FCA charges City lawyer with insider dealing over maternity brand acquisition July 8, 2026 The financial watchdog has charged a City lawyer with five counts of alleged insider dealing for trading in the assets of maternity fashion brand Seraphine Group using confidential information he gained while working on the company’s acquisition. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said Richard Bloomfield, 38, worked on an acquisition of the City-based maternity clothing company [...]
Motor finance war of words heats up as City watchdog blasts law firm’s motives July 8, 2026 A blistering war of words has broken out between the City watchdog and the firms leading the consumer legal challenge to its £9bn motor finance scheme. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has urged the Upper Tribunal to throw out the case entirely as it slammed Courmacs Legal and its client Consumer Voice, for a serious [...]
Senior exec layoffs surge as firms brace for major employment law change July 8, 2026 Senior exec exits from top businesses have surged since the start of the year as firms quietly clear out highly-paid staff before fresh costs associated with the Employment Rights Act changes come into force. Law firms have seen a “massive uptick in inquiries” from top staff exploring their legal options after being told they face [...]
Lufthansa and aviation rivals clash in London court over power outlet profits July 7, 2026 German airline Lufthansa is back in the London courts this week over its long-running patent infringement dispute with a US, a Japanese, and a French aircraft manufacturer. The legal battle stems back to 2017, when aircraft maintenance group Lufthansa Technik alleged that Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems, Panasonic, and Safran infringed its patent for high-voltage aircraft [...]
Prince Harry defeated in phone hacking legal battle against Daily Mail publisher July 7, 2026 Prince Harry and a group of six other high-profile household names have lost a long-running legal battle against Associated Newspapers over allegations of illegal information gathering, including phone hacking, after an 11-week trial earlier this year. Mr Justice Nicklin said in a 436-page judgment the group of claimants had failed to prove the allegations and [...]
Fifa World Cup 2026: The tournament of IP infringement and touts July 4, 2026 With the World Cup well underway, Ben Travers explains why IP laws are being ignored? Much has been written of the economics of the 2026 Fifa World Cup, which looks set to be the biggest yet with tens of billions in revenue on the table. With the global sports industry representing potentially trillions of dollars [...]
City watchdog suspends parts of £9bn motor finance scheme after industry backlash July 2, 2026 The UK’s financial watchdog has suspended parts of its under-fire £9bn motor finance redress scheme amid fierce backlash from industry and consumer groups. In a statement on Thursday, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the suspension will require firms to continue preparations for its scheme but avoid work that “may need to be repeated” if [...]
EY grad sacked down under for allegedly accessing PM’s bank account June 30, 2026 A junior employee at Big Four accounting giant EY Australia has been sacked over allegations he and another man accessed prime minister Anthony Albanese’s personal bank account. Both men faced court on Tuesday over the breach which, according to the Australian federal police, took place when the EY graduate was on secondment at the Commonwealth [...]
Housebuilding giants hit with £4.5bn lawsuit for allegedly overcharging buyers June 30, 2026 Seven of Britain’s largest housebuilders are facing a class action lawsuit worth a potential £4.5bn in damages over allegations they overcharged 700,000 buyers of new-build properties. Mark McLaren, former parliamentary and legal affairs manager at consumer group Which?, is planning on launching the claim against FTSE 100 firms Barratt Redrow and Persimmon, FTSE 250 companies [...]
Luminance’s boss: Why building our own AI beats ‘rented intelligence’ June 25, 2026 Amid a surge of legal AI tech firms coming to market, concerns are emerging about ‘rented intelligence,’ with some companies criticised for simply putting their logos on technology developed by others. In contrast, Luminance insists it is focused on the bigger picture, betting its future on AI models it has built in-house. Speaking to City [...]