Pulse UK

  • January 02, 2026

    Vos Recommends 2.3% Civil Case Hourly Rates Rise For 2026

    HM Courts & Tribunals Service has recommended that hourly fees for solicitors in England and Wales who work on civil cases rise by about 2.3%, marking the third consecutive year of increases.

  • January 02, 2026

    Kirsty Brimelow Takes Up Role As Bar Council Chair

    Kirsty Brimelow KC has officially become the new chair of the Bar Council, starting her term amid opposition across the legal profession to government plans to tackle mounting court backlogs by scrapping jury trials for some criminal cases.

  • January 02, 2026

    Linklaters' Paul Lewis Awarded OBE For Community Service

    Paul Lewis, firmwide managing partner at Linklaters, has been awarded an OBE for his community service work as he joins a group of lawyers recognized in the new year's honors list.

  • January 02, 2026

    Legal Industry Regulation Battles To Watch In 2026

    Regulation will remain front and center for the legal sector in 2026, with the Solicitors Regulation Authority under pressure to strengthen oversight, while litigation funders continue to fight to upend a decision they say has damaged their business. Here, Law360 explores what the new year could bring for the U.K. legal industry.

  • January 01, 2026

    BigLaw Leaders Tackle Growth, AI, Remote Work In New Year

    Rapid business growth, cultural changes caused by remote work and generative AI are creating challenges and opportunities for law firm leaders going into the New Year. Here, seven top firm leaders share what’s running through their minds as they lie awake at night.

  • January 01, 2026

    The Top 10 UK Commercial Litigation Cases To Watch In 2026

    Millions of pounds will be at stake when the U.K. Supreme Court hears the battle between businesses forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic and their insurers over furlough deductions.

  • January 01, 2026

    UK Legal Sector Braces For M&A Surge, AI Boom In 2026

    The year ahead is set to accelerate the transformation of the legal sector, with developments including a surge in mergers and acquisitions and artificial intelligence moving beyond hype.

  • December 23, 2025

    ILFA Spotlight: CAC, Versaras And Westfleet Take Wins

    CAC Group, Versaras and Westfleet Advisors all took home prizes at the inaugural awards of the International Legal Finance Association for their achievements in the industry.

  • December 23, 2025

    ILFA Spotlight: Darrow Has Sights On $100M Revenue In 2026

    Legal violation detection platform Darrow, which was named most innovative legal technology provider at the inaugural International Legal Finance Association awards, aims to reach up to $100 million in revenue next year, its chief revenue officer told Law360 Pulse.

  • December 23, 2025

    AI And Mergers Reshape UK Legal Sector In 2025

    Artificial intelligence, a wave of transatlantic mergers and the advance of private equity investment sent tremors through the legal sector in 2025, shaking up an industry that has been resistant to change.

  • December 23, 2025

    Ex-Rosenblatt Firm Loses Appeal Over VC Co.'s £6M Legal Bill

    A London court has held that Winros Partnership, formerly known as Rosenblatt Solicitors, can't force an investment company to pay its £6 million ($8 million) legal bill because the law firm chose to ignore a contractual provision designed to allow it to recover the money.

  • December 23, 2025

    Lawyer Loses Appeal For Boosted Redundancy Payout

    An Edinburgh appeals tribunal has rejected a lawyer's quest for a higher payout after he proved that a compliance business botched his redundancy process, upholding an earlier ruling that he would have lost his job regardless.

  • December 23, 2025

    Employees To Get Extra Legal Help Through £20M UK Funding

    A new U.K. government funding worth approximately £20 million ($27 million) will help employees get legal help in a bid to increase access to justice, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.

  • December 22, 2025

    ILFA Spotlight: Addleshaw, Hausfeld Nab UK Firm Honors

    Addleshaw Goddard and Hausfeld picked up prizes at the inaugural awards ceremony of the International Legal Finance Association as use of litigation finance in disputes and competition claims rose.

  • December 22, 2025

    ILFA Spotlight: Boies, Kobre, Irell, McDonald Hopkins Saluted

    The International Legal Finance Association has honored Kobre & Kim LLP, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Irell & Manella LLP and McDonald Hopkins LLC for trailblazing work in high-stakes litigation and facilitating litigation funding deals.

  • December 22, 2025

    Burges Salmon Denies Negligence In Fund Set-Up Dispute

    Burges Salmon LLP has denied an investment banker's allegations it negligently led him into a "hopeless" case, telling a London court it advised the financier he was likely to lose his claim that he was excluded from the creation of an investment strategy.

  • December 22, 2025

    Winston Taylor Will Eye Growth Beyond $1.75B Merger

    The architects of the deal to create a major new transatlantic player called Winston Taylor say that "there's no finishing point" to their plans for expansion as they signal an openness to more deals and even external investment.

  • December 22, 2025

    Insurer Travelers Denies Liability For £6M Axiom Client Funds

    Insurer Travelers has argued at a London court that it is not liable under its policy with Axiom Ince for £5.8 million ($7.8 million) that a home buyer lost when the now-collapsed law firm misappropriated his cash during a property deal.

  • December 22, 2025

    BHP Switches To HSF Kramer Guidance In Mariana Dam Case

    BHP has replaced Slaughter and May with HSF Kramer to represent it in the £36 billion ($48 billion) Mariana dam litigation after a London court found the miner liable for the collapse that triggered Brazil's worst environmental disaster.

  • December 19, 2025

    Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader's Divergent Paths Led To Deal

    The blockbuster combination between Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP announced this past week involves two law firms that have charted very different paths in recent years. Here, a look at what events led up to the firms joining together at the deal table.

  • December 19, 2025

    Hogan Lovells Seeks Repeat Merger Success With Cadwalader

    The chief executive tapped to lead what will be known as Hogan Lovells Cadwalader said Friday that the deal that will create the world's fifth‑largest law firm by revenue is set to succeed, promising to repeat the success of the merger that originally founded Hogan Lovells.

  • December 19, 2025

    FCA's AML Role May Overburden Barristers, Bar Council Says

    The Bar Council has warned that making the Financial Conduct Authority the sole anti-money laundering watchdog for professional services firms could disproportionally hit barristers with more regulation and costs, calling on the government to tread carefully with any proposed increase in the financial regulator's powers.

  • December 19, 2025

    2 Temple Gardens Barrister Appointed To High Court

    A senior barrister at 2 Temple Gardens who practices in commercial and common law matters has been appointed as a High Court judge, assigned to the King's Bench Division.

  • December 19, 2025

    Yodel Wins Share Dispute With Ex-Director Over Forged Docs

    Delivery company Yodel defeated a claim alleging it owed a controlling stake in it to two companies controlled by its former owner, as a London judge ruled Friday that he had probably created false share warrant documents to support the claim.

  • December 19, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen the designer of an 88-facet diamond bring a copyright claim against a luxury watch retailer, collapsed firm Axiom Ince bring legal action against the solicitors' watchdog, and the Post Office hit with compensation claims from two former branch managers over their wrongful convictions during the Horizon information technology scandal.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights: Travers Smith's Louisa Chambers

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

  • Russia Sanctions Spotlight: Divergent Approaches Emerge

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    With indications of greater divergence and uncertainty in Russia sanctions policy between the U.K., European Union and U.S., there are four general principles and a range of compliance steps that businesses should bear in mind when assessing the impact of a potentially shifting landscape, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Practice Leader Insights From Morgan Lewis' Nick Bolter

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    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.

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