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Pulse UK
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April 24, 2024
LSB Urges Regulators To Step Up Support For Legal Tech
The Legal Services Board has urged industry regulators to help consumers get better access to support by doing more to promote the use of technology and innovation, after it found that many people don't get help when they experience a legal problem.
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April 24, 2024
Ex-Law Firm Partner Fails To Toss SRA Dishonesty Allegation
A former equity partner in a real estate conveyancing firm failed on Wednesday to have a tribunal prevent the Solicitors Regulation Authority from accusing him of dishonesty, as it ruled that an offer by the watchdog to settle did not mean he should not have expected the allegation.
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April 24, 2024
Shakespeare Martineau Opens New Southern England Office
Shakespeare Martineau LLP is opening a new office in Southampton, its 12th in Britain, in a move to extend its legal services practice to clients in the south of England.
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April 24, 2024
Keoghs Beats 'Rude' Job Candidate's Discrimination Claim
An employment tribunal has thrown out a race discrimination claim against law firm Keoghs LLP, ruling that it did not treat a Greek national unfairly by rescinding a job offer for his "rude and uncooperative" behavior in an onboarding meeting.
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April 24, 2024
SFO Admits Deleting Osofsky's Phone Amid ENRC Leaks Row
The Serious Fraud Office acknowledged on Wednesday that it "inappropriately" erased the mobile phone of its former director, Lisa Osofsky, during litigation over alleged leaks in what mining giant ENRC told a London court was a "flagrant breach" of its disclosure obligations.
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April 24, 2024
Law Firm Ordered To Repay Couple £194K For Loan Breach
A court has ordered a law firm to reimburse a married couple at least £194,000 ($241,000) after finding that it had failed to adhere to the terms of two loan agreements the pair provided to help to fund its working capital and cover general business expenses.
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April 24, 2024
IP Firm Can't Take Bid To Block Clients' Case To Top Court
Britain's highest court has rejected a final attempt by Marks & Clerk LLP to block thousands of former clients from bringing a bribery class action over alleged secret commission payments, ruling that the law firm did not put forward any arguable legal challenges that justified an appeal.
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April 23, 2024
Post Office GC Felt 'Scapegoated' Over Horizon Review
The Post Office's former general counsel felt "scapegoated" over the conclusions of an independent report she commissioned into the IT system used to prosecute hundreds of innocent people, she told the inquiry into the scandal Tuesday.
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April 23, 2024
Gender Wage Gap Begins At Start Of Career, Bar Council Says
Junior woman barristers in their first three years of practice earned an average of 13% less than their male colleagues in 2022, showing a slight improvement from the 17% disparity the year before, a Bar Council report published Tuesday found.
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April 23, 2024
Litigation Funders Face Risk Of Regulation In Judicial Reform
England's judicial adviser announced Tuesday that it has launched a review into third-party civil litigation funding that will consider whether to regulate the sector, cap fees and investigate conflicts of interest between funders and litigants.
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April 23, 2024
Simmons & Simmons Unveils Associates Leadership Council
Simmons & Simmons LLP said Tuesday that it has launched an advisory council for associates in the U.K. to give future leaders of the legal business early management experience.
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April 23, 2024
Ex-Law Firm Partner Fights SRA's Dishonesty Accusation
A former partner at a conveyancing firm urged a London tribunal on Tuesday to dismiss the Solicitors Regulation Authority's claim that he had acted dishonestly during a real estate transaction, arguing that the regulator abused the tribunal process.
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April 23, 2024
Freshfields Promotes 40 Lawyers To Counsel
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP said Tuesday that it has promoted 40 lawyers to counsel, with a quarter of the promotions drawn from the firm's London office.
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April 30, 2024
Restructuring Pro Rejoins Dentons From Faegre Drinker
Dentons has hired a partner back from Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP to head its restructuring and insolvency practice in the U.K., Ireland and the Middle East — a move the returning partner called "a really compelling proposition."
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April 23, 2024
Ashurst's Partner Promotions Hit All-Time High In 2024
Ashurst LLP said on Tuesday that it has elected 30 lawyers to its partnership, the third year in a row that the firm has added a record number of newly promoted partners to its global business in a single year.
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April 22, 2024
Obelisk Sees Rise In GC Roles As Businesses Seek Flexibility
Obelisk Support said Monday that it had launched a new service that provides clients with access to a general counsel as needed, without the expense or obligation of a permanent hire as it leans into opportunities as more and more lawyers look to freelance.
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April 22, 2024
Ex-Axiom Ince Chief Faces Bankruptcy Petition
The former head of collapsed Axiom Ince Ltd. is facing a bankruptcy petition after being accused of misappropriating almost £65 million ($80.3 million) to fund the acquisition of Ince Group PLC and property purchases.
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April 29, 2024
New Norton Rose UK Antitrust Chief Eyes Fresh Opportunities
Norton Rose Fulbright has promoted one of its partners to become its new head of antitrust and competition in London, with the new chief saying Monday she saw "new opportunities" for the group to build after her predecessor left for Cooley LLP.
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April 22, 2024
Ex-Law Firm Director Allowed Client Account Misuse
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined a former law firm director after he allowed his firm's client account to be used as a banking facility and failed to carry out client due diligence on a property transaction.
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April 22, 2024
Eversheds, Addleshaw Break New Partner Promotion Records
Eversheds Sutherland International said on Monday that it has promoted 40 lawyers to its partnership, the highest number on the firm's record for a single year.
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April 22, 2024
Frenkel Topping Acquires North West Law For £2.75M
Specialist advisory firm Frenkel Topping said Monday that it has acquired North West Law Services Ltd. for £2.75 million ($3.3 million) to expand its activities within the personal injury and clinical negligence advisory market.
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April 29, 2024
Clifford Chance Adds Private Capital Pro From Paul Hastings
Clifford Chance LLP has recruited an investments expert to join its London office as a partner, as the firm looks to add "firepower" to its global financial markets team.
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April 22, 2024
Law Firm Forced Staffer To Quit Amid Quarrel With Partner
A law firm unfairly pushed a member of staff to quit by stripping her of a vital part of her role soon after she complained about the hostile conduct of one of the partners, a tribunal has ruled.
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April 19, 2024
Reed Smith Can't Escape £21M Suit Says Shipping Co.
A United Arab Emirates shipping company suing Reed Smith LLP for £21 million ($26.1 million) has accused the law firm of "surreptitiously" telling Barclays Bank that the shipping company was sanctioned by the U.S. resulting in its funds being frozen.
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April 19, 2024
SRA Calls For Law Firms To Step Up Checks On Third Parties
Half of law firms have changed working practices to avoid getting instructed in meritless lawsuits that gag negative publicity, but they still need more checks and balances in place when they work with third parties on reputation management claims, the Solicitors Regulation Authority said Friday.
Expert Analysis
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Preparing For EU's Pay Gap Reporting Directive
An agreement has been reached on the European Union Pay Transparency Directive, paving the way for gender pay gap reporting to become compulsory for many employers across Europe, introducing a more proactive approach than the similar U.K. regime and leading the way on new global standards for equal pay, say attorneys at Lewis Silkin.
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Has The Liberalization Of Legal Services Achieved Its Aims?
Although there is still some way to go, alternative business structures are now an increasingly prominent feature of the legal services landscape, and clients can expect greater choice, improved quality and more manageable costs, as was intended by this shake-up of the profession's regulatory frameworks 15 years ago, says Dana Denis-Smith at Obelisk Support.
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How Overseas Property Verification Poses Risks To Attorneys
The recently launched register of overseas entities, requiring verification of foreign owners hoping to purchase U.K. property, could expose attorneys to criminal prosecution, professional negligence claims and reputational damage if they do not complete these checks to the required standard, which nevertheless remains murky, says Harriet Holmes at Thirdfort.
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What To Expect From UK's New Economic Crime Bill
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency bill, if passed, will reform aspects of Companies House and strengthen government anti-money laundering efforts, but it is also raising questions about how new information sharing requirements will affect businesses, say attorneys at Signature Litigation.
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A Trusted Cybersecurity Framework Is Imperative For Lawyers
The recent increased risk of cyberattacks has a number of profound implications for law firms, and complying with government guidance by embedding a cyber-savvy culture and adhering to a security framework will enable lawyers to add extra layers of defense and present their clients with higher levels of protection, says Marion Stewart at Red Helix.
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Opinion
Law School Admissions Shouldn't Hinge On Test Scores
The American Bar Association recently granted law schools some latitude on which tests it can consider in admissions decisions, but its continued emphasis on test scores harms student diversity and is an obstacle to holistic admissions strategies, says Aaron Taylor at AccessLex.
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New FCA Listing Rules May Start Regulatory Shift On Diversity
Listed companies that fail to meet new Financial Conduct Authority rules for minimum executive board diversity currently risk reputational damage mainly through social scrutiny, but should prepare for potential regulatory enforcement actions, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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What UK Professional Regulation Looks Like In A #MeToo Era
Two recent rulings from U.K. courts and tribunals reveal the increasingly shifting line between professional misbehavior and bad actions that would previously have been considered outside the scope of professional regulators, says Andrew Katzen at Hickman & Rose.
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How Immune Are State Agents From Foreign Courts?
The ongoing case of Basfar v. Wong is the latest to raise questions about the boundary between commercial or private activity and the exercise of sovereign authority that shields state agents from foreign judicial scrutiny — and the U.K. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in the matter will likely bring clarity on exceptions to the immunity doctrine, say Andrew Stafford QC and Oleg Shaulko at Kobre & Kim.
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Opinion
Justice Gap Demands Look At New Legal Service Models
Current restrictions on how lawyers structure their businesses stand in the way of meaningful access to justice for many Americans, so states should follow the lead of Utah and Florida and test out innovative law firm business models through regulatory sandboxes, says Zachariah DeMeola at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.
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Opinion
New NJ Fed. Rule On Litigation Funding Should Be Welcomed
The District of New Jersey's new local civil rule on litigation funding disclosure has faced exaggerated criticisms when it is a logical extension of the current practices in many U.S. jurisdictions, leads to greater transparency for the parties and the court without unduly burdening the parties, and is a positive development particularly in product liability cases, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Lessons In Civility From The Alex Oh Sanctions Controversy
Alex Oh’s abrupt departure from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and admonishment by a D.C. federal judge over conduct in an Exxon human rights case demonstrate three major costs of incivility to lawyers, and highlight the importance of teaching civility in law school, says David Grenardo at St. Mary's University.
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Rebuttal
US Legal System Can Benefit From Nonlawyer Ownership
Contrary to claims made in a recent Law360 guest article, nonlawyer ownership has incrementally improved the England and Wales legal system — with more innovation and more opportunities for lawyers — and there is no reason why those outcomes cannot also be achieved in the U.S., say Crispin Passmore at Passmore Consulting and Zachariah DeMeola at the University of Denver.
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Increasing Investment Scams Can Implicate Lawyers, Too
With the pandemic serving as a catalyst for increased financial fraud, it's important to recognize that these scams are not only devastating for victims, they also pose a significant threat to law firms and individual solicitors who fail to do their due diligence, say James Darbyshire at the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and Heather Clark at Burness Paull.
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UK Lawyers Can Adapt Due Diligence To Screen New Clients
As COVID-19-related fraud gains pace, U.K.-based practitioners should help combat money laundering by using alternative methods to verify that new clients are who they say they are, says Christopher Convey, a barrister at 33 Chancery Lane and chair of the Bar Council's Money Laundering Working Group.