Millions spent, reputations battered: Fraud watchdog, Dechert and ENRC legal war reaches an end Lawsuit Years of bitter litigation, millions of pounds in legal fees, and severe reputational damage: the disastrous, decade-long feud between a Kazakh mining giant, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), and a heavy-hitting City law firm has finally ended with a confidential settlement. Mining firm Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) launched legal action against the law firm [...]
City firms face FCA clampdown on bullying and harassment Legal City bosses are set for fresh scrutiny over the conduct of their staff as the financial regulator extends a clampdown on non-financial misconduct issues like bullying and harassment. After years of consultation, surveys and industry feedback, the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) new rules on non-financial misconduct in non-banking firms take effect on Tuesday for around [...]
City firms mandate phone and face-to-face comms bootcamps for Gen Z lawyers Legal City Law firms are rolling out mandatory programmes to train their junior lawyers in communication skills, including how to speak on the phone and deal with clients in person. Addleshaw Goddard’s ‘early careers’ team introduced a training programme after identifying that some early-career lawyers “may have had limited exposure to a professional services environment and [...]
Clio hires legal tech veteran to overhaul backlogged courts August 25, 2026 Legal tech firm Clio has appointed Casetext’s co-founder to lead an initiative integrating AI directly into the court system. Clio, which currently offers its tech to lawyers and law firms, will create a “dedicated product line” of legal AI software “designed around the distinct needs of courts and judges”. Lawyer Pablo Arredondo was appointed to [...]
City leaders weigh employment policy alternatives to non-competes August 25, 2026 City businesses are expecting non-compete agreements to become less effective, looking instead to alternatives such as deferred bonus payments or share incentive plans to keep employees on board. In 2025, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) launched a consultation to consider restrictions on non-compete clauses in employment contracts. The consultation closed for feedback in [...]
Trainees ‘exploiting’ aspiring lawyers by monetising advice on social media August 20, 2026 Trainee lawyers are taking to social media to monetise their “advice” and offer “mentorship” to aspiring candidates looking to land training contracts and apprenticeships, sparking backlash from industry veterans who claim the practice is exploitative. Paul Leamy, a solicitor at Temple Bright and former Winston Taylor partner of ten years, told City AM there is [...]
Law firm at centre of BHP mammoth lawsuit sued by its own funder August 18, 2026 City law firm Pogust Goodhead is facing an £84m lawsuit from its own funder over a dispute related to its high-profile case: the record-breaking group action against mining giant BHP. The firm, formerly known as PGMBM, recently secured a major victory in one of the largest legal actions ever heard in the English courts. Last [...]
AIM-Listed Pulsar Group hit with High Court petition by HMRC August 18, 2026 Pulsar Group, a UK-based technology company listed on AIM, and its media matchmaking subsidiary, ResponseSource, face a winding-up petition from HMRC. The group, formerly known as Access Intelligence, provides SaaS solutions for the global marketing, public relations and journalism sectors. A petition filed with the London High Court on Friday named it. Additionally, ResponseSource, the [...]
City law firm sues prominent Emirati business family August 18, 2026 London-headquartered law firm Charles Russell Speechlys has initiated legal action against investment entities controlled by the prominent Emirati business family Al-Sari, City AM can reveal, marking the latest development in an ongoing multi-jurisdictional dispute with its former client. The case stems from overlapping legal challenges involving entities in the Al-Sari family’s portfolio. The law firm, [...]
Watchdog takes aim at lawyers blaming juniors for AI blunders August 17, 2026 The legal watchdog has called out lawyers responsible for supervising junior staff when false AI-generated citations are put forward to the courts, as senior lawyers “remain accountable” for juniors. The Solicitors Regulation Authority, the legal regulator for over 200,000 English and Welsh solicitors, said in a warning notice issued on Monday that those in charge [...]