Pulse UK

  • October 21, 2025

    Debevoise Taps Goodwin Team For Private Funds Group

    Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has hired a team of secondaries lawyers from Goodwin Procter LLP, including a partner who will co-chair the firm's private fund transactions group.

  • October 21, 2025

    Outgoing SRA Chief Criticizes Solicitors Holding Client Funds

    The chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority said Tuesday that the cost of regulation would decrease considerably if solicitors and their firms were no longer allowed to hold client money, as he prepares to step down after nearly 12 years at the helm.

  • October 21, 2025

    Trowers Accused Of Coercion In $1.1M Fees Dispute

    An affordable housing provider has denied owing Trowers & Hamlins LLP more than £800,000 ($1.1 million) for work between 2023 and 2024, arguing that the law firm had used "coercion" to secure approval for out-of-scope fees from an unauthorized individual. 

  • October 21, 2025

    Gender-Critical Barrister Fights To Blame Charity For Probe

    A barrister argued at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday that LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall should be held liable for a complaint by one of its employees that prompted a discriminatory probe into her online activity.

  • October 21, 2025

    SRA Chief Downplays Mazur Impact Ahead Of New Guidance

    The solicitors' watchdog promised Tuesday to publish more guidance for lawyers after a ruling on who can litigate fee disputes for law firms, as its chief said the decision didn't change the law but called into question how "diluted" litigation outfits might have become.

  • October 21, 2025

    FCA To Take Reins Of AML Regulation From SRA

    The government said Tuesday that the Financial Conduct Authority will become the sole regulator of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing for professional services providers, slashing the supervisory role of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and other industry watchdogs.

  • October 20, 2025

    Reed Smith Opens 3rd Middle East Office In Saudi Arabia

    Reed Smith LLP announced Monday that it has expanded its Middle East operations by launching an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the help of three new hires from local law firm Mahassni & Co.

  • October 20, 2025

    Firms In 'Purgatory' As Regulators Respond To Mazur Fallout

    A recent court ruling that trainees and paralegals cannot conduct litigation, even under supervision, has left some firms "in purgatory" as they grapple with a judgment that, lawyers warn, could make swathes of work unviable.

  • October 20, 2025

    HBOS Fraud Victims Hit Gunnercooke With Negligence Case

    A family driven into bankruptcy by a £245 million (£329 million) fraud against HBOS are suing Gunnercooke LLP, alleging that the firm caused them to lose more than £4 million by bungling a settlement with their bankruptcy trustee.

  • October 20, 2025

    Solicitor Fined For Missing Fraud, Money Laundering Signs

    A solicitor who admitted missing signs of potential fraud and money laundering when carrying out property transactions on behalf of two lenders was fined £15,000 ($20,000) by a tribunal on Monday.

  • October 20, 2025

    UK Firms' Fees On The Rise But AI Threatens Model, PwC Says

    The top 10 law firms whose headquarters are in the U.K. drove fee income growth in 2025 by raising rates by more than 10% — but sustaining increases above inflation might be difficult as generative AI threatens the billable hour model, a report published Monday warned.

  • October 20, 2025

    Clifford Chance Hires A Team Of 15 For Frankfurt Office

    Clifford Chance said Monday that it has hired a team of 15 lawyers for its Frankfurt office in Germany from rival White & Case, joining the law firms poaching large groups to make a rapid increase in their market share.

  • October 20, 2025

    Ex-Mishcon Duo Go For Gold With New Sports-Focused Firm

    Two former lawyers at Mishcon launched a new sports, commercial and technology-focused law firm on Monday, drawing on their experience in working on high-profile deals such as Marcus Rashford's blockbuster move to Barcelona.

  • October 20, 2025

    Morgan Lewis Boosts Life Sciences Team With Regulatory Pro

    Morgan Lewis has bolstered its life sciences capability with a regulatory veteran from Arnold & Porter as clients prepare for the European Union's regulatory overhaul of its medicines framework. 

  • October 17, 2025

    Law Society Publishes New Guidance After Mazur Ruling

    The professional body for solicitors in England and Wales has issued guidance to help lawyers after a shock ruling that unauthorized law firm staff cannot conduct litigation, even under supervision.

  • October 17, 2025

    UK Lawtech Sector Poised For Record-Breaking Year In 2025

    Investments in the U.K. legal tech sector surged to nearly £120 million ($161 million) in the first half of 2025, as technology continues to reshape how legal services are delivered, according to a new report.

  • October 17, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Johnson & Johnson hit with a £1 billion ($1.34 billion) claim for allegedly selling contaminated baby powder, Carter-Ruck bring a claim against the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and Hewlett Packard file a probate claim against the estate of Mike Lynch.

  • October 17, 2025

    Longtime Gowling WLG Lawyer Tapped As UK CEO

    Gowling WLG said Friday that Chris Towle will lead the firm's U.K. LLP from May 2026, succeeding the current chief executive, David Fennell, who is stepping down after 12 years in the job.

  • October 17, 2025

    Ex-Solicitor Gets 4 Years For £400K Theft From Clients

    A former solicitor and part-time judge who misappropriated almost £400,000 ($537,000) from clients between 2003 and 2020 has been sent to prison for four years.

  • October 17, 2025

    5 Questions For Excello Law COO Jo Losty

    London law firms are chasing talent with seemingly ever-increasing salaries, and here Excello Law's Jo Losty tells Law360 that there is room in the legal profession for an alternative to the traditional partnership model.

  • October 17, 2025

    The Revolving Door: US Firms Swap London Heavyweights

    Over the past week, Morgan Lewis expanded its life sciences and regulatory practice with a senior hire from Arnold & Porter, Paul Hastings lost top lawyers to White & Case and Milbank, and Gibson Dunn strengthened its energy and infrastructure M&A team with the addition of a partner from Latham & Watkins.

  • October 16, 2025

    UK Firm Macfarlanes Hires Ex-Mayer Brown Innovation Lead

    London-based law firm Macfarlanes LLP announced on Wednesday the hiring of Mayer Brown LLP's former head of innovation in Europe to lead its software-developing lawtech department.

  • October 16, 2025

    White & Case Names 45 New Partners In Promotions Round

    White & Case LLP said Thursday that it has promoted 45 lawyers from across the globe to its partnership, with its office in London accounting for a fifth of the cohort.

  • October 16, 2025

    Dentons Introduces Domestic Abuse Policy To Aid Employees

    Dentons has unveiled a new policy to extend support to staff who are experiencing domestic abuse.

  • October 16, 2025

    SRA Knew Of SSB Risks Years Before Firm's Fall, Report Says

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority was aware of risks to consumers connected with SSB Group Ltd.'s bulk cavity wall insulation claims as early as January 2019, yet only deemed the firm financially distressed in October 2023 — just months before its collapse.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Freshfields' Kathleen Healy

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    Kathleen Healy, partner in London and co-leader of Freshfields' people and reward practice in Asia, discusses the challenges of advising on employment and industrial relations during the financial crisis, why the employment tribunal system would benefit from additional funding, and how reforming noncompete clauses will create plenty of legal and practical issues.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From HSF Kramer's Sarah McNally

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    Sarah McNally, head of the global insurance disputes practice at HSF Kramer, discusses the challenges of orchestrating an expedited proceeding during the pandemic, how document disclosure in litigation is becoming a huge burden, and why insurance is all-pervasive, and accordingly interesting and varied.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Shakespeare Martineau's Phil Pepper

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    Phil Pepper, head of employment at Shakespeare Martineau, discusses the challenges of working on a high-stakes case that progressed to the European Court of Justice, the need for reform of employees' rights legislation when a business transfers, and why lawyers should develop soft skills early in their careers.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Forbes' Kella Bowers

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    Kella Bowers, head of insurance at Forbes, discusses the challenges of balancing the needs of the people and institutions involved in child sexual abuse exploitation cases, why a preaction protocol for abuse work is needed, and how insurance law can enable lawyers to work on many hard-hitting issues.

  • AI Risks Legal Sector Must Consider In Dispute Resolution

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    Artificial intelligence presents significant opportunities to lawyers and decision-makers navigating increasingly data-heavy legal proceedings, but two recent cases provide a sobering reminder of the potential for misuse, say lawyers at White & Case.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Harbottle & Lewis' Yvonne Gallagher

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    Yvonne Gallagher, head of employment at Harbottle & Lewis, discusses the challenges of dealing with clients' emotions, the significance of the widening scope for discrimination disputes, and why junior lawyers should focus on learning the basic contractual and statutory principles of employment law. 

  • How Cos. Can Straddle US-UK Split On Work Misconduct, DEI

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    With U.K. regulators ordering employers to do more to prevent nonfinancial misconduct and discrimination, and President Donald Trump ordering the rollback of similar American protections, global organizations should prioritize establishing consistent workplace conduct frameworks to help balance their compliance obligations across the diverging jurisdictions, say lawyers at WilmerHale.

  • Viral Comms Crises Create Dual Corp. Governance Threats

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    As legislative hearings increase in frequency and social media fuels their reputational impact, corporate legal teams face a new dual challenge that reflects a fundamental shift in accountability and demands new strategies, governance frameworks and organizational capabilities, says Joanna Ludlam at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Mishcon's Richard Leedham

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    Richard Leedham, head of the commercial litigation practice and insurance disputes team at Mishcon de Reya, discusses the challenges of coordinating a complex lawsuit during lockdown, why the remedy for damages for late insurance claim payments is practically worthless, and the importance of focusing on hard legal argument in class actions.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From V&E's David Berkery

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    David Berkery, head of aviation finance at Vinson & Elkins, discusses the challenges of striking an asset-backed securitization deal after the 2008 financial crisis rewrote the rules, why sustainable aviation goals need more government encouragement, and why young attorneys should focus on finding people they enjoy working with.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Gibson Dunn's Sandy Bhogal

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    Sandy Bhogal, co-chair of Gibson Dunn's tax practice, discusses the challenges of working on a complicated restructuring during the financial crisis, the difficulty of dealing with rules that are adjusted by nonbinding guidance, and why tax lawyers need to know the law as well as they possibly can.

  • SRA Ruling Raises Issue Of Jurisdiction Over Private Conduct

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    The recent Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruling, suspending a former Orrick associate after determining that a criminal offense of nonconsensual touching had occurred, serves as a cautionary tale that the regulator's jurisdiction may extend into private social settings, even where no abuse of power is proven, says Nick Brett at Brett Wilson.

  • Why Leveson Review Is Significant For UK Court System

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    Brian Leveson’s recent review into the U.K. criminal justice system calls for judge-only trials in serious and complex fraud cases, a controversial recommendation that is sparking debate over the future of jury trials, says Louise Hodges at Kingsley Napley.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From V&E's Ben Higson

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    Ben Higson, head of Vinson & Elkins' London transactions practice, discusses the complexities of knitting together businesses across the world into a joint venture, how warranty and indemnity insurance has altered the way deals are conducted, and why discipline and resilience are key for M&A lawyers.

  • Challenges Law Firms Face In Recruiting Competitor Teams

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    Since the movement of lawyer teams from a competitor can bring legal considerations and commercial risks into play, both the target and recruiting firms should be familiar with the relevant limited liability partnership deed to protect their business, say lawyers at Fox & Partners.

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