City watchdog accused of ‘massive overreach’ in motor finance clampdown October 28, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been accused of a “massive overreach” following letters sent to law firms and claims management companies (CMCs) requesting batches of information under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers law. The FCA sent letters in August, seen by City AM, requesting information on the law firms’ motor finance services, [...]
Lawyers sound alarm over Rachel Reeves’ proposed tax target on LLPs October 22, 2025 The Chancellor is reportedly looking to target limited liability partnerships (LLPs) for a tax raid as she tries to fill the fiscal black hole, but critics warn that this move will have consequences for the professional services sector. The LLP model, used by professional services such as law firms, accountancy, and some doctors (GPs), came into force [...]
Waymo’s driverless taxi UK rollout puts legal system to the test October 21, 2025 The UK is set to become the first European country to welcome Waymo’s driverless taxis but lawyers caution that current laws are fundamentally incompatible with the technology. Last week, Waymo announced its UK launch will start with a small fleet of human-supervised Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles “in the coming weeks,” before moving to fully autonomous [...]
UK legal sector sees strong growth but AI puts pressure on hourly billing system October 20, 2025 The legal sector in the UK continues to outperform despite challenging market conditions but the uncertainty around cyber attacks could impede firms’ strategic objectives. According to the PwC Law Firm Survey 2025, the Top 10 law firms have reported UK fee income growth of 8.1 per cent, compared to 5.2 per cent across all international [...]
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 [...]