Richard Desmond’s group makes Rothschild allegation in £1.3bn National Lottery dispute October 15, 2025 A high-stakes legal showdown has kicked off over the Gambling Commission’s handling of the fourth National Lottery licence, as the role of financial advisor Rothschild and its prior ties to the winning bidder take centre stage in court. Media baron Richard Desmond’s group Northern and Shell and its subsidiary, the New Lottery Company, launched legal [...]
EY accused of missing ‘red flag’ in NMC collapse October 14, 2025 Big Four firm EY UK was accused of being “grossly negligent” and failing in its most fundamental audit duties over seven years, allowing a massive fraud to continue and ultimately causing NMC’s financial collapse. The mammoth £2.7bn legal battle between EY and its former clients, a London-listed health giant that collapsed after allegations of fraud, [...]
Mind the Split: London is the best city to be a divorce lawyer October 14, 2025 London’s reputation as the divorce capital of the world looks set to grow after a recent court ruling paved the way for more foreign cases to be heard in the city. Litigation-focused law firm Stewarts has expanded its high-net-worth practice to meet rising demand for complex, high-value divorce work. High-profile, high-net-worth divorces collect media headlines [...]
Junior lawyers earn £44 an hour for 13-hour days September 23, 2025 Junior lawyers at leading City law firms are regularly working well beyond standard hours, with many firms reporting their youngest staff routinely putting in over 12-hour days. According to research by Legal Cheek on over 2,000 trainees and junior lawyers, the London offices of top US law firms are leading the table, which is consistent [...]
Knives are out in Whitehall after Chinese espionage case collapsed September 17, 2025 Whitehall is seething with anger following the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) decision to drop its espionage case against two men accused of spying for China. Christopher Cash (30), a former parliamentary researcher and director of the China Research Group, and Christopher Berry (33), a former English teacher in China, were charged last year with providing [...]
Shortage of skilled lawyers challenges UK life sciences sector September 17, 2025 The UK market is experiencing a shortage of lawyers at life sciences businesses amid a growing need for talent to meet the rising demand for regulatory advice from businesses. A report from recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa highlights a lack of UK candidates with expertise in legal, regulatory, and compliance matters, intellectual property (IP), and [...]
Has the legal market pulled the brakes on the NQ pay war? September 4, 2025 ‘City lawyers are the new bankers‘. This became a common refrain in the legal market as pay wars ramped up. However, the sentiment within the market suggests that the tide may be changing. Over the past several years, the pay war over newly qualified (NQ) lawyers has been a major talking point in the market, [...]
Employment Bill: Here is everything that has happened since its inception September 3, 2025 The third reading of the Employment Rights Bill, a controversial piece of legislation, commenced at the House of Lords on Wednesday. Rushed out within 100 days of Labour taking office, the Bill has faced fierce debate and criticism from multiple stakeholders. The Bill, which formed a significant part of Labour’s manifesto, was laid before Parliament [...]
Post merger A&O Shearman generates £2.9bn in revenue as partner pay falls short of competitors August 22, 2025 The first results following the anticipated merger of A&O Shearman show that equity partners pocketed £2m, slightly below the figures from its legacy Magic Circle firm
Crypto assets could be lost upon death regardless of wills, warns lawyer August 20, 2025 Crypto assets are not automatically accessible or even traceable through existing methods, it prompts calls for reform to Wills as millions of Brits risk losing assets upon death