Travelodge boss quits amid backlash over hotel sexual assault August 20, 2026 Travelodge boss Jo Boydell has quit as the budget hotel brand pursues an overhaul of its safety measures following a sexual assault at one of its sites. The group said on Thursday that Boydell will depart with immediate effect after 13 years in the role, thanking the chief executive for her “dedication” to the group. [...]
Trainees ‘exploiting’ aspiring lawyers by monetising advice on social media August 20, 2026 Trainee lawyers are taking to social media to monetise their “advice” and offer “mentorship” to aspiring candidates looking to land training contracts and apprenticeships, sparking backlash from industry veterans who claim the practice is exploitative. Paul Leamy, a solicitor at Temple Bright and former Winston Taylor partner of ten years, told City AM there is [...]
Incoming FRC chair sits on board of construction group facing criminal probe August 19, 2026 The woman in line to become chair of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) sits on the board of a company currently under criminal investigation, City AM can reveal. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia was named by the government last month as the next chair of the accounting watchdog and is set to take over in September when [...]
Law firm at centre of BHP mammoth lawsuit sued by its own funder August 18, 2026 City law firm Pogust Goodhead is facing an £84m lawsuit from its own funder over a dispute related to its high-profile case: the record-breaking group action against mining giant BHP. The firm, formerly known as PGMBM, recently secured a major victory in one of the largest legal actions ever heard in the English courts. Last [...]
Watchdog takes aim at lawyers blaming juniors for AI blunders August 17, 2026 The legal watchdog has called out lawyers responsible for supervising junior staff when false AI-generated citations are put forward to the courts, as senior lawyers “remain accountable” for juniors. The Solicitors Regulation Authority, the legal regulator for over 200,000 English and Welsh solicitors, said in a warning notice issued on Monday that those in charge [...]
Legora eyes $10bn funding valuation four months after last raise August 13, 2026 AI legal tech firm Legora is eyeing a new funding round as it aims for a $10bn valuation, nearly double the $5.6bn it raised in April. The Stockholm-based startup, which creates AI tools for law and professional services firms and corporate in-house legal teams to draft and review documents, is reportedly in the early stages of [...]
Winkworth delays legal drama for a month after family feud August 12, 2026 The family which runs City estate agent Winkworth has agreed to halt its legal spat for at least a month after chair Simon Agace and his wife tried to oust the company’s board, including Agace’s son. The AIM-listed company, run by chief executive Dominic Agace, launched legal proceedings against its chair last week after he [...]
Top court ‘opens the floodgates’ for part-time workers’ claims August 12, 2026 The Supreme Court “may have opened the floodgates to a large number of potential claims against employers” after ruling that part-time workers claiming discrimination do not need to prove their part-time status was the “sole reason” for less favourable treatment. The case was brought by Warren Augustine, a part-time private hire driver for Data Cars, [...]
Former Crystal Palace owner John Textor scores temporary block of Brazilian football club share sale August 12, 2026 Former Crystal Palace owner John Textor has been granted a temporary injunction from the High Court to block City-based administrators from selling his 90 per cent stake in Brazilian football club SAF Botafogo. The order follows the American business mogul launching multiple parallel lawsuits in England, the US, and Brazil against his UK holding company, [...]
IT consultant ordered to pay £50,000 after being accused of stealing Soho House members’ personal details August 12, 2026 An IT consultant was ordered to repay £50,000 to his employer after being accused of stealing the personal details of members of London’s biggest private members’ club. Amit Sharma allegedly threatened to leak personal information of more than 50,000 members of Soho House unless he was sent a “seven figure” sum following a dispute over [...]