Pulse UK

  • July 22, 2026

    Orrick Hires 3 Project Finance Pros From Willkie In Paris

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP said Wednesday that it has hired a team of three project finance lawyers from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP to boost its energy and infrastructure practice in Paris.

  • July 22, 2026

    Lawfront Sues Slater Heelis Partners For £4.6M Over Sale

    Legal services group Lawfront has filed a £4.6 million ($6.2 million) claim over its acquisition of Slater Heelis, arguing that five of the law firm's partners at the time made false promises about the value of its book of work during the purchase.

  • July 22, 2026

    SRA Defends Access To Privileged Files In Carter-Ruck Row

    The solicitors' watchdog told the High Court on Wednesday that it is not seeking unfettered power to override clients' legal professional privilege, but said limited access to privileged documents is essential if it is to investigate solicitors accused of professional misconduct.

  • July 22, 2026

    Clifford Chance Profits Top £1B As Dealmaking Rebounds

    Clifford Chance said Wednesday that partnership profits topped £1 billion ($1.3 billion) for the first time, helped by a recovery in dealmaking and growth in the U.S., as the firm continued to expand in the world's largest legal market.

  • July 22, 2026

    PE-Backed Orwins Adds Clarke Mairs As It Targets Expansion

    Legal services group Orwins said Wednesday that it has acquired commercial law firm Clarke Mairs as it aims to double in size over the next two years.

  • July 22, 2026

    Spy Tactic Costs Billionaire Asset Freeze In $415M Fraud Case

    A London appeals court has lifted a worldwide freezing order on a man accused of defrauding a Mexican billionaire out of more than $415 million, ruling that Salinas had obtained privileged information from his opponent's solicitor by "unlawful as well as abusive" means.

  • July 22, 2026

    Norton Rose Says Turnover Hit £763.5M After Integration

    Norton Rose said Wednesday that its turnover jumped to more than £763 million ($1.02 billion) after it integrated operations in Australia and Europe, the Middle East and Asia in 2025.

  • July 21, 2026

    Ex-Solicitor Says SFO Errors Tainted Tipping Off Conviction

    A former solicitor sought Tuesday to overturn his conviction for tipping off a client about a Serious Fraud Office anti-money laundering investigation, arguing at a London appeals court that disclosure errors in the original trial rendered the process unjust.

  • July 21, 2026

    Woodville Forced Into Administration As Finance Claims Frozen

    Litigation funder Woodville Consultants Ltd. has been forced into administration amid a freeze in the motor finance complaints it had been backing, Crowell & Moring LLP said Tuesday.

  • July 21, 2026

    DAC Beachcroft's Turnover Hits £385M Amid Global Push

    DAC Beachcroft said Tuesday that its profit rose by a fifth and turnover increased to £385 million ($515 million) in a record-breaking financial year amid strong performance across the firm.

  • July 21, 2026

    Alex Norris Takes Justice Brief Amid Jury Trial Reform Fight

    As Alex Norris becomes the first non-lawyer tasked with overseeing the Ministry of Justice in almost a decade, he inherits responsibility for a system strained by court backlogs and contentious reform fights.

  • July 21, 2026

    Charles Russell Says Ex-Footballer Client Is 'Harassing' Firm

    A former Premier League footballer attempted Tuesday to save his resurrected negligence case against Charles Russell Speechlys over advice given about a multimillion-pound dispute with his brother.

  • July 21, 2026

    Carter-Ruck Fights SRA Bid For Privileged Client Files

    Carter-Ruck and businessman Mohamed Amersi urged the High Court on Tuesday to rule that the solicitors' watchdog cannot compel law firms to hand over documents protected by clients' legal professional privilege during misconduct investigations.

  • July 21, 2026

    Orrick Beats $74M Negligence Claim Over Carlyle Deal Advice

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP defeated a Nigerian tourism company's $74 million professional negligence claim over legal advice on an investment deal with The Carlyle Group, as a London judge ruled Tuesday that the claim was time-barred.

  • July 21, 2026

    Gateley CEO Quits For Health Reasons, Biz Consults On Jobs

    Gateley (Holdings) PLC said Tuesday that its chief executive is stepping down for health-related reasons as the professional services group separately conducts a redundancy consultation involving up to 40 staff members in a bid to improve its profit margin.

  • July 21, 2026

    Property Group Settles £13M Fraud Recovery Claim

    A property development group has settled its claim against a property tycoon's brother who it alleged had transferred his shares from an investment venture to frustrate attempts to recover money funneled from a £13 million ($17.5 million) fraud.

  • July 21, 2026

    Travers Smith Posts Record £229M Turnover

    Travers Smith reported on Tuesday that turnover has recovered to hit an all-time high of almost £230 million ($308 million) and that revenue per lawyer and partner profits also reached record levels, driven by growth across its operations.

  • July 21, 2026

    Linklaters Posts 11% PEP Gain As US Growth Accelerates

    Linklaters LLP said Tuesday that profit per equity partner rose by more than 11% as the firm continued to push for growth in the lucrative U.S. market, although the increase was slower than the growth it recorded a year earlier.

  • July 20, 2026

    Lathrop GPM To Expand In Calif., NY, UK With IP Firm Combo

    Lathrop GPM LLP announced Monday that it has agreed to combine with intellectual property firm HG Law at the start of January, which would expand its capabilities in the Silicon Valley market and give the firm a presence in New York and London.

  • July 20, 2026

    Baker McKenzie Ups NQ Pay To £150K In Its London Office

    Baker McKenzie has boosted the earnings of newly qualified solicitors in its London office to £150,000 ($201,378), becoming the latest firm to match the Magic Circle after Macfarlanes LLP announced an increase earlier in July.

  • July 20, 2026

    'Devious' Castle Fraud Solicitor Hid Assets, Prosecutor Says

    A solicitor imprisoned for defrauding a client of £10.3 million ($13.8 million) in a sham deal to buy a Scottish castle has enough hidden assets to pay back his victim, a prosecutor told a confiscation hearing Monday.

  • July 20, 2026

    Carter-Ruck Challenge Threatens SRA Misconduct Cases

    Carter-Ruck's upcoming challenge to the Solicitors Regulation Authority's demand for documents that the law firm says are protected by legal professional privilege could reshape how the SRA investigates SLAPPs and the misuse of client funds — even if the regulator wins.

  • July 20, 2026

    Burnham Vows 'Circuit Breaker' Moment As He Becomes PM

    Andy Burnham succeeded Keir Starmer as British prime minister on Monday, pledging to end four decades of private sector-led policy by expanding state control over people's well-being and the economy.

  • July 20, 2026

    Mishcon To Move To Bigger London Office In 2029

    Mishcon de Reya LLP said Monday that it will relocate to a larger office in London in 2029 as it pursues its long-term growth plans.

  • July 20, 2026

    MoJ Opens £3.6M Tender For Next Phase Of LawtechUK

    The Ministry of Justice has said a grant of up to £3.6 million ($4.8 million) is available for a new contractor to take over the next phase of LawtechUK, an initiative designed to improve access to technology in the legal sector.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Points For Cos. To Note When Replacing Their GCs

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    While it may seem beneficial for general counsel to hire their own successor, firms should instead regularly assess succession plans to ensure that they remain aligned with organizational goals, and foster an environment that values innovation and fresh perspectives to ensure a more impartial process, says Jerry Temko at Major Lindsey.

  • SRA Whistleblower Protections Will Test Legal Sector Culture

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    The Solicitors Regulation Authority's recent extension of whistleblower protections to law firm employees helps close the long-standing gap between professional and ethical obligations, but it does not fully resolve the cultural and structural barriers to reporting legal industry misconduct, says Georgia Learoyd at Howard Kennedy.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Norton Rose's Jonathan Herbst

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    Jonathan Herbst, Norton Rose's global head of financial services, discusses the importance of encouraging a team as a whole, how increasingly complex regulation means that deals come down to managing risk across multiple regimes, and why incremental short-term goals are just as important as longer-term plans.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Baker McKenzie's Andy Moody

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    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.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Mishcon's Victoria Pigott

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    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.

  • AI Makes Law Firm Change Management A Client Issue

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    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.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Broadfield's Sinéad Lester

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    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.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Mayer Brown's Miriam Bruce

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    Miriam Bruce, Mayer Brown's head of business protection, discusses how being promoted on the eve of the pandemic was a baptism of fire in leadership, the challenges of multidimensional disputes, and why lawyers should invest in relationships, not just technical knowledge.

  • 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.

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