Trainees take on business

Navigating the Future of Cybersecurity

Published on 09 April 2025. By Cai Pugh, Solicitor Apprentice

For UK businesses within scope, the upcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill signifies an increased focus on reporting, supply chain security, and digital resilience, and is anticipated to align with the Network and Information Security (NIS 2) framework established in the European Union (EU).

Breaking the 'old boys club': financial services face cultural overhaul amid regulatory shifts

05 September 2024

The financial services sector, a cornerstone of the UK economy, is facing growing scrutiny over its entrenched 'old boys club' culture. This long-standing environment not only hampers diversity and inclusion efforts but also risks triggering increased regulatory intervention.

Generating competition: What is driving competition regulators to focus on AI?

Published on 14 August 2024.

It would be an understatement to say that AI has grown in popularity for businesses and consumers alike and this evolving technology is now expected to contribute an eye-watering $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

What might the new Labour government mean for UK business?

18 July 2024

On 4 July 2024, the Labour party won a landslide general election victory – its first since 2005. In the run up to the election, Labour billed itself as the party of "wealth creation", with Keir Starmer hailing this his "number one mission." Starmer stated that his plan for growth was “pro-worker and pro-business”.

Las Vegas of the East – Navigating Challenges and Embracing Economic Diversification in Macau

29 May 2024

Digital nomads: the world is your oyster?

Published on 08 May 2024. By Samantha Cheng, Associate

Imagine seeing the world while you work, without having to take time off. That's quite the dream, isn't it?

Trainees take on 2024

Published on 06 February 2024. By Michael Miles, Associate and Tom Butterfield, Associate and Dominic Barnes, Associate and Emily Twomey, Associate

2023 was a year of change, with the Coronation of King Charles III, COVID-19 finally losing its pandemic status and continued economic and political instability across the globe.

Rumble in the concrete jungle – London as a disputes powerhouse

23 January 2024

"London is the most attractive centre for commercial litigation and international arbitration" according to the Law Society's International Data Insights Report 2023.

Advertising Video on Demand – To AVOD or avoid?

15 September 2023

As most movie and TV streamers can attest to, Subscription Video on Demand services (or 'SVODs') continue to multiply. No need to put the kettle on while the adverts play; SVODs offer consumers an instant, ad-free escape to worlds unknown at just a click of a button.

Listing reforms in the UK: to market, to market?

Published on 19 July 2023. By Ali Chowdhry, Associate

The Financial Conduct Authority is proposing wide ranging reforms to the UK's Listings Rules to entice more high growth companies to list in London

Luxury today - go green or go home?

Published on 09 May 2023. By Chloe Shum, Associate

"Sustainability" is the new buzzword in marketing.

Next-gen AI: Disrupting your business?

Published on 11 April 2023.

It’s no secret the tech sector is going through a tough time at the moment with the large swathes of layoffs seen in 2022 continuing into 2023. So much so that bespoke trackers now actively monitor the 167,004 (and counting) tech jobs already lost this year.

Cloud computing in business: A silver lining?

Published on 07 March 2023. By Alexandra Prato, Associate

Cloud computing is a resource that businesses have rapidly adopted as a major step towards completing their digitalisation.

Restaurant closures on the rise - is the industry at boiling point?

21 February 2023

Rarely a week goes by without the sad news of another restaurant closure. Unfortunately, this is a trend that shows no sign of slowing down. Between May 2021 and May 2022, restaurant closures across the UK increased by 64%, working out at around 120 closures on average every month.

Trainees take on 2023

Published on 02 February 2023. By Rory Graham, Associate and Tom Butterfield, Associate and Lauren Butler, Associate and Ella Green, Associate

2022 was a year of extremes, with focus on our longest-reigning Monarch alongside our shortest-serving Prime Minister (and a lettuce).

TGI…Thursday?

Published on 04 January 2023. By Megan Grew, Associate

What would you say if I offered you 100% of your salary and you only had to work four days a week? For the employees of 70 companies across the UK, this was their reality for the second half of 2022.

Bit off more coin than they can chew? – The world of celebrity cryptocurrency endorsements

Published on 24 November 2022. By Tom Butterfield, Associate

By now, most of us have had some experience of being invited or persuaded to invest in cryptocurrency. This may be from a chat with a friend or on social media, as an increasing number of celebrities and influencers with no-doubt lucrative endorsement deals try to entice fans into investing. The latter usually take the form of an invitation to invest in their own cryptoassets (through release of limited edition NFTs) or an endorsement of an existing token or coin. But are endorsements of this kind a step too far? It would certainly be surprising for an influencer to promote a more traditional financial product over social media, but due to cryptocurrency's mass accessibility and position in popular culture, the position is slightly more nuanced.

Profits have never been cuter – Is the rise of the pet industry truly sustainable?

03 October 2022

Many readers will have gained a cat or dog in the last two years – in fact 3.2 million pets have been purchased in Britain since March 2020. In a country of 67 million people, there are now 17 million pet owning homes and around 34 million pets. The increase has been most pronounced among younger households. This has led to commensurate growth in the UK pet industry. The question remains whether this rise is sustainable?

Clean beauty: Here to stay or be washed away?

Published on 17 August 2022. By Lauren Butler, Associate

Beauty trends come and go, but with the sector now worth approximately £28bn in the UK alone, such trends have the opportunity to generate significant income for businesses. A recent movement around "clean" beauty has had a significant impact on the industry globally. It is estimated that nearly a third of the US market is "clean" beauty, and an increase of 12% is expected from 2020 to 2027. But what is "clean" beauty, why is it gathering pace and what does its future look like?

The subscription business model - a lockdown trend or here to stay?

Published on 19 July 2022. By Ella Green, Associate

Demand for online shopping skyrocketed during the pandemic, with online shopping sales in the UK rising by 48%. Whilst consumers were forced to stay at home, many were left with time to fill and a desire to find entertainment from the comfort of their lockdown abodes. At the same time, retailers and other hard-hit industries, such as restaurants, found that they needed to diversify in order to make an income whilst they were closed.

'Popping to the shop' a thing of the past?

Published on 13 June 2022. By Rory Graham, Associate

Have you noticed that overnight, seemingly every poster on London's streets and billboard in its tube stations advertise a service that will magic groceries to your front door in an impossibly short timeframe? These are signifiers of the battle being fought in the instant grocery delivery space.

Escaping Reality Through Reality TV

Published on 12 July 2021.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have run-around the upper East side of New York City with a bunch of wacky housewives, stayed in a luxury villa in Mexico and sashayed down the runway with 12 other queens. And this summer I will be returning to Majorca for a long, hot summer!

Tale as old as time: music ownership, is it time for industry-wide change?

Published on 04 June 2021. By Harpreet Kaur, Senior Associate

Taylor Swift's battle with her former record label, Big Machine Label Group, and its buyer, Ithaca Holdings LLC, has been widely documented in the press over the last few years. This saga is another example of the exploitation that is rife within the music industry, but will Swift's experience finally bring about change? Fellow 'Swifties' and I hope so.

Delays expected: why high-speed rail projects are failing worldwide

Published on 03 June 2021.

Throughout history, railways have been a universal symbol across the world of prosperity and innovation. From the steam railways spanning swathes of the American West in the 1800s, to the futuristic bullet trains of Japan, for centuries nations have invested heavily in the construction of new trainlines to embrace modernity and connect various far-flung cities. As rail journeys become more and more ubiquitous, with 463 million rail journeys undertaken in the UK in 2019-2020, high speed rail seems to be the logical next step to make rail travel faster, more efficient and greener…in theory.

A meaty debate: traditional vs lab-grown alternatives

26 May 2021

This January, a record 500,000 people pledged to eat only plant-based food as part of Veganuary, but avoiding meat may not be the only way to eat sustainably.