Today's Legal Pulse
UK pushes commonhold reform to boost housing supply
The Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill proposes abolishing leasehold and mandating new homes be sold as commonhold, tying the change to a target of delivering 1.5 million homes annually—the highest since 1968. The model remains untested, with fewer than 25 developments and unresolved issues around dispute resolution.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
Bonn (Germany), 24/25 September 2026, Conference International Filiation Law in the EU
The European Union’s International Filiation Law conference in Bonn (Sept 24‑25, 2026) examined the EU Parenthood Proposal, which seeks to harmonize cross‑border parent‑child status. Speakers from academia, the German Justice Ministry, and European institutes discussed portability, human‑rights dimensions, and a potential central registry. The event is free but requires registration, signaling strong institutional interest in shaping the proposal’s final form. The agenda covered legal, policy, and societal implications, including LGBTIAQ and women’s rights within filiation law.
Many Peers Sought to Amend This Badly Drafted Bill
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the longest Private Members’ Bill ever introduced in the House of Lords, ran out of time after a rare two‑day second reading. Critics, including the Constitution Committee, flagged serious drafting flaws, and...
Retentions Ban: Fine in Theory, Unclear in Practice
The UK Department for Business & Trade is consulting on a ban of retention payments in construction contracts, preferring an outright prohibition (Option A) over mandatory protection measures (Option B). A majority of respondents support reform, citing retentions’ negative impact,...
‘We Are a New Banking Desert’: Oregon Bank Group CEO
Oregon lawmakers approved House Bill 4052, granting up to $1 million per year in tax credits for three years to any new Oregon‑chartered bank that launches between 2027 and 2033. The state hasn’t chartered a new bank since 2007, and the...
Nigeria Moves to Mandate Organisations to Disclose Cyber Attacks Amid Rising Threats
Nigeria’s tech regulator, NITDA, announced that banks, fintechs and other organisations must disclose cyber‑breaches or at least share threat intelligence. The push follows a weak reporting record – only 37% of financial institutions filed fraud incidents in 2023 and fraud...
The Stakes of Trump’s Latest Fight With Disney
The Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, has launched a review of Disney’s ABC broadcast licenses across eight stations, including major markets such as New York and Los Angeles. Although the licenses are not slated for renewal until 2028, the...
"Making Negative Statements" About People to Their Employers = Criminal Harassment
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the state’s criminal harassment statute applies to negative statements made about a person to a third party, such as an employer, when the communication is intended to provoke an adverse consequence. In Hernandez v....
SEC's Mission Fades; Refund The Police Newsletter Out
The SEC exists to prevent financial crime. Or, at least, it used to. My latest newsletter, “Refund The Police” is out now: bit.ly/RefundThePolice
EU Pay Transparency Directive: The Countdown Is On
The EU Pay Transparency Directive, aimed at closing the gender pay gap, takes effect on June 7, obligating companies operating in the EU to disclose salary ranges, pay‑progression criteria, and to respond to employee requests for gender‑based pay comparisons. Multinationals must...
Justice Department Secures Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Springfield, Missouri Landlord
The Justice Department announced a $250,000 settlement with the owners of Springfield, Missouri rental properties accused of sexual harassment under the Fair Housing Act. The lawsuit alleged that former manager Jimmie Bell repeatedly harassed female tenants and retaliated against those...
Justice Department Sues New Jersey Over Attempt to Regulate Federal Law Enforcement
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil lawsuit against the state of New Jersey, Governor Mikie Sherrill, and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s “Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act.” The law seeks to regulate how...
Why Trump-Backer Justin Sun Is Suing the Trumps’ Firm
Crypto billionaire Justin Sun has filed a California lawsuit against World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto venture, alleging the firm misused his $45 million WLFI token purchase and leveraged the Trump brand for fraud. Sun claims the company is on...
Poultry Producer Faces Legal Action over Alleged River Pollution Claims
Avara Foods, its subsidiary Freemans of Newent, and Welsh Water face the UK’s largest environmental group claim, alleging that poultry‑manure runoff and sewage discharges have polluted the River Wye, Lugg and Usk. Over 4,500 residents and businesses have joined the...
Blacklisting Expert Loses Bid to Appear Before Spycops Inquiry
A High Court ruling denied blacklisting expert Dave Smith the chance to give oral evidence in the third phase of the Spycops inquiry, limiting his participation to written submissions. Unite and more than 100 trade‑union signatories have protested the decision,...
Equipment Fraud: The Scams Targeting Food and Drink Manufacturers
Equipment fraud is emerging as a hidden threat for food and drink manufacturers, exploiting urgent maintenance and procurement processes. The most common schemes involve inflated or duplicate invoices, payment‑detail diversion scams, and conflicts of interest that can trigger Bribery Act...
Shadow UX and the Upcoming Fight over Legal Research
Law firms are increasingly using AI chat interfaces to draft research memos, bypassing traditional platforms like Westlaw and LexisNexis. This "Shadow UX" layer, powered by large language models and the Model Context Protocol (MCP), consumes vendor data without displaying the...
Remarks by Chairman Atkins on International Cooperation and the Future of Global Securities Market Regulation
Chairman Paul S. Atkins marked the 35th anniversary of the SEC’s International Institute, hosting 180 delegates from 54 jurisdictions. He highlighted the Institute’s role in fostering cross‑border regulator cooperation, from policy alignment to enforcement collaboration. The speech underscored the importance...
Soren Launches To Deliver ‘Private AI’
AI startup Soren, backed by Y Combinator, has launched a ‘private AI’ platform that deploys generative models on a client’s own infrastructure and fine‑tunes them on internal data. The service targets regulated industries such as law firms and banks, ensuring...
Organization’s GRC
The organization has instituted a formal Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) framework that delineates clear decision‑making authority, risk appetite, and policy standards. Governance is anchored by defined roles—board, executives, risk officers, and internal audit—supported by regular committee meetings. Risk management...
Antitrust Antidote: January-March 2026
The Antitrust Antidote’s Q1 2026 edition reviews five pivotal U.S. antitrust rulings, from the Ninth Circuit’s classification of Apple’s data‑sharing change as a refusal‑to‑deal to the FTC’s successful injunction against Edwards Lifesciences’ acquisition of JenaValve. The court also dismissed CVS Health’s alleged...
Meta's $2B Deal Flops Due to Arrogant Due Diligence
But what makes Meta and Manus' thwarted deal truly amazing is the lack of due diligence: "Meta conducted only a few weeks of due diligence to complete the acquisition in December, while neither Meta nor Manus sought Chinese regulatory approval for...
Short‑Swing Rules Enable Backdoor Capital
It's kind of crazy that, in a big enough squeeze, the short swing rules serve as a backdoor capital raise for a company $CAR https://t.co/DZvlGtqfY4
The $5B Test: Why Healthcare Compliance Programs Keep Failing the Same Way
In fiscal year 2025 the U.S. government recovered a record $6.8 billion under the False Claims Act, with $5.7 billion stemming from healthcare fraud. Despite mandatory compliance programs, many are built to pass audits rather than change behavior, leading to a surge...
Netherlands Has Not Approved 36% Unrealized Gains Tax
There's some content circulating that the Netherlands has approved a 36% tax on unrealized investment gains. First and foremost, the entire proposed tax rule is completely mental. However, there has not been an approval, so any statement confirming this is false.
5 Beneficiary Designation Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Estate Plan
In this episode of the College Investor Audio Show, host Eric discusses five common beneficiary designation mistakes that can undermine an estate plan, such as failing to update beneficiaries after life events, assuming a will overrides designated accounts, neglecting contingent...
Law Firm Valuation: If You’re Not Tracking Your Data, You’re Already Behind
Law‑firm management services organizations (MSOs) are now pricing their services based on projected firm revenue rather than historical earnings. By tracking granular data—case mix, pipeline velocity, conversion rates, and win rates—MSOs can forecast a firm’s 12‑24‑month earnings and set cost‑plus‑market‑rate...
FCA APR Review: Are Borrowers Being Shown the True Cost of Credit?
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a consultation to assess whether the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) displayed in credit adverts truly helps consumers understand total borrowing costs. Research shows 80% of shoppers correctly identify the cheapest loan when...
FDA Accuses ChemoCentryx of Trial Manipulation in Amgen‑Owned Tavneos Approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has formally accused ChemoCentryx of manipulating results from the pivotal trial that secured approval of its drug Tavneos, now under Amgen’s ownership. The agency says the alleged misconduct could prompt a withdrawal of the...
Flipkart Appoints New Legal and Corporate Development VPs Ahead of IPO
Flipkart has named Sharayu Jadhav as Vice President of Legal and Varun Gupta as Vice President of Corporate Development as it readies for an IPO. Jadhav, returning from leadership roles at Acko and Razorpay, will oversee legal matters across the...
Australia Proposes 2.25% Tax on Meta, Google and TikTok to Fund Local Newsrooms
The Albanese government has unveiled a draft Media Bargaining Incentive that would levy a 2.25% tax on the Australian revenue of Meta, Google and TikTok, generating $200‑$250 million for newsrooms. Tech firms have blasted the plan as a government‑mandated wealth transfer,...
AI Adoption Could Boost Demand for Lawyers and Accountants, Economist Says
Apollo Global Management chief economist Torsten Slok argues that AI will create, not cut, jobs for lawyers and accountants, invoking the Jevons paradox. He says cheaper AI‑driven services will expand market demand, challenging the prevailing view of an AI‑driven white‑collar...
Wisconsin PSC Mandates Full Cost Recovery for Data Centers, Setting New Regulatory Baseline
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved a revised tariff from We Energies that forces large‑load data center customers to shoulder the full cost of electricity generation and grid upgrades. The decision, made after a year‑long review, establishes a stricter regulatory...
The Justice Department Has Destroyed Its Voting Rights Section
The Justice Department’s Voting Rights Section was gutted after President Trump’s second inauguration, dropping from roughly 30 attorneys to just two within three months. New hires with little federal court experience have taken over, filing a wave of erroneous lawsuits...
Paramount Seeks FCC Waiver to Allow $24 Bn Foreign Investment in Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
Paramount Skydance has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission to exceed the 25% foreign‑ownership ceiling so it can incorporate $24 bn from Saudi, Abu Dhabi and Qatari sovereign‑wealth funds into its $81 bn takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The move,...
Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Trump Bid to End TPS for Haitian and Syrian Migrants
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday over the Trump administration’s attempt to end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitian and 6,000 Syrian migrants. A ruling could set precedent for revoking TPS for more than 1.3 million...
Musk Testifies Against Altman, Threatening OpenAI’s For‑Profit Shift and $2 B Microsoft Deal
Elon Musk took the stand Tuesday in Oakland, alleging that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman betrayed the nonprofit’s original charter by converting it into a for‑profit venture. Musk’s lawsuit seeks to unwind the $2 billion Microsoft investment and force Altman off the...
CFTC Sues Wisconsin Over Prediction Market Jurisdiction, Escalating Federal‑State Clash
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a suit in Milwaukee on April 28, demanding that Wisconsin’s enforcement actions against prediction‑market platforms be declared invalid. The case pits the federal regulator’s claim of exclusive jurisdiction over event‑contract derivatives against state...
The Collapse Of Competency
In the last 24 hours the Justice Department filed a far‑cited indictment against former FBI director James Comey over an Instagram post that read “8647,” and submitted a bizarre pleading seeking to lift an injunction on a secret security ballroom...
What the ADA Requires When a Drug Test Flags a Legally Prescribed Medication
The EEOC secured a $300,000 settlement against a tire manufacturer for violating the ADA by refusing to reinstate two heavy‑machine operators who tested positive for prescribed opioids. Both employees were cleared as fit for duty by the company’s own physicians,...
Ed Dymott: Trail Commission Isn’t the Problem
Fourteen years after the Retail Distribution Review forced a shift to fee‑based advice, the FCA is consulting on a ban of trail commissions that still flow from legacy insurance bonds and with‑profits funds. Ed Dymott argues that while trail commissions...
Cleo Labs Secures €1.5M to Scale AI-Driven Product Compliance Globally
Cleo Labs, a Paris‑based regtech startup, closed a €1.5 million (≈$1.6 million) funding round led by Larry Berger with participation from Kima Ventures, Financière Saint‑James and an Accel scout ticket. The capital will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that automates product regulatory compliance...
State Exams Are Becoming a Revenue Exercise
State mortgage regulators are increasingly using examinations as a source of revenue, turning supervisory findings into hefty public fines that can run into the millions. The shift blurs the traditional line between confidential supervision and punitive enforcement, especially in multistate...
Rights Groups Hail Indonesia’s ‘New Chapter’ for Domestic Workers, Warn of Long Road Ahead
Indonesia’s House of Representatives approved a long‑awaited domestic‑worker protection law, granting 14 rights such as social security, universal health care and mandatory vocational training. The legislation caps domestic duties at ten specific tasks and requires placement agencies to register and...
The Supreme Court Just Greenlit a Gerrymander That Even a Trump Judge Thought Was Too Racist
The Supreme Court on April 29, 2026 used a shadow‑docket order to overturn a district court ruling that Texas had illegally diluted minority voting power with its 2025 mid‑cycle redistricting. The 6‑3 decision, authored by Justice Alito, allows the new...
Through the Amber Spyglass: A Refraction of the New RAG Rating
The revised British Council Accreditation (BCA) framework introduces a RAG rating where amber denotes compliance with a public warning. Institutions with a 4% visa‑refusal rate fall into amber, even though they meet baseline standards. The article argues that treating amber...
John Lewis Hit with Click-and-Collect Lawsuit
Landlord Hammerson and former co‑owner Aberdeen have sued John Lewis in the High Court, seeking a declaration that click‑and‑collect sales count toward turnover rent under the 1979 lease. The lease obliges John Lewis to pay a £30,000 (≈$38,400) base rent plus 0.75%...
Meta Found in Breach of EU Law for Failing to Keep Children Off Platforms
Meta has been found in breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act for failing to keep children under 13 off Facebook and Instagram. The European Commission’s preliminary findings note that the company’s age‑verification tools are ineffective, allowing roughly 12% of...
Ofcom Launches Investigation Into BT
Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into BT’s EE and Plusnet units to determine whether they fully complied with statutory information requests made in December 2023. The regulator is scrutinising data that fed into its 2025 Comparing Customer Service Report,...
Pension Schemes Bill Finally Passed After Period of ‘Ping Pong’
The Pension Schemes Bill cleared the Commons‑Lords “ping‑pong” and is now poised for Royal Assent. A 12‑ to 24‑month rolling consultation programme will follow, covering value‑for‑money, consolidation, decumulation and defined‑benefit end‑game strategies. Industry leaders say the reforms must keep member...
UK Ministers Gain Power to Force Pension Funds to Invest in British Companies
UK ministers have been granted new statutory powers to require pension schemes to allocate a portion of their assets to UK‑listed companies. The measure, introduced under recent financial legislation, seeks to channel private retirement savings into domestic businesses and support...