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
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 map to be used for the 2026 midterms despite evidence that race was the predominant factor. The ruling follows the Court’s 2019 *Rucho* decision, which declared partisan gerrymandering a non‑justiciable political question. Without legislative action, the decision leaves Texas and other states free to draw maps that favor the governing party.
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...
FCA Approves Vestd as a PISCES Operator
Vestd has received FCA approval to operate under the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES), placing it alongside the London Stock Exchange and JP Jenkins. The PISCES framework, launched in June 2025, enables private companies to auction shares to professional...
CLARITY’s Delay to Test Wall Street’s $6.6 Trillion Stablecoin Warning Which Is at Odds with White House View
The Senate’s CLARITY Act, which would codify the Trump‑era pro‑crypto stance, has stalled, leaving the regulatory fate of stablecoin yield incentives in limbo. Wall Street groups warn that up to $6.6 trillion in bank deposits could migrate to stablecoins if exchanges...
How a Supreme Court Fight over Fish Oil Could Raise Your Prescription Drug Costs
U.S. Supreme Court is hearing Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ challenge to Amarin’s patent enforcement over Vascepa, a fish‑oil drug. The dispute centers on “skinny labeling,” which lets generics launch for unpatented uses while brand patents remain. A decision favoring Amarin could tighten...
Settling Out of Court: Negotiating in the Shadow of the Law
The article explains why parties often overlook the hidden costs of litigation and how settling out of court can preserve resources and relationships. It outlines transaction costs, lack of cooperation, and relationship damage as primary drawbacks of going to trial....
Transparency Data: CMA Board: Register of Interests
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has kept its board register of interests current, with the latest updates in April 2026 covering Martin Coleman, Justin Basini and Cyrus Mehta. Notably, Justin Basini was appointed Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Audit...
Italy’s Antitrust Watchdog Slaps €23.3m Fines on Snack Makers over Alleged Private Label Cartel
Italy’s Competition and Market Authority fined Amica Chips, Pata and Preziosi Food a combined €23.3 million (about $25 million) for coordinating supply of private‑label savoury snacks. The regulator said the trio ran a continuous market‑sharing scheme that divided supermarket own‑brand volumes, breaching...
ICCR Fills the EDGAR Gap By Providing a List of Voluntary Exempt Solicitations
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) has launched a web page cataloguing voluntary exempt solicitations that shareholders file outside of EDGAR. The move follows Corp Fin’s new corporate filing instruction that bars such filings on EDGAR under Rule 14a‑6(g), aiming...
Greece’s AI Smart Policing System Ruled Unlawful After €4 Million Public Spending\
In 2019 the Hellenic Police awarded a €4 million (≈ $4.3 million) contract to Intracom Telecom for a “Smart Policing” system that equips officers with portable devices for facial‑recognition, fingerprint and license‑plate scanning. The AI‑enabled tools were intended to speed up identity checks...
EDRi Responds to European Commission’s Consultation Call on the Digital Omnibus
The European Commission has opened a consultation on its Digital Omnibus package, a set of technical tweaks aimed at simplifying EU digital law. Civil‑rights group EDRi submitted a response warning that the draft could erode core safeguards in the ePrivacy...
China Pilots Crackdown on Debt‑laden Zombie Firms
1/9 Interesting SCMP article: "China’s top market regulator is intensifying its crackdown on debt-laden “zombie companies” – rolling out a pilot programme in seven economic hubs to facilitate the forced exit of unprofitable firms." https://t.co/MyTz0VUKAc
Policy Paper: Changes to the Risk Transformation Regulations
The UK government has released a policy paper outlining reforms to the Risk Transformation Regulations, targeting the insurance‑linked securities (ILS) and captive insurance sectors. The proposals introduce more flexible funding and streamlined authorisation for transformer vehicles, and allow protected cell...
A New Ground for Refusing Enforcement? The Interplay Between Unless Orders and the New York Convention in Singapore
The Singapore Court of Appeal in Wuhu Ruyi Xinbo Investment Partnership v European Topsoho upheld the breach of an "unless order" and ruled that such orders fall under Article III’s domestic procedural rules of the New York Convention, not as a refusal...
Six in Ten Pupil Barristers Are Women, New Figures Show
The Bar Standards Board reports that 60.3% of pupil barristers are women, the highest share since diversity data collection began a decade ago. Pupillage headcount reached a record 602, up from 589 the previous year. Despite this pipeline shift, women...
University of Sussex Wins Legal Challenge Against OfS’s £585k Freedom of Speech Fine
The University of Sussex has overturned a £585,000 fine (about $743,000) imposed by the Office for Students after a High Court judicial review. The judge ruled the regulator lacked jurisdiction over the university’s Trans and Non‑Binary Equality Policy because it...
How Coding Agents Become Legal Tech Allies
Vesence’s coding agents let lawyers describe a task in plain English and receive a custom script that manipulates PDFs, Excel files, Word documents, and Outlook emails on the spot. The agent runs in a sandboxed bash environment, writes code, executes...
Spam Menace: Telcos, Internet Cos Clash over Views to Regulate OTTs
India’s major telecom operators have asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to bring third‑party IP apps and over‑the‑top (OTT) communication platforms under the same anti‑spam rules that govern SMS and voice. They argue that stricter SMS regulations are...
Met Police Federation Decries ‘Outrageous’ Palantir AI System
The Metropolitan Police Federation is threatening legal action over the force’s new Palantir AI system, which it says breaches officers’ privacy and GDPR rules. The pilot, launched last week, has already led to two arrests and two suspensions while hundreds...
Local Policies to Get Buildings Off Gas Keep Winning in Court
Federal courts across the United States are consistently upholding local policies that require new buildings to be all‑electric, despite the 2023 Ninth Circuit decision that struck down Berkeley, California's gas‑ban ordinance. In six post‑Berkeley lawsuits, judges have rejected the Energy...
EU Votes on Controversial Legislation on Hazardous Substances Used in Cosmetics
The European Parliament is set to vote on the Omnibus VI proposal, which lengthens the deadline for cosmetics manufacturers to remove carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive‑toxic (CMR) substances from the EU market. Under the new text, companies will have roughly 2.5 years to...
EU Says Meta Needs to Do More to Keep Under-13s Off Instagram and Facebook
The European Commission warned Meta that its current safeguards are insufficient to keep children under 13 off Instagram and Facebook, citing evidence that 10‑12% of users on the platforms are underage. The regulator said Meta must redesign its services and...
Why Elon Musk’s OpenAI Lawsuit Could Disrupt Its $1 Trillion IPO
Elon Musk has sued OpenAI, seeking $150 billion in damages and demanding the company revert to a nonprofit structure while pushing for leadership changes. The lawsuit targets OpenAI’s governance, profit model, and control, creating uncertainty just as the AI firm prepares...
Five Ways Day-One SSP Will Affect Absence
The UK’s Employment Rights Act 2025 now requires statutory sick pay (SSP) to start on the first day of absence, ending the previous three‑day unpaid waiting period. This shift is expected to encourage employees to stay home when ill, reducing presenteeism...
Civil Rights Office Resolved 1% of Cases in 2025, Report Finds
In 2025 the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights resolved only 112 cases, representing just 1% of its backlog—the lowest rate in over a decade. The agency settled no complaints involving sexual harassment, sexual violence, or racial harassment, and disability‑discrimination...
Holiday Compliance and Travel Disruption: What HR Needs to Do Now
Effective 6 April 2026 UK employers must retain detailed records of annual leave and holiday pay for six years, turning former best‑practice guidance into a statutory duty. The law covers ordinary, additional and carried‑forward leave, as well as any payments in lieu,...
'Criminal Behaviour' | Pride Event Organisers Face Civil Claims Risk over CEO Scandal, Lawyer Warns
Pride in London’s former chief executive, Christopher Joell‑Deshields, was dismissed and is awaiting sentencing after admitting two counts of contempt of court for failing to return company property. A BBC investigation revealed that senior leaders ignored bullying and misconduct complaints...
Canada Moves to Ban Crypto ATMs over Fraud Concerns
🚨LATEST The Canadian federal government just proposed banning cryptocurrency ATMs, calling them a primary method used by scammers to commit fraud and money laundering. https://t.co/2RoD0SfjjP
Is AI Actually Making Your Legal Team Faster?
Legal AI tools dramatically cut drafting time, but firms often overlook where the saved minutes go. Junior lawyers can produce a first draft in minutes, yet partners spend extra hours verifying output and reconciling data across fragmented systems. Most firms...
Italy's Software Fiscalization Shift: Lower Hardware Costs, Higher Compliance Complexity
Italy is rolling out a software‑based fiscalization system that will replace traditional fiscal printers with a certified, distributed architecture. The change promises lower upfront hardware costs, reduced maintenance, and fewer local service dependencies for retailers. However, the model shifts compliance...
Commission Sets Out a Common Approach for EU-Wide Age Verification Technologies
The European Commission has adopted a recommendation to create a common EU‑wide age‑verification framework, targeting full availability by 31 December 2026. The blueprint mandates anonymous proof‑of‑age tools that protect privacy while allowing platforms to block age‑restricted content. It ties the rollout to...
A New Era for Finding Answers in iManage
iManage unveiled the latest version of Ask iManage, an agentic AI assistant that moves beyond simple search to deliver contextual, cited answers directly inside iManage Work. The tool reasons across the document library, iteratively refining queries and synthesizing information while...
Accountability Vs. Agility: UK’s New SM&CR Mandates
The FCA and PRA rolled out Phase 1 of SM&CR reforms on 24 April 2026, introducing a more proportionate regime for senior managers. The 12‑week rule now requires only the submission of a Senior Management Function (SMF) application within 12 weeks, with regulators...
Secrecy Tracker: Data Centre Secrecy and Top EU Court Database ‘Disaster’
The EU adopted a delegated act that bars the European Commission from publishing facility‑level data‑centre metrics, a rule shaped by a joint amendment from Microsoft and DigitalEurope. Only aggregated national figures will be released, raising concerns about compliance with the...
Tupac Shakur’s Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Keefe D and Others
The estate of late rapper Tupac Shakur filed a wrongful‑death lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, naming Duane “Keefe D” Davis and up to 100 unidentified co‑conspirators as defendants. The complaint cites Davis as the only person ever criminally...
Critical Mass With Law.com's Amanda Bronstad: SCOTUS Hears Key Roundup Case, 1st Bellwether Trial Opens Over Bard PowerPort
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Monsanto’s claim of federal preemption in the massive Roundup pesticide litigation, a case that could set a nationwide precedent. At the same time, the first bellwether trial for more than 3,000 lawsuits over...
The Week in Data April 29: A Look at Legal Industry Trends by the Numbers
Law.com’s weekly data roundup highlights several pivotal shifts in the legal sector. Applications to law schools surged in 2025, driving admissions rates to historic lows, while the number of J.D. degrees awarded fell by roughly 2,500 year‑over‑year. The American Bar...
China Targets ‘Zombies’ with Regulatory Headshots to Kill Off Subsidised Laggards
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has launched a pilot programme in seven key regions to force the liquidation of debt‑laden “zombie” companies that survive on subsidies and bank loans. The new authority under the amended Company Law allows regulators...
New Rules on the Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Saudi Arabia – Some Preliminary Observations
On 15 April 2026 Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers enacted a new Execution Law that overhals the enforcement regime for foreign judgments, arbitral awards and mediated settlements. The law introduces a reciprocity test, limits jurisdictional review to cases falling under Saudi exclusive...
Commission Preliminarily Finds Meta in Breach of Digital Services Act for Failing to Prevent Minors Under 13 From Using Instagram...
The European Commission has issued a preliminary finding that Meta’s Instagram and Facebook violate the Digital Services Act by not adequately preventing children under 13 from accessing the platforms. Although Meta’s terms set the minimum age at 13, the current...
Former Berwin Leighton Paisner Head Neville Eisenberg Launches Consultancy Firm
Former Berwin Leighton Paisner managing partner Neville Eisenberg has founded ClarityX Advisory, a consultancy aimed at guiding law‑firm leaders through the sector’s current disruption. The firm offers a structured diagnostic and decision‑support tool to help firms navigate AI adoption, rising...
GV-Backed Biotech Startup OMass Faces IP Lawsuit
Oxford‑based OMass Therapeutics, a biotech spin‑out backed by Alphabet’s GV, Oxford Science Enterprises and Sanofi Ventures, has been hit with an intellectual‑property lawsuit. The filing alleges that OMass infringed on patented technology related to its drug‑discovery platform. While the case...
Sacking Employee After 'Scope of Duties' Complaint Was GP Breach
The Federal Circuit Court found that dismissing a travel sales consultant for refusing to let his image and voice be used on social media without extra pay constituted unlawful adverse action. Judge Heather Riley concluded the employer’s claim the employee...
The Twin Regulation Test Facing UK Subscription Retailers
UK subscription retailers face a dual regulatory hurdle in 2026 as the EU enacts a “one‑click return” right of withdrawal on 19 June and the UK rolls out its Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. Both regimes demand that cancellation be...
EEOC Sues Alto Ingredients for Allegedly Axing Electrician over Disability
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit in June 2024 against Alto Ingredients, alleging the company terminated electrician Mark Butcher three months after hiring him because of his disability, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. A U.S. magistrate...