Pulse UK

  • September 18, 2026

    SRA's New Whistleblower 'Red Alert Line' Gets 85 Calls

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority has received 85 calls since lawyers and law firm staff got a safer route to flag suspected wrongdoing without risking retaliation from their employer, as the watchdog grapples with a rise in misconduct reports and investigations.

  • September 18, 2026

    Superyacht Owner Seeks To Limit Payouts Over Fatal Sinking

    The owner and manager of a superyacht that sank off the Sicilian coast, killing technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his Clifford Chance LLP lawyer, have filed a claim in London aimed at limiting what they could owe in damages to individuals affected by the sinking.

  • September 18, 2026

    Bar Council Urges Guidance To Broaden Silk Applicant Pool

    The Bar Council called for more practice-specific guidance on Friday from the body responsible for selecting King's Counsel to encourage a wider range of barristers to apply for silk.

  • September 18, 2026

    Meet The Ex-Footballer Testing FIFA's Labor Dispute Rulebook

    Not many lawyers can boast a past career as a professional footballer — and even fewer can say that they tested the limits of FIFA's dispute resolution framework in a novel case of employment law in Ghana.

  • September 18, 2026

    UK Law Society To Vote On Lifting President's Pay Cap

    The Law Society has said its members will decide in October whether to scrap a rule that prevents its president from earning more than a district judge in England and Wales, whose salary currently tops out at just over £144,000 ($192,500).

  • September 18, 2026

    Lawyers Can Claim Private Rates In Legal Aid Contempt Case

    A solicitor can recover all the legal costs of defending herself from contempt proceedings brought by a puppy farm after an appeals court held Friday that her fee agreement with her defense lawyers meant she could claim more than the legal aid rate.

  • September 18, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen Victoria's Secret and Thomas Pink file competing IP claims, more than 1,000 retail consumers launch a group action against Binance, Baker Hughes targeted in a commercial claim by its former Russian subsidiary and university students hit four British institutions with breach of contract claims over pandemic-era closures.

  • September 18, 2026

    Walker Morris Hires Ex-DLA Piper UK Capital Markets Co-Head

    Walker Morris LLP said Friday that it has hired DLA Piper's former U.K. equity capital markets co-head to strengthen its capabilities in complex transactions.

  • September 17, 2026

    Canford Buys Property Specialist In 1st Deal Since PE Backing

    Litigation specialist Canford Law Ltd. has acquired property legal services provider PDC Group to form Canford Group, marking its first bolt-on acquisition after London-based private equity firm Queen's Park Equity completed a management buyout of the business.

  • September 17, 2026

    Mayer Brown Adds 2 Private Placement Pioneers From MoFo

    Mayer Brown LLP has hired two specialists from Morrison Foerster LLP to lead its cross-border private placements practice within the firm's global capital markets group in London.

  • September 17, 2026

    Freshfields IP Litigator Joins Carpmaels & Ransford

    Carpmaels & Ransford LLP said Thursday it has hired an intellectual property litigator from Freshfields LLP, bolstering its ranks with expertise in both London's courts and the Unified Patent Court.

  • September 17, 2026

    Pinsent Masons Wins Mandate For Universal's UK Theme Park

    Pinsent Masons LLP has been appointed to support the construction of Universal's first theme park in England, which is expected to generate almost £50 billion ($66.7 billion) for the U.K. economy by 2055.

  • September 17, 2026

    DWF Hires Major Injury Team From DAC Beachcroft

    DWF LLP has hired five lawyers — including the former president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers — from rival DAC Beachcroft LLP to bolster its major injury and casualty practice in Northern England.

  • September 17, 2026

    Sullivan & Cromwell Bolsters London M&A With Weil Duo

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP said Thursday that it has hired the co-head of Weil Gotshal's London office as well as another mergers and acquisitions partner, amid a series of senior departures from Weil on both sides of the Atlantic.

  • September 17, 2026

    Worker's 300-Page Appeal Prompts AI Warnings From Judge

    A deputy High Court judge warned parties in employment disputes Thursday that they are responsible for ensuring AI-generated documents are accurate and concise after a worker submitted a 300-page argument written using ChatGPT.

  • September 17, 2026

    Law Society Urges SRA To Pause Compliance Reforms

    The Law Society has called for the Solicitors Regulation Authority to delay implementing planned changes to rules on who can hold compliance officer positions in law firms, warning they could disproportionately affect small law firms and lack sufficient evidence they will protect the public.

  • September 17, 2026

    Law Firm Dodges Payout Despite Bad Advice To Investor

    An English judge has ruled that a law firm does not need to pay compensation for giving faulty advice to a property investment company that lost its £299,800 ($400,000) deposit on a failed development scheme.

  • September 17, 2026

    MoJ Disputes Tribunal Center Overrun, Won't Disclose Budget

    The Ministry of Justice has disputed claims that its new London Tribunals Centre went £164 million ($219.8 million) over budget — but it refused to disclose the project's original budget.

  • September 17, 2026

    Law Firms Can Be 'Partners' In AML Crackdown, FCA Says

    An executive director at the finance watchdog urged law firms on Thursday to work with law enforcement agencies to tackle economic crime, saying they played a crucial role in detecting and investigating the spread of dirty money.

  • September 17, 2026

    Law Society Calls For Targeted Litigation Funding Rules

    The Law Society urged the solicitors' watchdog on Thursday to avoid unnecessary regulatory burdens as it considers rules on third-party litigation funding.

  • September 16, 2026

    Baker McKenzie Names Longtime Partner As Arbitration Head

    Baker McKenzie has appointed one of the partners on its dispute resolution team to serve as the firm's global head of international arbitration, saying she brings more than two decades of experience representing clients in complex litigation.

  • September 16, 2026

    London Legal Tech Biz Hires Ex-Simmons & Simmons Partner

    Legal technology company Purple Build Studio Ltd. has hired an ex-partner and managing director of Simmons & Simmons LLP's former innovation business to help the company's law firm clients create their own artificial intelligence-based legal services and tools.

  • September 16, 2026

    Ex-Pogust Goodhead CEO Joins Firm Battling For BHP Case

    Thomas Goodhead, the former chief executive of Pogust Goodhead, has joined Bailey Glasser International, as the two firms continue to battle over who can represent the claimants in the £36 billion ($48.4 billion) litigation against BHP over Brazil's Mariana dam collapse.

  • September 16, 2026

    Law Firm Wins Appeal To Recalculate Fired Paralegal's Payout

    A law firm won an appeal Wednesday to have part of the £109,000 ($147,000) it owes a former paralegal for discrimination reconsidered, after a judge ruled that a lower tribunal failed to explain an award for aggravated damages. 

  • September 16, 2026

    Covington Hires Disputes Pro From Freshfields In London

    Covington & Burling LLP has boosted its London disputes practice with a former Freshfields LLP litigator, who said Wednesday that her new firm's capability in U.S. product liability cases tempted her to make the switch.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Wedlake Bell's Edward Starling

    Author Photo

    Edward Starling, Wedlake Bell's head of disputes, discusses how he endeavors to empower colleagues to excel, the challenges of improving client delivery and efficiency, and why junior lawyers need to be collaborative, commercial and creative.

  • Ruling On Witness AI Use Sends Lawyers Strong Message

    Author Photo

    The Court of Appeal's recent decision in R v. FGD clarifies that the requirement to preserve the integrity of evidence given in court extends to the use of artificial intelligence, providing a clear warning to practitioners that coaching witnesses by any means is prohibited, say lawyers at Dechert.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Shakespeare's Kamal Chauhan

    Author Photo

    Kamal Chauhan, head of regulatory at Shakespeare Martineau, discusses how being mentored by senior business leaders shaped his leadership style, why it’s an exciting time to be expanding his practice’s team, and the importance of having an acute understanding of your clients' needs.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Slaughter And May's Laura Houston

    Author Photo

    Laura Houston, co-head of technology cross-stream at Slaughter and May, discusses how her enthusiastic nature drew her to artificial intelligence, the challenges of managing a complex, technology-heavy cross-border transaction, and how there is scope for greater coherence in digital regulation across the European Union.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Morgan Lewis' Paul Denham

    Author Photo

    Paul Denham, head of Morgan Lewis' London finance practice group, discusses why working with nurturing partners helped him understand what good leadership should look like, how a Formula 1 financing transaction allowed a personal interest to cross into his day job, and the importance of being willing to adapt as markets change.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Shakespeare's David Vaughan

    Author Photo

    David Vaughan, international disputes lead at Shakespeare Martineau, discusses how a European upbringing and working across different firms have shaped his leadership abilities, the challenges of representing a sovereign in a foreign court, and how proper global networks are needed to deliver results in cross-border disputes.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Broadfield's James Duncan

    Author Photo

    James Duncan, Broadfield's head of U.K. funds, discusses how his journey to team leadership has had more twists than a Netflix thriller, how Brexit created a labyrinth of compliance, and why lawyers who thrive will be the ones who see change as both a challenge and an opportunity.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Mayer Brown's Ronan Mellon

    Author Photo

    Ronan Mellon, Mayer Brown's finance office practice lead, discusses how working in the City is like a parallel universe to growing up in rural Ireland, the challenges of working on a bond refinancing with a highly complex escrow arrangement, and why he is a fan of client secondments for junior lawyers.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Covington's Louise Freeman

    Author Photo

    Louise Freeman, Covington's co-chair of commercial litigation, discusses how she combines a longer-term outlook with a fast-paced approach, the challenges of representing clients from six different jurisdictions, and why junior lawyers need to be ready to adapt and pivot to where the work is.

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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here