‘Streets ahead’ – London aims to wear the legal AI crown Legal New York may have the money, but London is trying to claim the ‘global capital of legal AI’ crown, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. In the midst of a brutal transatlantic talent war, where US firms are driving salaries through the roof and aggressively poaching top talent across the City, London has quietly secured a major strategic [...]
Luminance’s boss: Why building our own AI beats ‘rented intelligence’ Legal 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 [...]
London councils won’t be able to sue their way to more homes being built Politics Last week I asked the chief executive of one of the country’s largest housing developers to sum up the state of housebuilding in London, and the answer was “dire.” If I’d allowed two words I suspect one of them would have been unprintable. The situation is so disastrous that Sadiq Khan was forced to lower [...]
City law firm denies ties to KPMG Australia scandal June 22, 2026 City-headquartered law firm Ashurst has denied its involvement in investigating allegations at KPMG Australia as the Big Four firms’ scandal fallout continues to heat up down under. Ashurst reportedly carried out an investigation from June to August 2025 over allegations made by a whistleblower against an unnamed former executive, following the Big Four firm conducting [...]
‘Landmark moment’ – AI law firm wins its first-ever court battle June 22, 2026 In a global legal first, an AI-powered law firm that has regulatory approval has won its first court trial. Garfield AI, the world’s first AI law firm authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), has just been successful in a small claim for a freelancer to win against a hospitality business. The case [...]
Manchester City and Chelsea boosted by lawyer’s compensation claims verdict June 22, 2026 Any football clubs seeking to bring compensation claims in the wake of Burnley’s landmark £40m award will face significant hurdles, a former Premier League lawyer has warned. The decision by an independent disciplinary commission earlier this month to order Everton to pay an eight-figure sum to Burnley has been tipped to trigger a landslide of [...]
Judge rejects Gatwick Airport bid to block new relaxed runway slot rules June 19, 2026 A High Court judge has refused Gatwick’s request for an immediate emergency freeze to stop the new 70 per cent rule from starting today. The UK government temporarily reduced the “use it or lose it” slot usage requirement at major UK airports, including Gatwick Airport, from the standard 80 per cent to 70 per cent [...]
Regulator wins decade-long pricing tussle with Pfizer June 19, 2026 The UK competition watchdog has won permission to appeal in a case against US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer after a long-running legal battle over allegations of excessive pricing, overturning a previous decision by the Tribunal. The court said the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), was “wrong to set aside the [Competition and Market’s Authority’s] decision” in relation to [...]
Professional services firms the ‘flavour of the month’ for cyberattacks June 19, 2026 Professional services firms, particularly law firms, are the “current flavour of the month” for cyberattacks, driven by the valuable client information the sector guards. Speaking to City AM, Holly Waszak, head of cyber claims advocacy at Marsh, said: “We’re seeing insurers come to us with law firms on their books, and they are trying to [...]
LLPs remain under watchful eye – especially from the taxman June 18, 2026 Despite dodging Budget day taxes, the UK’s limited liability partnership (LLP) model is still facing intense scrutiny, this time from HMRC, which just had a good result from the top court this week, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The LLP model, used by professional services such as law firms and accountancy firms, came into force 25 years [...]