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
How to Run a GDPR-Compliant Remote Hiring Process
Remote hiring in the Netherlands now spans Europe, forcing companies to move candidate data across borders under the GDPR. Recruiters must first establish a lawful basis—typically legitimate interest or pre‑contractual steps—before collecting any personal information. The article outlines a step‑by‑step checklist: map data flows, limit collection, secure systems with encryption and MFA, provide transparent privacy notices, and enforce strict retention and deletion schedules. Finally, it recommends embedding these controls in a repeatable compliance workflow to avoid legal risk and build candidate trust.
Barnes & Thornburg Secures Eight-Partner Insurance Recovery Team From Lowenstein
Barnes & Thornburg has recruited a 12‑lawyer team, including eight partners, from Lowenstein Sandler, bolstering its insurance recovery practice on the East Coast. The group will operate out of the firm’s New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta offices and is led...
BOK's Circuit Breaker Recommendation: Is Importing TradFi Rules the Answer?
The Bank of Korea’s 2025 Payment and Settlement Report recommends adopting circuit‑breaker mechanisms for domestic crypto exchanges, mirroring stock‑market safeguards. The proposal follows a February 2026 Bithumb error that over‑paid roughly USD 4.3 million, exposing weak internal controls. Analysts argue that crypto’s...
Robinhood Takes a Curated Approach to Prediction Markets, Avoiding High-Risk Contracts
Robinhood is deliberately narrowing its prediction‑market catalog, opting to exclude high‑risk contracts such as "mention markets" that could be exploited for insider information. The platform now works exclusively with CFTC‑regulated exchanges like Kalshi and ForecastEx, keeping its offerings confined to...
News Sites Block Wayback Machine Over AI Copyright Fears
The AI Data Wars Rage On -> Originality AI: 23 major news websites and Reddit block the Internet Archive's crawler; journalists and advocacy groups sign a letter supporting the Archive "Other publishers have justified their decision to block the Wayback Machine...
Agriplace Rebrands to Simvia as Compliance Data Platform
Agriplace has rebranded to Simvia, shifting its focus from a farm‑level compliance tool to a Europe‑wide data infrastructure for food and consumer‑goods companies. The platform now aims to unify fragmented regulatory, sustainability and packaging requirements into a single, audit‑ready system....
Customs Sets up Refund Process for Trump’s Unlawful Global Tariffs
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that on April 20 2026 it will roll out the first phase of its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool within the ACE Portal to handle refunds of the global tariffs imposed by former...
Can the Balkans Fight Corruption Without Weakening Due Process?
Judicial reforms across the Western Balkans, driven by EU accession pressure, have spawned powerful anti‑corruption bodies such as Albania’s Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK). While SPAK was lauded for boosting investigative capacity, its sweeping powers have led...
How to Operationalise CARF Reporting Effectively
The Crypto‑Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) marks the most significant extension of global tax transparency into digital assets, mirroring FATCA and CRS but adding crypto‑specific complexity. Firms must move beyond a simple reporting exercise to embed continuous data collection, validation, and...
Tobyhanna Man Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For His Misappropriation Of Covid Relief Funds And With Making A False...
William Freeman IV, a 46‑year‑old from Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for wire fraud and filing a false tax return. He secured more than $300,000 in pandemic stimulus loans through the EIDL and PPP by...
New Decision Reaffirms Roadmap for Employers on the Interactive Process
The Connecticut Appellate Court affirmed summary judgment for Electric Boat in Hanke v. Electric Boat Corp., rejecting the employee’s disability discrimination, failure‑to‑accommodate, and retaliation claims. The court held that Hanke never qualified for a reasonable accommodation because he did not...
South Korea Says API Crypto Trading Now Makes up 30% of Market: Report
South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service reported that API‑driven trading now represents about 30% of the country’s crypto transaction volume. The regulator warned that some market participants are using automated tools to inflate trade volumes, spoof orders and coordinate activity across...
Reaffirming the Fundamental Right to Shareholder Proposals and Enhancing Board Accountability via Private Ordering
The Council of Institutional Investors (CII) released two spring 2026 policy amendments affirming shareholder proposals as a fundamental right and obligating boards to disclose how they will respond when jurisdictions dilute shareholder protections. The first amendment inserts language that voting on...
The Growing Push to Grant Legal Rights to Nature
The rights‑of‑nature movement, driven largely by Indigenous peoples, has expanded from Ecuador’s 2008 constitutional amendment to a patchwork of national laws and local ordinances worldwide. Landmark cases include New Zealand’s 2017 recognition of the Whanganui River as a legal person, India’s...
DOJ Issues First Declination Under Department-Wide Corporate Enforcement Policy
On March 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its first corporate declination under the newly adopted Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self‑Disclosure Policy, clearing France‑based medical‑device maker Balt SAS of FCPA prosecution. The decision hinged on Balt’s timely voluntary...
The Unofficial Assessment Centre Exercises that Decide Who Get Big Money Training Contracts
Law firms are increasingly using hidden, unofficial assessment exercises—such as receptionist feedback and driver‑reported behavior—to evaluate graduate candidates for high‑pay training contracts. The practice mirrors Duolingo’s “taxi driver test,” where a driver’s observations can veto a hire. Receptionists may swap...
The Compliance Blind Spots Hiding Inside Financial Data
Compliance programs often boast robust policies, yet many overlook the granular details hidden in transaction‑level data. Steve Markle of Itemize argues that fraud now embeds itself in invoices, vendor records, and expense reports, slipping past traditional controls. Without deep analysis...
Paramount / Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Inquiry
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened a Phase 1 invitation to comment on the proposed merger between Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery. The regulator has already received the required pre‑notification documents and is now asking any interested party to...
Guidance: Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Orders and Calculator
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has refreshed its domestic bulk LPG market orders and the accompanying tank‑transfer price calculator, the latest update issued on 13 April 2026. The orders limit exclusivity periods to two years, require a 42‑day notice to...
Unscrupulous Trading Platforms Probed Amid Rising Investor Losses
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has launched more than ten investigations into South African online trading platforms after a surge in retail investor losses. The market, worth about $115.9 million in 2025, is projected to grow to $201.3 million by 2033...
PM Modi Says Parliament Set to Amend Women’s Reservation Act for 2029 Rollout
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India’s Parliament will amend the Nari Shakti Vandan Act to enable a 2029 rollout of women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The amendment, slated for a special three‑day sitting from April 16‑18,...
EU Businesses Warn China’s New Supply Chain Law Puts Firms on Collision Course with Bloc’s Rules
A EU business lobby, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, has condemned China’s new Regulation 834, which took effect last week. The law gives Chinese authorities sweeping powers to investigate and punish companies or individuals deemed to threaten industrial...
Fidelity Wealth Management Report Warns of $124 Trillion Inheritance Conflict Risk
Fidelity Wealth Management released a report showing that uneven estate divisions could spark legal battles as $124 trillion in assets shift between generations. The study cites rising probate filings and a 58% dispute rate, urging families to review wills and beneficiary...
StubHub to Refund $10 Million and Revamp Ticket Pricing After FTC Settlement
StubHub agreed to a $10 million consumer refund and a mandatory redesign of its price‑display system after the FTC charged the platform with deceptive ticket‑pricing practices. The settlement, pending court approval, compels the company to show total ticket costs up‑front, a...
Harmeet Dhillon Is Not Wasting Any Time
Harmeet Dhillon, appointed assistant attorney general for civil rights in May 2024, has rapidly reshaped the DOJ's Civil Rights Division to align with President Trump’s agenda, halting DEI initiatives and redirecting resources toward partisan goals. Within a year, roughly 70%...
China Mandates Export Licenses for Gallium and Germanium, Sparking U.S. Supply‑Chain Alarm
China has required export licences for gallium and germanium, two rare‑earth metals vital to U.S. semiconductors and optics. The policy, introduced in 2025 and expanded in 2026, triggered price spikes and a swift strategic response from Washington and Brussels, highlighting...
Laissez-Faire Regulation Inevitably Breeds Self‑regulation Fallout
Given the current era of laziest-faire regulation, just a reminder of the inevitable consequence of self-regulation...
Supreme Court Judge Warns AI Must Remain a Support, Not a Substitute, for Judicial Reasoning
Supreme Court Justice Rajesh Bindal told a national conference on judicial process re‑engineering that artificial intelligence must serve only as a supportive instrument and must never override human judicial reasoning. He also warned of data‑confidentiality risks tied to open‑source AI...
Connecticut Bill Would Force Employers to Disclose AI Resume Screening
Connecticut's Senate Bill 00435 would compel all employers to notify job applicants when artificial‑intelligence systems scan their résumés or take part in hiring decisions. The measure, backed by labor unions and employee advocates, aims to curb bias and give workers...
Worker Was Owed More than 800 Days in Holiday Pay
A UK employment tribunal awarded former Sabtina deputy managing director Mossadek Ageli more than £400,000 in compensation after finding his dismissal for alleged gross misconduct was procedurally unfair. The judge ordered £91,489.73 (≈ $116,200) for unfair dismissal and £391,942.77 (≈ $498,000) for...
Activision Blizzard Wins Permanent Injunction Against Turtle WoW Private Server
Activision Blizzard secured a permanent injunction that forces the shutdown of the fan‑operated Turtle WoW private server network. The ruling follows a copyright infringement lawsuit filed in August 2025 and includes a confidential settlement that ends all development, distribution, and...
Simmons & Simmons Welcomes Students to First Dedicated AI Internship
International law firm Simmons & Simmons launched its first AI law internship, welcoming eight students for a two‑week program in London from April 13‑24. The internship targets penultimate or final‑year undergraduates, postgraduates and recent graduates, offering hands‑on experience in both...
Supreme Court Refuses to Quash CBI FIR Against Lalu Prasad Yadav in Land-for-Jobs Case
The Supreme Court declined to quash the CBI’s FIR against Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in the long‑running land‑for‑jobs case, while granting him exemption from appearing before the trial court. The bench left the question of Section 17A’s applicability under the...
Stop Killing Games Throw Weight Behind California Bill that Would Force Companies to Either Keep Games Working Independently After Server...
Stop Killing Games, a consumer‑rights campaign, is backing California’s “Protect Our Games Act,” which would compel publishers to either release an offline‑compatible version of a game or issue full refunds when servers shut down. The bill applies to games sold...
Ronel Buenaventura Appointed as New AMLC Executive Director
The Anti‑Money Laundering Council (AMLC) of the Philippines named Ronel Buenaventura as its new executive director, succeeding Matthew David who moved to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Buenaventura, a former acting deputy director and legal scholar, inherits a massive anti‑corruption...
Can Unpaid Volunteers Sue for Discrimination?
A Colorado federal court granted summary judgment to a city, holding that participants in its Police Department Explorer volunteer program were not "employees" under Title VII because they received no meaningful remuneration. The court also dismissed the plaintiffs' sex‑discrimination and...
Lawyers Aren’t Losing Their Jobs to AI, They’re Losing Their Tasks
Law firms are grappling with AI not because it will replace lawyers, but because it is stripping away many of the routine tasks that have traditionally defined legal work. While AI can draft, research, and review documents faster than humans,...
Quiet Reassignment of ZACC Commissioner Sparks Legal Concern
Jessie Majome was FIRST appointed as a ZACC Commissioner in July 2019…. & in March 2024, she was moved to the Human Rights Commission…. NO ONE made noise that time when she was reassigned by President @edmnangagwa … Had @ProfMadhuku...
Italy Limits Sinochem’s Pirelli Board Seats – Report
Italy has moved to limit the influence of China’s Sinochem Group on Pirelli’s board, capping the number of directors the Sinochem‑linked investment vehicle can propose to three and barring them from chair or CEO roles. At least two of the...
GCs Advised to Consider AI Insurance to Cover Against Rise in AI-Related Risks
General counsel are being urged to purchase dedicated AI insurance as AI‑related incidents surge. The AI Incident Database recorded a 47% year‑on‑year rise in harms by mid‑July, and Gartner’s survey shows 29% of firms suffered attacks on generative‑AI infrastructure. Traditional...
São Paulo Court Shuts Streaming Fraud Site in Latest Ruling Under Brazil’s Operation Authêntica Initiative
A São Paulo civil court ordered the permanent and dynamic blocking of www.boomdeseguidores.com.br, a site that sold artificial plays on Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube Music along with fake social‑media engagement. The decision marks the third ruling under Brazil’s Operation Authêntica,...
Kenyan Court Clears Path for Diageo’s US$2.3bn EABL Sale
A Kenyan High Court has dismissed a legal challenge, removing the final obstacle to Diageo’s $2.3 billion sale of its 65% stake in East African Breweries (EABL) to Japan’s Asahi. The ruling paves the way for the transaction to close in...
NHS Trust Settles with Nurse Who Misgendered Patient
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust has reached a confidential settlement with nurse Jennifer Melle, who was disciplined after misgendering a transgender prisoner and later faced suspension for speaking publicly about the incident. The nurse endured a 10‑month suspension,...
Laws Recommended by Zondo Commission Retain Weaknesses – Mavuso
South Africa’s Business Leadership SA (BLSA) chief Busi Mavuso says the two Zondo‑commission reforms now law – the Public Service Amendment Act and the Public Administration Management Amendment Act – still contain significant gaps. While the Acts move appointment powers...
SRA Confirms Sentencing Act 2026 Will Not Feature in April SQE2 Assessments
The Solicitors Regulation Authority confirmed that the Sentencing Act 2026 will not appear in the April 2026 SQE2 assessment because the exam’s legal knowledge cut‑off date is 28 December 2025, while the Act only commenced on 22 March 2026. SQE2, the practical‑skills...
Brazil’s Electricity Regulator ANEEL Delays Energy Storage Rulemaking, Approves Hybrid Solar-BESS
Brazil’s electricity regulator ANEEL approved the country’s first co‑located solar‑battery project—a 1 MW/5 MWh lithium‑ion system attached to the Sol de Brotas 7 solar farm in Bahia—on 2 April. The hybrid plant shares a single grid connection, uses a 2.3 MW power conversion system and...
How Hutchison Arbitration Against Maersk Rewrites the Panama Calculus
CK Hutchison has initiated arbitration against A.P. Moller‑Maersk over alleged breaches related to Panama Canal transit agreements. While the case may not yield a favorable judgment for Hutchison, the filing serves as a strategic signal to the shipping industry about...
ETSI’s Response to the European Commission’s Proposal for the Cybersecurity Act 2
On 15 April 2026 ETSI issued a formal position paper responding to the European Commission’s proposal for the Cybersecurity Act 2. The standards body endorses a risk‑based, tiered certification framework, calls for transparent governance and stakeholder input, and stresses the need...
Trident Seafoods Sues City of Tacoma for Alleged Improper Fire Containment that Destroyed Fishing Vessel
Trident Seafoods has filed a lawsuit against the city of Tacoma seeking at least $100 million in damages, alleging that the fire department’s decision to use positive pressure ventilation caused a six‑day blaze that destroyed the $56.6 million Kodiak Enterprise fishing vessel....
Why Sanctions Programs Must Move Beyond Name Matching
In 2026 compliance teams face a sharp trade‑off between speed and defensibility as real‑time payments and digital onboarding demand instant decisions. Alessa CEO Holly Sais‑Phillippi warns that reliance on simple name‑matching creates alert noise, high false‑positive rates, and blind spots...