Law firms might be caught by the consumer credit regime: • by entering into a consumer credit agreement as lender, eg in respect of their fees • by engaging in ancillary consumer credit activities such as debt adjusting This Practice Note deals with the second scenario—ancillary consumer credit activities. For more guidance on the implications of the consumer credit regime on your firm’s fee arrangements, see Practice Note: Consumer credit and client fee arrangements. For an overview of the consumer credit regime as it applies to law firms, see Practice Note: Consumer credit and law firms. It is an offence to engage in certain types of ancillary consumer credit activities without being authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You will need FCA authorisation if: • you engage in one of the following ancillary consumer credit activities as set out in section 145 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (CCA 1974): ◦ credit brokerage ◦ debt-adjusting ◦ debt-counselling ◦ debt-collecting ◦ debt administration ◦ the provision of credit information services, or

Law360, London: An executive director at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) urged law firms on 17 September 2026 to work with law enforcement agencies to tackle economic crime, saying they played a crucial role in detecting and investigating illicit funds.

Practice Management analysis: Law firms have to constantly evolve to attract talent and meet the needs of current and prospective employees. In the realm of employment perks and benefits, experts say these successful firms of the future will promote agile working practices and focus on the wellbeing of their employees.

Practice Management analysis: According to new research, there are now over 800 lawyers working for ‘virtual’ law firms in the UK. Advances in technology has paved the way for so-called ‘virtual lawyers’, a group of self-employed lawyers harnessing remote IT access and flexible working hours to provide competitive fee arrangements to clients. We speak to a range of legal experts about the advent of the ‘virtual lawyer’ and what impact this might have on the legal market.

Law360, London: Mishcon de Reya, Leigh Day and almost 20 other major legal players have urged the UK government to urgently introduce legislation to reverse a Supreme Court judgment from 2023 that reversed litigation financing, saying its failure to do so is hindering access to justice.

Law360: Half of the UK's highest-earning law firms do no't report on gender pay gaps among their partners, despite calls for them to do so since the regime was established eight years ago.

The law merchant or lex mercatoria (the law of the merchant) is part of the law of England that relates to the customs of trade and the law of commerce that have become incorporated in the common law.

Law of admiralty refers to the body of law governing shipping, navigation and maritime commerce, including disputes arising from the use of ships and the carriage of goods and passengers by sea. In the UK and Ireland it is largely synonymous with “maritime law” and underpins the admiralty jurisdiction of specialist courts, particularly the Admiralty Court of the King’s Bench Division in England and Wales, and equivalent jurisdiction in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.It covers matters such as collisions, salvage, towage, pilotage, marine insurance, ship mortgages, charterparties, bills of lading, limitation of liability, maritime liens and arrest of ships. Much of the law of admiralty is derived from case law, supplemented by key statutes (for example, the Senior Courts Act 1981, the Administration of Justice Act 1956 and the Maritime Conventions Act 1911 in the UK, and equivalent or implementing legislation in Ireland), and by international conventions incorporated into domestic law.Usage is broadly consistent across the four jurisdictions, although procedural rules and court structures differ. It is of central practical importance in shipping disputes, asset preservation (ship arrest), enforcement of maritime claims and allocation of risk in international trade.

This Practice Note discusses the concept of the law of the arbitration agreement and how this law is determined under the law of England and Wales (England and English are used as convenient shorthand). It also considers the recently enacted Arbitration Act 2025 and the alteration it has wrought on the English law rules governing the determination of the law applicable to arbitration agreements. The law of the arbitration agreement The Arbitration Act 1996 (AA 1996) defines an arbitration agreement (where the arbitration has its seat in England and Wales or Northern Ireland) as an agreement to submit present or future disputes, whether contractual or not, to arbitration (AA 1996, s 6). Such an arbitration agreement is most typically evidenced by a clause within a main contract, although it may also be drafted in a stand-alone document either at the time of the contract or after the dispute has arisen. However, even where the clause sits within the main contract, it is, legally, for certain purposes a distinct agreement

This Practice Note considers the procedural law of arbitration proceedings and how it is determined under the law of England and Wales (England and English are used as convenient shorthand). The procedural law of the arbitral proceedings The procedural law of an arbitration is also called the ‘lex arbitri’ or the ‘curial law’. It provides the framework for the internal procedure of the arbitration itself and the power of the courts supervising and supporting the arbitration. The detail of how an arbitration is to be proceeded is usually determined by any applicable arbitration rules, the procedural orders of the tribunal, and the parties’ agreement. The curial law can, however, provide default rules and place limits on the autonomy of the parties. Because each country makes its own procedural law, the scope and content of the procedural law will differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. What does the procedural law cover? Where the procedural law is English law, the relevant provisions are set out in Part I of the

This Practice Note provides guidance on the interpretation and application of the relevant provisions of the CPR. Depending on the court in which your matter is proceeding, you may also need to be mindful of additional provisions—see: Court specific guidance. This Practice Note sets out the status of authorities for use before the court and the importance of correctly citing authorities. It is the duty of counsel to cite the appropriate law report for a case and it is not sufficient to cite an unofficial report if an official or approved report is available. Therefore, it is important when researching or preparing bundles for counsel or court, to ensure that the most appropriate law reports are referred to. These are set out in Practice Direction (Citation of Authorities (2012). The cost of preparing a non-compliant bundle of authorities is at risk of being disallowed (Parr v Keystone Healthcare). For more information on this decision, see News Analysis: Recovery of unauthorised profit from fiduciary—company directors (Parr v Keystone Healthcare Ltd). For more information on costs

Law360, London: The Law Society has confirmed that non-solicitors may carry out litigation tasks under supervision, provided an authorised lawyer remains responsible, in guidance issued on 13 April 2026 following the Court of Appeal’s decision in Mazur and another v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP and another [2026] EWCA Civ 369.