Pulse UK

  • 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.

  • October 16, 2025

    EPO Says Lawyers Can Act In Disputes For Firms They Lead

    An appeals panel at the European Patent Office has said that lawyers can represent their firms in disputes, even if they are simultaneously managing the legal entity that they represent.

  • October 16, 2025

    Barrister Gains Chance To Revive Disability Claim

    A barrister who accused the head of an English criminal set of bullying in a disability discrimination claim was granted a chance on Thursday to challenge the ruling that he cannot sue because he was not disabled.

  • October 23, 2025

    White & Case Hires 2 Tax Pros From Paul Hastings In London

    White & Case has boosted its global tax practice by hiring two new partners from Paul Hastings in London.

  • October 16, 2025

    UK Monthly Legal Industry Revenue Hits 2nd Lowest In 2025

    The U.K. legal industry posted in 2025 the second-lowest monthly revenue figure it has recorded amid a typical seasonal performance and sluggishness in the country's economy, official statistics revealed Thursday.

  • October 16, 2025

    Broadfield Rolls Out AI Platform Harvey Across Global Offices

    Broadfield revealed Thursday that it selected the legal platform Harvey to power its technology-services delivery model, becoming the latest law firm to adopt the growing artificial intelligence tool.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Travers Smith's Louisa Chambers

    Author Photo

    Louisa Chambers, head of technology and commercial transactions at Travers Smith, discusses the challenges of working on a series of deals under time pressure, why data subject access requests can be a disproportionate burden on businesses, and how a career in technology and intellectual property will suit a lawyer with energy and creativity.

  • Practice Leader Insights From Bristows' Gareth Wadley

    Author Photo

    Gareth Wadley, head of the employment and immigration team at Bristows, discusses the challenges of resolving disputes where compensation is not the primary driver, why employment status law needs to better reflect the realities of modern work, and how neurodiversity is reshaping the workforce in a positive way.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Linklaters' Julia Schönbohm

    Author Photo

    Julia Schönbohm, global head of technology, media and telecommunications and intellectual property at Linklaters, discusses the challenges of deciding patent validity in complex litigation cases, why the enforcement of standard essential patents is an area in need of reform, and how the advent of the Unified Patent Court is having a significant impact on patent litigation in Europe.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Walker Morris' Andrew Rayment

    Author Photo

    Andrew Rayment, head of employment at Walker Morris, discusses the challenges of dismissing employees at a coal mine, how the proposed employment law reforms could create logistical burdens for businesses, and why prioritizing effectively is key for a lawyer.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Kennedys' Matthew Poli

    Matthew Poli, head of Kennedys' corporate M&A transactions team, discusses the challenges of rushing to close transactions ahead of possible budgetary changes, why reform is needed in the way a company's statutory books can be altered at Companies House, and that client service needs to be a lawyer's watchword.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Broadfield's Caroline Yarrow

    Author Photo

    Caroline Yarrow, head of Broadfield's employment practice, discusses the challenges of analyzing huge volumes of data in a service provider transfer of 2,000 employees, why the employment tribunal system needs urgent review, and why being pragmatic and commercial when giving advice is important.

  • 8 Ways Law Firms Can Prepare For SRA's AML Offensive

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Morgan Lewis' Nick Bolter

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Mayer Brown's James West

    Author Photo

    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.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Pulse UK archive.