Men taking parental leave holds the key to women’s advancement at law firms Legal In recent years, leading law firms have made concerted efforts to improve gender diversity in their ranks, but when it comes to real power, progress remains insufficient. Many of the top law firms have set targets for partnerships and leadership roles, aiming to fill at least 40 per cent of these positions with women by [...]
Meet the lawyers defending Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson Legal The former Duke of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has called on his trusty lawyer following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in a public office on Thursday. Blackfords’ Gary Bloxsome and Jennifer Richardson, alongside Matrix Chambers’ Clare Montgomery KC, have been instructed by Andrew in relation to legal troubles. When the late Virginia Giuffre filed a [...]
Exclusive: RPC to lose Mike Ashley’s ‘rainmaker’ lawyer Legal City law firm RPC is set to lose one of its highest-billing lawyers, who represents the retail titan Mike Ashley. Long-term partner Jeremy Drew will leave the firm after nearly 20 years in the solicitor’s retail and commercial department, which he also co-led. The star lawyer has been a long-term adviser to Mike Ashley, the [...]
Anthropic’s new tool raises bar for legal AI startups February 5, 2026 A dramatic shift is underway in the legal tech landscape as AI advancements disrupt traditional industry leaders. This comes as the traditional research and analytics software businesses saw billions wiped out from their market share this week after Anthropic announced its new AI. San Francisco-based AI giant Anthropic, the firm behind chatbot Claude, revealed on [...]
‘Investors are nervous’ – will Google and OpenAI follow Anthropic with legal tools? February 4, 2026 Anthropic’s release of a legal plugin was “inevitable,” says the CEO of legal AI firm Wexler, who adds that investors’ surprising reaction may be due to nerves and a desire to find a reason to sell. Tech giant Anthropic unveiled a new tool aimed directly at in-house lawyers on Tuesday, but the move rattled investors, [...]
Chair of elite law firm Paul Weiss made personal requests to Jeffrey Epstein February 2, 2026 The chairman of one of the most prominent law firms in America, Paul Weiss, was included in the US Department of Justice’s latest round of bombshell revelations in relation to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. One of the US’s leading litigators and corporate advisers, Brad Karp has been Paul Weiss’s chairman since 2008. Paul Weiss is [...]
Law firms, legal tech, and the branding battle royale January 29, 2026 It seems like every week brings a new AI player on the scene, but now there’s a trend of legal spats over what exactly to call them. AI-focused businesses have been popping up everywhere as demand for the tech surges. According to LawtechUK’s data, the number of UK-founded lawtech companies on its tracker climbed from [...]
Professional services firms facing ‘polycrisis of confidence’ January 28, 2026 A major study of C-suite attitudes among professional services firms has revealed a complicated landscape of increasing AI use, growth fears, worries about cash flow and concerns over staff motivation. According to the Managing Partners Forum Winter 2025 Quarterly, shared exclusively with City AM, all firms surveyed have integrated Gen AI into their daily operations, but [...]
High Court grants urgent hearing on Labour’s inheritance tax overhaul January 28, 2026 The High Court has green-lit an urgent hearing at the High Court over the government’s inheritance tax raid on agricultural assets and family firms. The proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) represent one of the biggest shifts in UK inheritance tax (IHT) policy in decades, following the government’s initial [...]
Traditional legal model shaken by investor interest and IPO ambitions January 26, 2026 External investment is increasing in mid-size legal firms, according to a new report, which revealed that nearly 70 per cent of firms have been approached by private equity investors or PE-backed entities in the last year. New data from MHA, in conjunction with the Law Society, shared with City AM, shows that the majority of [...]