Private equity could soon own a piece of major US law firm November 12, 2025 US law firm McDermott Will & Schulte is reportedly exploring a complex restructuring to allow private equity firms to buy a stake in what could be a major move in the legal market. The proposed structure, as reported by the Financial Times, involves creating a managed service organisation (MSO), a separate entity in which outside [...]
Can Donald Trump really sue the BBC for $1bn? November 11, 2025 US President Donald Trump’s threat to sue the BBC for $1bn over the misleading edit of a Panorama programme has thrown the Corporation into crisis. But it’s unclear if the US President’s threats have any legal substance. Trump made his legal threat after a BBC memo was leaked, revealing that its Panorama programme had spliced [...]
UK businesses accelerate layoffs amid AI surge and legislative uncertainty November 6, 2025 The number of proposed mass dismissal programmes in the UK has risen by five per cent in the last year, driven by the ongoing Employment Rights Bill and the increasing adoption of AI. The number of proposed mass dismissal programmes rose to 3,715 in 2024/25, up from 3,546 in the previous year, according to data [...]
High Court rejects Square Mile Tom James’ legal case against former employee November 5, 2025 The High Court has dismissed a lawsuit to enforce restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations against a former employee of giant Tom James in the Square Mile. Tom James is the world’s largest manufacturer and retailer of customised clothing, and in the City, where some suits are priced at around £2,500, it tailors to working professionals. [...]
Ex-CEO faces trial for allegedly urging MPs to block Chinese-backed acquisition November 5, 2025 The High Court is set to hear a case over an allegation against a former interim CEO of an aerospace firm who is accused of secretly lobbying MPs and the UK government to sabotage a Chinese-backed deal. The case follows a national security review by the UK government into a deal that could have led [...]
Lawyers warn Reeves: Don’t destroy £60bn industry over LLPs gambit November 4, 2025 The legal industry has slammed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ proposed tax hike on LLPs, saying the move “could harm one of the UK’s most globally competitive sectors.” As she aims to fill the fiscal black hole, Reeves is reportedly targeting limited liability partnerships (LLPs) for a tax raid for the first time. The LLP model, used [...]
Court rejects Getty Images’ core claim in historic case against AI image generator November 4, 2025 The High Court dismissed Getty Images’ core intellectual property claims against an AI image generator, but also granted it limited historic success in a landmark UK lawsuit. US giant Getty Images sued UK-based AI image generator Stability AI, alleging it unlawfully copied and processed millions of copyrighted images to train its image generation technology. The [...]
Exclusive: Tory peer Lord Garnier joins Pillsbury amid London expansion November 4, 2025 Tory peer Lord Edward Garnier is joining US law firm Pillsbury as senior counsel, as it continues its expansion into the City, City AM can reveal. Lord Garnier KC, currently a member of the House of Lords, served as Solicitor General under David Cameron. He was MP for Harborough from 1992 to 2017. The barrister, [...]
Minimum wage hike puts pressure on professional starting salaries November 3, 2025 With Rachel Reeves poised to raise the minimum wage in her Autumn Budget, mid-tier professional services firms are bracing for significant impacts across the sector. As reported last week, the Budget will likely see employers forced to raise workers’ wages from £12.21 to at least £12.70 an hour. However, for businesses, especially those in the [...]
Businesses face new ‘right to work’ compliance burden as gig economy checks loom November 3, 2025 The UK government is moving to extend mandatory ‘right to work’ checks to cover individuals hired under a ‘worker’s contract’, in a move to address gaps in the law in the gig economy. The Home Office launched a consultation last week as it seeks to clamp down on illegal working. As a result, for the [...]