London’s elite Magic Circle law firms promote record number of partners as talent war rages on May 9, 2022 London’s prestigious Magic Circle law firms have promoted a record number of partners this year, in a sign the battle for talent is raging on at the most senior levels of the UK’s top firms. London’s five Magic Circle law firms – Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Slaughter and May, Linklaters, and Allen & Overy – promoted [...]
Law Society calls for ‘change of culture’ to fix legal sector’s mental health crisis May 9, 2022 The head of the Law Society has said law firms have a “collective responsibility” to fix the legal sector’s mental health crisis. Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce has called for a “change of culture” in the legal sector, to prioritise mental health in the workplace. The comments come amid concerns over poor mental health [...]
Law firms face moral dilemma over Russia exit as Ukraine crisis reveals widening split May 9, 2022 Following Vladimir Putin’s decision to send Russian troops into Ukraine on 24 February 2022, major companies from across the globe began cutting their links to Russia. As multinationals from across Western world, including McDonald’s and Coca Cola, piled out of Russia, a number of high-profile law firms also sought to distance themselves from the country, [...]
Litigation funders seek to bankroll intellectual property disputes against big tech firms, new research shows May 9, 2022 Eight of the UK’s ten biggest litigation funders are now seeking to bankroll intellectual property (IP) disputes, according to new research from IP specialists Mathys & Squire. Litigation funders, whose business sees them finance lawsuits with a view to taking a cut of any winnings, are increasingly looking at IP disputes as a means of [...]
Ex-Magic Circle lawyer who injected food with blood found not guilty by reason of insanity May 8, 2022 A London lawyer, who caused £500,000 worth of damage by injecting his own blood into food in supermarkets, has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. Leoaai Elghareeb, 37, was found not guilty, after he entered three supermarkets – Sainsbury’s Local, Tesco Express, and Little Waitrose – on Fulham Palace Road carrying a bucketful [...]
US bans accountants and consultants from working with Russia May 8, 2022 The US government has told American citizens they are now banned from providing professional services to anyone in Russia, as part of new sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine. The White House said today that all US persons are now banned from providing accounting, trust and corporate formation, and management consulting services to [...]
City law firm to investigate senior staff over claims lawyers mistreated waitress May 8, 2022 A TOP CITY law firm has launched an investigation after a Cardiff restaurant owner accused its senior lawyers of acting inappropriately during a leadership dinner. The investigation comes after Lee Skeet, the owner of Cardiff restaurant Cora, said a waitress at his restaurant was “talked down to” and “disrespected” by senior lawyers from London-listed law firm [...]
City watchdog to crackdown on adverts that downplay risk of borrowing as cost-of-living crisis bites May 6, 2022 The UK’s financial watchdog has told lenders and brokers to stop using misleading terms in their advertising that might make borrowing money look easier or less risky than it is. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has sent letters to 28,000 consumer credit firms telling them to stop using terms such as “no credit check loans,” [...]
‘The lazy g**s make me sick’: Lord Sugar berates PwC summer working hours as a ‘bloody joke’ May 6, 2022 Lord Alan Sugar has branded PwC’s summer working hours scheme a “bloody joke”, after the Big Four firm said it would give workers Friday afternoons off. The business leader took to Twitter in a tirade against the decision saying the “lazy gits make me sick.” “Call me old fashioned but all this work from home [...]
Self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor sues crypto exchanges in multi-billion-pound trademark spat May 5, 2022 An Australian cryptographer, who claims to be the inventor of Bitcoin, is suing two of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges over claims they undermined his intellectual property rights by using the name Bitcoin. Craig Wright, who claims to be the real person behind the Bitcoin creator’s alias Satoshi Nakamoto, is suing Coinbase and Payward – [...]