Pulse UK

  • October 23, 2025

    Law Firms Could Face £1.4B Bill Under Rumored Tax Change

    Law firms' partners face paying up to £1.4 billion ($1.9 billion) more in tax each year if the government imposes a new tax on limited liability partnerships to help plug a hole in Britain's finances, UHY Hacker Young said Thursday.

  • October 23, 2025

    Squire Patton Hit With £3.7M Claim Over Tech Buyout Advice

    A software company has sued Squire Patton Boggs for £3.7 million ($4.9 million) in a London court, alleging that the law firm's faulty advice led to a dispute over intellectual property that was fundamental to its acquisition of a rival business.

  • October 23, 2025

    Ex-Clifford Chance Pro Hit With £8M Libel Claim By Barrister

    A barrister has sued legal commentator Dan Neidle and his think tank for £8 million ($10.6 million), accusing the former Clifford Chance partner of engaging in a vendetta against him, according to court filings that have now been made public.

  • October 23, 2025

    Albion Chambers Barrister Tapped For High Court Post

    The government said Thursday that it has named as a High Court judge a senior criminal and regulatory barrister from Albion Chambers, who chaired an independent review into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by the Isle of Man government.

  • October 22, 2025

    Michelman & Robinson Opens First Overseas Office In London

    Los Angeles-based Michelman & Robinson LLP announced it has made its first expansion outside the U.S. with the launch of a London office.

  • October 22, 2025

    UK To Crack Down On Fake Immigration Lawyers

    The Home Office detailed plans to combat abuse in the immigration system on Wednesday by giving authorities new powers to confiscate the profits fake immigration lawyers make from providing unlawful advice.

  • October 22, 2025

    BHP Seeks To Block US Testimony In Pogust Goodhead Row

    BHP urged a judge Wednesday to prevent Pogust Goodhead, which represents thousands of claimants in a £36 billion ($48 billion) trial over a Brazilian dam disaster, from obtaining information from a U.S. court in order to support proposed litigation against the Australian mining giant.

  • October 22, 2025

    Lawyers Could See Probes Double As FCA Takes Over AML

    The decision to make the financial watchdog the sole regulator of AML and counter-terrorist financing for professional services providers could be "tricky" for lawyers in the short term, even as some experts predict it might ultimately help to simplify an overly complex regulatory regime.

  • October 22, 2025

    Email 'Did Not Cause' Barrister's Mistreatment, Stonewall Says

    An email complaining about a gender-critical barrister's tweets was not the cause of discrimination against her, LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall argued Wednesday as it fought her appeal to hold the organization liable.

  • October 22, 2025

    Kingsley Napley Hires 1st Chief Legal Officer From Mishcon

    Kingsley Napley has appointed a former Mishcon partner to serve as its chief legal officer, a newly-created board-level position.

  • October 22, 2025

    Oil Co. Loses £44M Costs Appeal Over Fraud At Top UK Court

    Britain's top court rejected on Wednesday an attempt by an energy company to change the currency of its £44 million ($59 million) costs bill after it committed fraud, with the justices calling the dispute a "sorry tale involving human greed and corrupt practices."

  • 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. 

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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