Legal accounts controversy: Who should fund the broken justice system? Legal First, the government tried to go after the LLPs, but that failed. Now its eyes are on law firms’ client accounts under the narrative that it will be used to help the crumbling justice system, but lawyers are seeing it as just another tax raid. Law firms earn substantial income from interest on client accounts, [...]
Insurance giants are no longer afraid to sue competitors over ‘team poaching’ Legal London’s insurance sector is becoming increasingly litigious as the battle for niche talent intensifies, after a wave of High Court cases suggests ‘team poaching’ has become a legal flashpoint. If, like me, you are glued to the court filing system, you’ll have seen a noticeable uptick in lawsuits over restrictive covenants going to London’s High [...]
English Common Law: Britain’s greatest soft power Legal From London’s boardrooms to Abu Dhabi’s courtrooms, English law shapes the rules of global business as it quietly but decisively finds itself at the heart of international deals and disputes. The late Joseph S. Nye defined ‘soft power’ in the 1980s as “The ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction [...]
Birthday cookies and fine dining: Inside the law firm aiming for 5-Star service December 4, 2025 There are not many office buildings in the City where, just five feet in the door, you receive a personalised greeting, but Addleshaw Goddard’s client services team would put The Ritz to shame. How to stand out in a crowded field? That is the question plaguing most law firms as they battle to grow in [...]
Money talks, but culture counts in transatlantic law firm tie-ups November 20, 2025 A merger between a notable US outfit and a UK-headquartered legal firm used to be a rare event, but with the focus on global dominance, these strategic moves are now attracting more attention – as more firms begin to follow suit. This week, London-based Ashurst agreed to merge with Seattle-based Perkins Coie, and overnight it [...]
NHS woes fuel private healthcare boom, with lawyers reaping the rewards November 13, 2025 Private healthcare in the UK is experiencing unprecedented growth as NHS waiting lists soar and public services struggle to keep up. This surge in demand is also fueling a flurry of legal activity, keeping lawyers busy. Deals lawyers in the UK are generally the busiest and most important practices for most law firms; however, with [...]
Lawyers lead charge on AI oversight as government drags on regulations November 6, 2025 As AI systems are deployed worldwide, the question of who is responsible when they cause harm, failure, or unexpected consequences is quickly becoming a major headache for businesses. With a lack of regulation, the problem is passed to the courts, keeping litigation partners busy. There are multi-billions on the line for technology investment, especially in [...]
The Gulf gamble: American and British law firms racing to Saudi Arabia October 30, 2025 Saudi Arabia is rapidly becoming the focus of global legal attention. But this shift is not merely speculative; it is part of a calculated move by the Kingdom to attract world-class expertise. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia changed its law two years ago to allow foreign law firms to operate independently, as part of its [...]
Legal sector feeling subdued as regulator loses its AML powers October 23, 2025 The Treasury’s decision to transfer oversight of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision to the FCA has sparked concerns within the professional services sector. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) served as a Professional Body Supervisor (PBS) for AMLCT for law firms across England and Wales, while for the accountancy sector, the HMRC plays the supervision [...]
Ousted CEO and mounting debts: the lawyers behind £36bn BHP lawsuit October 16, 2025 The law firm behind the most significant litigation to ever hit the English High Court has been lighting up headlines recently due to allegations around internal issues at the group. Back in 2018, in Liverpool, barrister Tom Goodhead and US lawyer Harris Pogust founded a law firm using an alternative business structure that focused on large-scale group [...]