City law firms clamp down on the equity cookie jar April 30, 2026 Law firms are tightening access to equity partnerships to protect profits, increasingly reserving the equity pool for top performers, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. As the Big Four giants dominate the headlines with internal changes, the firms are seeking to regain control of their expanded equity pools amid profitability problems. These giants are looking to mirror what [...]
Mercedes Benz joins legal battle over £9bn motor finance scheme April 29, 2026 Mercedes Benz is confirmed to be among the four legal challenges lodged against the UK financial watchdog’s motor finance redress scheme. The financial services arm of the German car giant is set to challenge the scheme that puts the car finance industry on the hook for £9.1bn in compensation. The carmarker has thus far set [...]
Meet the startup backed by Peter Thiel that wants to ‘hold journalists to account’ April 28, 2026 Founder Aron D’Souza spoke to Maria Ward-Brennan about his Peter Thiel-backed startup, which aims to hold journalists accountable by providing real-time ratings and investigations into their reporting practices. There exists a lively debate about the extent to which AI could replace journalists, but before it does that – could it develop a hold over the [...]
Motor finance lenders warned of ‘gridlock’ as £9bn scandal clogs rearview April 27, 2026 The UK’s top banks are gearing up to put the long-running motor finance scandal in the rearview mirror but warning lights on the dashboard suggest they may still face “gridlock” on the multi-billion pound saga. FTSE 250 lender Vanquis became the latest on Monday to confirm it would not lodge a legal challenge against the [...]
Magic circle Freshfields to co-build legal AI with Anthropic April 24, 2026 Magic circle law firm Freshfields has signed a multi-year agreement with AI giant Anthropic, giving the firm easy access to Anthropic’s latest AI models and collaborating to help design Anthropic’s next-generation offerings. As part of the deal, Freshfields has rolled out Anthropic’s Claude models to its entire global workforce of 5,700 users across 33 offices, [...]
The AI cracks are starting to show at law firms April 23, 2026 Law firms have poured vast sums into AI in a race to modernise, but ‘hallucinations‘ and security concerns are exposing the technology’s risks, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. There has been intense pressure on legal, advisory, and consultancy firms to invest in, embed, and deploy AI over the last couple of years, but this pressure is now [...]
Eight London sites raided in peer-to-peer crypto trading bust April 22, 2026 The City watchdogs, working with HMRC and the Regional Organised Crime Unit, have carried out the first crackdown on illegal crypto trading across multiple London locations. The enforcement targeted eight premises in London suspected of illegal peer-to-peer crypto trading by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The traders were issued cease-and-desist letters at each site, notifying [...]
Proposed consumer lawsuit regime may expose businesses to mass litigation April 22, 2026 The UK government’s proposal for a class-action scheme that allows consumers to collectively sue businesses could wreak havoc if greenlit, as businesses could face ‘increased litigation risk’. The Law Commission, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), proposed project, expected to commence in Autumn 2026, will identify the benefits and risks of introducing a more [...]
End of the runway for Gatwick as top court kicks out insurance lifeline April 22, 2026 Gatwick Investment’s appeal against insurance giant Liberty Mutual has been struck down over whether insurers can deduct government furlough payments from business claims. The Supreme Court ruled that insurers do not have to pay an estimated £1bn to the hospitality and leisure companies involved in the case that suffered financial losses during the pandemic because [...]
Motor finance: City watchdog faces legal battle over £9bn scheme April 22, 2026 The City watchdog is set to face a legal challenge to its motor finance redress scheme after being accused of leaving motorists “out of pocket”. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed its highly-anticipated £9.1bn scheme at the end of March, which cut the headline bill for lenders from £11bn. But Consumer Voice – a group [...]