Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Pulse UK
-
July 04, 2024
Eversheds Weighs Shuttering Beijing Office Amid KWM Deal
Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP said on Thursday that it is weighing up the potential closure of its Beijing office, but stressed that it has yet to make a final decision.
-
July 04, 2024
Lender Hits Elite Law For £1.9M Over Alleged Loan Breach
A lender has sued Elite Law Solicitors after it allegedly failed to spot that its client was a fraud and did not secure necessary protections over a £1.9 million ($2.4 million) property loan, telling a court that this has left it unable to recover its cash.
-
July 04, 2024
Brabners Revenue Soars 18% To Almost £56M
Brabners became the latest English law firm to reveal a leap in revenue in its latest results on Thursday, with income soaring to £55.6 million ($70.9 million), reflecting the optimistic start to the financial results season for legal firms in the U.K.
-
July 04, 2024
HCR Law's Insurance Unit Triples In Size Since 2022 Launch
The insurance and risk division of HCR Legal LLP said Thursday that the specialist practice has tripled in size since it was set up in 2022, growing from four to 12 members.
-
July 03, 2024
Ex-Post Office Chair Says Legal Review Buried On Advice
The former chair of the U.K.'s Post Office told a London inquiry Wednesday that he had not shared a legal review of prosecutions of subpostmasters due to advice that it would be legally privileged, despite warnings in the report that some of the convictions may have been unsafe.
-
July 03, 2024
SRA Move On CILEX Sparks War Of Words Among Watchdogs
The decision by the solicitors' watchdog to oversee members of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has ignited an existential crisis among other legal sector regulators, who are fervently resisting the move.
-
July 03, 2024
HFW On Hunt For Partners After 17% Spike In Profits
Holman Fenwick Willan LLP on Wednesday set its sights on "aggressively" hiring partners after revealing that its profits rose 16.5% over the past year to a record £75.4 million ($96.3 million).
-
July 03, 2024
Top UK Court To Define 'Payment' For Lawyer Fee Disputes
The U.K.'s highest court is set to rule on the meaning of "payment" for determining when the clock starts ticking for clients to challenge solicitors' fees as part of a personal injury claim row with an English firm heard by justices on Wednesday.
-
July 03, 2024
Dechert To Close Offices In Beijing, Hong Kong, Chicago
Dechert LLP is the latest BigLaw firm to announce it is dissolving operations in Beijing and Hong Kong, and the Philadelphia-founded firm also plans to close its 12-year-old Chicago office, a Dechert spokesperson told Law360 Pulse on Wednesday.
-
July 03, 2024
Clifford Chance's Newcastle Chief Steps Down
The head of the Newcastle office of Clifford Chance LLP has left the firm after a six-and-a-half-year stint at the helm, the Magic Circle firm said Wednesday.
-
July 03, 2024
Fieldfisher Revenues Jump 10% Off UK, Ireland Growth
Fieldfisher LLP became the latest law firm to reveal a leap in revenue in the last financial year on Wednesday, with income climbing 10% to £359 million ($456 million) against a backdrop of European expansion.
-
July 02, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Expands Asia Offerings With Singapore Office
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has expanded its international offerings by opening a new office location in Singapore, the firm said Tuesday.
-
July 02, 2024
Osborne Clarke Hands Out Bonus After 19% Leap In Revenue
Osborne Clarke LLP said Tuesday it has paid out a 5% profit share bonus to its U.K. staff after its international revenue climbed 19% to €525 million ($564 million) in the last financial year.
-
July 02, 2024
Bird & Bird Partners With AI Assistant Leya
International law firm Bird & Bird LLP on Tuesday announced a six-month trial integration of the artificial intelligence legal assistant Leya, during which the latter's technology will be used across multiple offices.
-
July 09, 2024
Latham Hires Finance Trio In London From Cahill Gordon
Latham & Watkins LLP has recruited a trio of partners from Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP as it continues to grow its banking practice in London.
-
July 02, 2024
Barristers Fight For Fees Stemming From Adjourned Trial
Two barristers on Tuesday urged a London appellate court to overturn a ruling that they were not entitled to the majority of approximately £150,000 ($190,140) in fees that a client had agreed to pay because the £20 million trial at which they were due to represent her was adjourned.
-
July 02, 2024
Ex-Bird & Bird Pro Fights To Toss Sexual Misconduct Case
A former Bird & Bird LLP partner asked the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal on Tuesday to throw out allegations of sexual misconduct toward two junior female colleagues, arguing that the sector's watchdog was prosecuting him after "egregious" delays and an "inadequate" investigation.
-
July 09, 2024
Lawrence Stephens Hires 2 Directors From Rosling King
Ann Ebberson and Alex Edwards have joined Lawrence Stephens Ltd. from Rosling King LLP as directors on the real estate finance and banking teams.
-
July 02, 2024
Kennedys Hits Revenue Record Of £384M, Jumps 18% In UK
Kennedys said on Tuesday that its revenue grew 17% to reach a record £384 million ($483 million) for its last financial year, with its expanding U.S. leg a key driver of the growth.
-
July 01, 2024
Solicitor's COVID Letters Had 'No Legal Merit,' SRA Says
The Solicitors Regulation Authority accused a solicitor at a London tribunal Monday of wrongly sending threatening legal letters to bodies for his clients who refused the COVID-19 vaccine, saying the letters had "no legal merit."
-
July 01, 2024
Top Real Estate Atty Leaves Willkie To Co-Lead Weil Practice
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP's former real estate department co-chair and New York co-managing partner, known for high-profile work that includes the largest real estate investment trust initial public offering in U.S. history, is becoming co-leader of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP's real estate practice, the firm announced Monday.
-
July 08, 2024
Signature Litigation Opens In Frankfurt With Mayer Brown Duo
Signature Litigation LLP announced it launched a new office Monday in Frankfurt, with two former Mayer Brown LLP partners joining the dispute resolution firm to spearhead its operations in Germany.
-
July 01, 2024
Solicitors' Watchdog Board Green Lights Regulation Of CILEX
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is edging closer to taking over regulating chartered legal executives after its board gave the controversial plan the green light — though hurdles still remain.
-
July 01, 2024
London Partner Hires Continue Strong In First Half Of 2024
London law firms continued to hire partners at pace in the first half of 2024, driven by the anticipation of lower interest rates and a resurgence in deal-making activities.
-
July 01, 2024
Paul Weiss Joins Fight For Junior Talent, Ups Pay To ��180k
Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP said Monday that it will pay newly qualified lawyers in London £180,000 ($228,000), matching other U.S. rivals in the British capital in significantly boosting remuneration for their most junior lawyers.
Expert Analysis
-
Reflecting On The Benefits Of Direct Access To Barristers
At close to 20 years since public access to barristers came into being, it is a good time to take a look at its impact on the U.K. legal profession and the more collaborative approach between barristers and solicitors we have seen develop since its introduction, say Amani Mohammed and Sean Gould at Westgate Chambers.
-
How Apprenticeships Are Transforming The Legal Sector
As more legal employers recognize the benefits of creating apprenticeship opportunities, they are likely to grow in popularity, ensuring that the best and brightest minds are available to meet the challenges of an ever complex and changing legal environment, says Aisha Saeed at Addleshaw Goddard.
-
Pitfalls Lawyers Should Avoid When Correcting Their Mistakes
When solicitors make mistakes that cause prejudice to their clients, they will need to carefully consider whether they should try to fix their mistake, as trying to put things right may expose them to potential regulatory action, says Andrew Pavlovic at CM Murray.
-
Translating The Plan For English-Language German Courts
The German Ministry of Justice is aiming to do away with the mistakes of the past and overhaul the German civil procedure in order to accommodate English-language disputes, but the success of these proceedings will depend very much on factors that the proposal does not address, say Jan Schaefer and Rüdiger Morbach at King & Spalding.
-
A Breakdown Of The SRA's Proposed New Fining Powers
Thanks to the Solicitors Regulation Authority's pending new fining framework, which includes guidance on unsuitable fines and a fixed penalties scheme for low-level breaches, firms can expect to see more disciplinary findings leading to an SRA fine rather than referral to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, say Graham Reid and Shanice Holder at RPC.
-
Russian Bank Ruling Clarifies UK Sanctions Regime
The recent U.K. High Court judgment of PJSC National Bank Trust v. Mints, a case brought by two Russian banks, is significant in clarifying that the U.K. sanctions regime does not deprive designated persons of their fundamental common law right to bring a claim in an English court, despite their assets being frozen, says Zoe O’Sullivan KC at Serle Court.
-
Preparing For EU's Pay Gap Reporting Directive
An agreement has been reached on the European Union Pay Transparency Directive, paving the way for gender pay gap reporting to become compulsory for many employers across Europe, introducing a more proactive approach than the similar U.K. regime and leading the way on new global standards for equal pay, say attorneys at Lewis Silkin.
-
Has The Liberalization Of Legal Services Achieved Its Aims?
Although there is still some way to go, alternative business structures are now an increasingly prominent feature of the legal services landscape, and clients can expect greater choice, improved quality and more manageable costs, as was intended by this shake-up of the profession's regulatory frameworks 15 years ago, says Dana Denis-Smith at Obelisk Support.
-
How Overseas Property Verification Poses Risks To Attorneys
The recently launched register of overseas entities, requiring verification of foreign owners hoping to purchase U.K. property, could expose attorneys to criminal prosecution, professional negligence claims and reputational damage if they do not complete these checks to the required standard, which nevertheless remains murky, says Harriet Holmes at Thirdfort.
-
What To Expect From UK's New Economic Crime Bill
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency bill, if passed, will reform aspects of Companies House and strengthen government anti-money laundering efforts, but it is also raising questions about how new information sharing requirements will affect businesses, say attorneys at Signature Litigation.
-
A Trusted Cybersecurity Framework Is Imperative For Lawyers
The recent increased risk of cyberattacks has a number of profound implications for law firms, and complying with government guidance by embedding a cyber-savvy culture and adhering to a security framework will enable lawyers to add extra layers of defense and present their clients with higher levels of protection, says Marion Stewart at Red Helix.
-
Opinion
Law School Admissions Shouldn't Hinge On Test Scores
The American Bar Association recently granted law schools some latitude on which tests it can consider in admissions decisions, but its continued emphasis on test scores harms student diversity and is an obstacle to holistic admissions strategies, says Aaron Taylor at AccessLex.
-
New FCA Listing Rules May Start Regulatory Shift On Diversity
Listed companies that fail to meet new Financial Conduct Authority rules for minimum executive board diversity currently risk reputational damage mainly through social scrutiny, but should prepare for potential regulatory enforcement actions, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
-
What UK Professional Regulation Looks Like In A #MeToo Era
Two recent rulings from U.K. courts and tribunals reveal the increasingly shifting line between professional misbehavior and bad actions that would previously have been considered outside the scope of professional regulators, says Andrew Katzen at Hickman & Rose.
-
How Immune Are State Agents From Foreign Courts?
The ongoing case of Basfar v. Wong is the latest to raise questions about the boundary between commercial or private activity and the exercise of sovereign authority that shields state agents from foreign judicial scrutiny — and the U.K. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in the matter will likely bring clarity on exceptions to the immunity doctrine, say Andrew Stafford QC and Oleg Shaulko at Kobre & Kim.