Strategy After Glencore Privilege Ruling

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    The recent High Court ruling in Aabar Holdings v. Glencore PLC confirms that legal privilege can extend to intraclient communications, materially improving the position of companies that design investigations carefully, define legal channels properly and maintain discipline in their internal communications, says Nicolas Groffman at Harligan.

  • Series

    Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Macfarlanes' Andrew Barton

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    Andrew Barton, head of the insurance team at Macfarlanes, discusses the challenges of conducting a transaction under Indian foreign direct investment rules, why the Draft Insurable Interest Bill should be followed through, and how the defined benefit pensions risk transfer space has become the fastest growing insurance market in the world.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From CRS' Sarah Wigington

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    Sarah Wigington, head of CRS' U.K. corporate team, discusses the challenges of conducting a joint venture with numerous moving parts that had to land at precisely the same moment, how simplification of corporate reporting and disclosure obligations would help midmarket businesses, and why ESG factors are now a threshold issue.

  • PE's Path In UK Legal Market Offers Playbook For US Firms

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    The U.K. offers 14 years' worth of data on private equity's involvement in the legal market, demonstrating for U.S. firms what worked, what didn’t and why, and illustrating several lessons about operational readiness, cultural fit and timing, says Tom Lenfestey at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Lack Of Associate Pay Progression May Leave Firms Exposed

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    Willkie’s recent salary increases for newly qualified lawyers in London made headline news, but the more important issue is how firms pay midlevel associates, since allowing pay progression to lag materially risks undermining the cohort firms rely on to sustain client relationships and train the next generation, says Adam Stocker at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Wedlake Bell's Adam Grant

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    Adam Grant, head of employment at Wedlake Bell, discusses the challenges of persuading a business to offer employees greater support when it makes large-scale redundancies, the need for new guidance on returning data subject access requests to their intended purpose, and how economic uncertainty with less job security may lead to more office presence.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Willkie's Gavin Gordon

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    Willkie's chair of European private equity, Gavin Gordon, discusses the challenges of conducting a merger across differing time zones and in a complex regulatory environment, how clients are frustrated by the growing impact of antitrust filings, and why there is a mismatch on valuation expectation between buyers and sellers.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From CRS' Dewdney Drew

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    Dewdney Drew, head of brand protection at Charles Russell Speechlys, discusses the challenges of working on a firm's rebrand under time pressure, how the process to simplify U.K. design protection is under way, and why lawyers need to harness the power of artificial intelligence.

  • What UK, EU Law Firms Can Do To Rectify Gender Inequality

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    The latest figures show that elite international law firms remain among the weakest performers on gender equality in the legal industry, demonstrating that equity is no longer external to the practice of law, and sits within the core responsibilities of those who steward trust in courts and governments, says Govindi Deerasinghe at Global 50/50.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Jones Day's Vica Irani

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    Vica Irani, co-leader of Jones Day's corporate practice, discusses the challenges of assisting a multinational client with divesting its Russian operations at the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, why greater harmonization across borders would be beneficial, and the increase in regulatory scrutiny for deals in terms of antitrust and foreign direct investment screening.

  • Why SRA Is Cracking Down On 'No Win, No Fee' Law Firms

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    Harriet Gamper at the Solicitors Regulation Authority discusses the regulator’s recent warning notice concerning "no win, no fee" arrangements in high-volume consumer claims, aimed at offering lawyers clarity in understanding their obligations following findings that many law firms were failing in their duty to protect clients' best interests.

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