Patagonia faces PR backlash over trademark lawsuit with drag queen June 2, 2026 Patagonia is in hot water over its legal action against a drag queen, but as lawyers suggest, businesses face a double-edged sword when it comes to protecting their trademarks. A drag queen artist and environmentalist, Wyn Wiley, was sued by the US outdoor retailer Patagonia, which alleged the performer violated its trademark by going professionally [...]
Deloitte and KPMG challenge PwC’s iron grip on FTSE 100 clients June 1, 2026 For the first time in nearly eight years, three of the Big Four giants, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, are locked in a dead heat for FTSE 100 client dominance. A boardroom reshuffle has loosened PwC’s iron grip on clients from London’s blue-chip index, forcing a historic three-way tie at the top of the FTSE 100 [...]
Manchester City and Spygate prove lawyer gulf is opening in football May 31, 2026 In February 2023, Manchester City fans unfurled a banner at the Etihad Stadium bearing the words “Pannick on the streets of London”. This play on The Smiths’ 1986 song referred to Lord David Pannick KC, the barrister hired to spearhead the club’s defence against 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. [...]
How do professional footballers keep their divorces private? May 30, 2026 For footballers and other high-profile athletes, relationship breakdown may start as a personal matter, but where there is fame, wealth, public interest and commercial pressure, it can quickly become something much larger. A messy divorce can dominate headlines, distract from performance, and affect relationships with clubs, sponsors, agents and other commercial partners. The risks are [...]
Business services staff face redundancies at City law firm May 29, 2026 City-based law firm Clyde & Co has launched a restructuring consultation for its business service staff as part of its ongoing strategy to centralise support operations into regional hubs. The firm is proposing to move certain services currently performed by teams within legal support, purchase-to-pay, and IT to its service centres in Glasgow and its [...]
Private equity boom slows down as the deal bar rises for City firms May 29, 2026 Private equity interest in professional services remains, but the era of easy deals is over as most attractive targets have already been acquired, and investors are now more selective, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The bubble around private equity interest in the professional services industry has started to deflate, as most of the “low-hanging fruit” has already [...]
Emma Sleep agrees to change ‘illegal’ sales practices following court settlement May 28, 2026 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has agreed a partial settlement with mattress company Emma Sleep after it admitted to breaking consumer law over its pricing tactics. The settlement is legally binding, so if Emma Sleep fails to comply, it “could result in contempt of court proceedings, potentially leading to significant penalties,” the CMA said. [...]
Pinsent Masons is not the only City law firm walking a dangerous AI tightrope May 28, 2026 A junior lawyer at Pinsent Masons used AI to draft misleading emails for a High Court case, highlighting how generational attitudes and lack of training risk new mistakes as law firms rush to adopt new technology, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. It has been a slow burner, but we finally have the first notable UK law firm [...]
Octopus acquires legal team to boost bereavement services with AI May 27, 2026 Octopus Legacy, a bereavement service owned by Octopus Group, has acquired a private client team from a large UK-based law firm as part of a push to speed up its services using AI. The company’s legal arm, Octopus Legal Services, has taken on a team of 50 legal professionals from NewLaw Solicitors in “a significant [...]
David Lammy rejects higher pay rise for judges amid recruitment crisis May 26, 2026 David Lammy turned down an independent recommendation for a higher judicial pay increase, instead approving a 3.5 per cent rise amid government efforts to tackle recruitment challenges for senior judges. The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) report, published last week, recommended a 3.8 per cent pay increase across the judiciary, estimated to cost taxpayers around [...]