London

This year Walkers is celebrating 25 years of Walkers operating in Europe – a milestone the firm is proud to mark, reflecting its commitment to the European market and to its ever-expanding European client base. The firm's European story began with the opening of its London office in March 2001, as Walkers’ first international office, establishing a presence in one of the world’s most important financial centres. This laid the foundations for the integrated European platform the firm has today, advising on the laws of the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Jersey, Guernsey and Ireland. Since 2001, and in particular during the past ten years, the firm has invested significantly into its London, Ireland, Jersey and Guernsey businesses. This investment has been combined with a consistent focus on bringing together market leading lawyers and professionals across all of its disciplines who believe in providing clients with top tier service in a responsive, coordinated and jurisdictionally agnostic manner. The growth in scale of the firm's European business has been phenomenal. The firm's four European offices are now home to over 600 legal and professional services personnel, delivering specialist, integrated advice relating to all aspects of asset management & investment funds, private capital & trusts, banking & finance, corporate, dispute resolution, insolvency & restructuring, employment and regulatory matters, across its six laws, as well as specialist Irish tax advice. The firm is delighted to see that the market leading strength of its European offering, and the coordinated approach it takes to client service, are consistently recognised by its clients as well as the legal directories. In addition to marking 25 years in Europe, this year also sees key milestones across each of the firm's European businesses, including 20 years in Jersey, 10 years in Guernsey and 10 years of Walkers Professional Services in Ireland. Together, these reflect the depth of the firm's long-term investment in Europe and the strength of its integrated offering. Commenting on the milestones, Hughie Wong, managing partner of Walkers' London office, said: 'Celebrating 25 years in Europe is a proud moment for all of us. London was our first step outside the Caribbean and it set the tone for how we operate internationally: operating in the same time zone as our clients, collaborating across offices and focusing on delivering consistently strong outcomes.' 'As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in our people and our platform so we can support clients at the most complex end of the market.' Fraser Hern, head of Walkers' Channel Islands business, added: ‘This year is particularly meaningful for our Channel Islands practice as we mark 20 years in Jersey and 10 years in Guernsey. Our Channel Islands offices form a crucial part of our European platform, supporting clients on complex multi-jurisdictional matters while remaining closely connected to the wider Walkers network. These milestones reflect not only the strength of our local teams, but the benefits of operating as part of an integrated European business.’ Jonathan Sheehan, managing partner of Walkers' Ireland office, said: ‘As we celebrate the milestone anniversaries across our European business, it is a timely opportunity to reflect on the depth of the commitment of our Ireland office to the region. Ireland has become a vital hub within our European offering, and our continued growth here is closely linked to the strength of the platform we have built across the region.’ The firm will recognise these milestones throughout the year, including hosting a client event to celebrate the relationships that have shaped its European journey and continue to drive its success. As the firm moves into the next chapter, it remains focused on strengthening its European offering and continuing to play a leading role in supporting clients with sophisticated, multi-jurisdictional advice.

Law firm Weightmans has made five new appointments to its insurance practice, bringing specialist expertise across fraud, intelligence, professional indemnity and media. It comes as the team reports 10% revenue growth year-on-year, following strong growth in 2025. Ian McConkey joins as a partner in the firm's Specialty Department in Manchester. Previously a partner and Manchester Location Head at DAC Beachcroft, Ian specialises in disputes, litigation, and professional indemnity claims. He is a recognised expert in media cases and has acted for a major media organisation for over 25 years, including in many high-profile and sensitive matters. Ian has recently been appointed President of Manchester Law Society. James Stevens also joins as a partner in the firm's fraud team. Previously a partner at Kennedys Law, James brings 21 years' experience specialising exclusively in insurance fraud. He has particular expertise in defending high-value organised fraud operations and strategic insurance fraud initiatives across motor, casualty and property claims. James is recognised as a Key Practitioner for Crime and Fraud in the Legal 500 2025. Strategic intelligence investment Weightmans made significant investment in its Intelligence team during early 2026. Ann Dallaway joins from DAC Beachcroft as Fraud and Intelligence Technical Lead, bringing over 22 years' experience as an intelligence specialist. She is joined by two Intelligence Researchers, including Harriet Roman, who also joins from DAC Beachcroft. The appointments build on the 2025 hire of specialist consultant Kate Abrahams, who focuses on intelligence management and ECCTA compliance. Together, they strengthen Weightmans' integrated approach to fraud and intelligence services for insurer clients. Ann will lead the continued development of the firm's fraud and Know Your Opponent (KYO) technology and processes, enhancing the intelligence capability that underpins legal services across the practice. Building on 2025 momentum The appointments follow significant growth during 2025, when the insurance practice made six senior appointments. The team welcomed five partners across Large Loss, Casualty, Clinical Negligence and Motor specialisms, with five internal promotions to senior associate level further strengthening capabilities. Kieran Jones, Head of Insurance at Weightmans, said: "These appointments represent a clear statement of intent about where we're investing. Fraud and intelligence are strategic priorities for us, and we're building capabilities that go well beyond traditional legal services. "Ian's appointment adds significant weight to our Specialty team. With his professional indemnity and media expertise, combined with his role as President of Manchester Law Society, he brings real profile and experience. James strengthens our fraud litigation capability at a time when regulatory changes like ECCTA are creating new challenges for insurers. "The intelligence team expansion is particularly important. Ann's technical expertise and the calibre of people joining demonstrates the ambition we have in this space. We're building an intelligence function that supports not just fraud work but provides valuable insight across all areas of our insurance practice. "These hires give us real momentum as we continue into 2026 with continued focus on expanding international desks and supporting clients through regulatory challenges including Martyn's Law.” ENDS Editor’s Notes Weightmans is a leading law firm with a truly global reach. From FTSE-100 companies to family-owned businesses, from public sector organisations to individuals - we believe in the power of people, innovation and partnership to provide strategic business insight and deep expertise to our clients across the UK and beyond. Weightmans, with 1,700 staff across England, Scotland, and Wales, was named a Top Employer for the 18th time in January 2026, earning a top five spot from the Top Employers Institute. In September 2025, it received EcoVadis’ Gold rating, placing it among the top 5% of law and accounting firms worldwide for ESG and sustainability. In October 2025, it also achieved its highest-ever ranking on the 2025 Social Mobility Employer Index, reaching 15th place in the list. Our purpose is to See the Possibility – in our business, our people and our clients. At Weightmans, we believe thinking differently allows us to see the possibilities others don't. For further information please contact Richard Lackey, PR Manager on 0151 243 3328 or email [email protected]

Boutique law firm Level has welcomed six senior hires from leading firms since November, including arrivals from Sheridans, Clintons, Howard Kennedy, Penningtons Manches Cooper and DRD Partnership, as more experienced lawyers move towards the flexibility and growth opportunities offered by the firm’s boutique fee-sharing consultant model. The new joiners Jonathan Sternberg, Jonny Harris, John Adams, Kate Conway Davies, Karim Bouzidi and Elizabeth Morley bring extensive experience across music, litigation communications, insolvency and civil fraud, international disputes, and film and television. Jonathan Sternberg, former Executive Vice President & General Counsel, International at Sony Music Entertainment, joined Level as a consultant. With over forty years of experience in global music law, he has advised on landmark matters including the George Michael contract dispute and major copyright and antitrust cases. Jonny Harris joined from DRD Partnership as Strategic Communications Partner within Level’s Reputation Management team. A qualified solicitor, accredited mediator and former press regulator, Jonny specialises in litigation communications, crisis response and strategic media engagement, working alongside partner Rachael Somerset. John Adams joined from Penningtons Manches Cooper, bringing more than twenty years’ experience in contentious insolvency and civil fraud, including advising the U.S. Trustee of Bernard Madoff. He also has specialist expertise in digital-asset disputes and international asset recovery. Kate Conway Davies, previously at Sheridans before establishing her own consultancy practice, joined Level’s Film & TV team. With over two decades in the industry, she advises on film and television development, production, finance and distribution, acting for leading production companies and talent, and has advised on the filming of major televised events including the BAFTAs. Karim Bouzidi joined from Clintons where he was Head of Litigation, bringing experience in complex commercial litigation and international arbitration, advising clients on high-value cross-border disputes across the media, entertainment and sports sectors. Elizabeth Morley joined from Howard Kennedy as a partner in Level’s disputes team. An experienced commercial litigator, she advises on complex cross-border disputes with particular expertise across the media, art and sports sectors, as well as defamation, privacy and reputation management matters. Level now has 45+ partners and 18 core team members based in Soho, advising clients worldwide across sport, media, entertainment, technology and creative industries. Morris Bentata, Founding Partner at Level, commented: “What makes Level distinctive is that this is not a volume model. We bring together a carefully curated group of outstanding lawyers who want to collaborate, build ambitious practices and deliver exceptional work for clients. The calibre of people joining us reflects that approach. Level is increasingly the place serious lawyers come when they want to accelerate their careers while enjoying the professional and personal benefits of a modern firm.” For media enquiries: [email protected] www.level.law About Level Level is a boutique law firm built for the modern world of sport, media, entertainment and technology. Grounded in these core sectors since its founding, the firm is increasingly attracting best-in-class lawyers from a wider range of practice areas who want to build ambitious practices within its modern fee-sharing consultant model. Unlike many larger fee-sharing firms, Level brings together a carefully chosen group of senior lawyers with strong practices and a collaborative mindset. Based in Soho, Level’s team of 45 partners and 18 core staff advise clients ranging from world-leading talent and rights holders to innovative start-ups and multinational brands. The firm is recognised for its progressive culture, specialist expertise and collaborative approach.

Two years ago, I attended an application to set aside possession in which a Litigant in Person argued that a section 21 notice was defective unless all historic tenancy documentation relied upon was served alongside it. They cited Brown v Sunley Homes Ltd [2017] in support of this position. The proposition was untrue, and the case relied upon in support was a ‘hallucination’ of Google Bard.     I was reminded of this as the Court of Appeal handed down the joined decisions in the “Ayinde” and “Al-Haroun” cases[1]. These were two cases placed before the Court of Appeal not for any substantive cause, but because in both cases it appeared lawyers had used AI and similarly produced fake citations in support of their cases. These cases at first blush appear to be a cautionary tale about the dangers of using AI and judging by the excoriating tone of the bench they very much are. However, the judgment also looks to grapple with two fundamental realities of the changing legal landscape. AI use is increasing exponentially, and the difference is becoming harder to spot. AI is increasingly everywhere and you are now inevitably using it in your everyday life and practice even if you don’t realise it. In Ayinde the barrister, while denying having proactively used AI, admitted it was possible that she had relied on the google summary that now appears at the top of search results which is generated by AI. We are probably all in the same boat as an absence of clear labelling of generated content and it’s increasingly imbedded nature make it more difficult to pick it out. The Court focused on the most dramatic form of AI error, “hallucination”, where an AI model being asked to undertake research, which large language models are not designed for, makes up evidence in support of its generated prose. These problems are likely teething issues of AI, as models get better and more advanced logic style models replace generative designs, the reality is these “hallucinatory” errors will likely fade. However, what is a far more pressing concern is as AI can generate accurate and compelling content, there is an opportunity for misinformation that the Court will find harder to spot. In Ayinde the Court, in support of its conclusion that the citations were fake, set out how it investigated the cases online and discovered no trace of them. However, what if there had been some trace, a blog or article referencing the same case. What if when the query was first raised a case, generated by the same technology, had been produced to support the proposition. We like to think someone would surely have spotted it, but can we be so sure. It is trivially easy to ask an AI language model to write a fictious piece of case law for you. As an experiment I asked one to produce Brown v Sunley Homes to see if my Litigant could, had he instead had a malicious motivation, gone further. The model dutifully produced a document, and with a few further prompts the document morphed into something quite convincing. There were some superficial errors. There was no Arnold LJ on the Court of Appeal in 2017, and the Law Report it was allegedly from did not exist. However, it was remarkably convincing in other aspects, and I must admit I found myself wondering if I would have been fooled had it simply been thrust into my hands by an opponent during a quick hearing with little time to consider. We all like to think that we could spot a fake and that we wouldn’t end up in the position of the unfortunate professionals in Ayinde and Al-Haroun. Of course, you can protect against errors using AI, and the Court was clear that the offending lawyers in these cases had made clear errors of judgment in the way they used AI. The reality though is that simply ignoring AI or thinking that not using it will keep you safe from these issues is equally problematic. Whether it is an opponent taking advantage of the same technology, a malicious actor seeking to dupe the Court or simply a google search with improperly labelled material, any lawyer today needs to be plainly aware of AI and the realities of it. That’s before discussing the obvious commercial benefits, after all could you compete with a firm charging half your fees because they can draft twice as quickly thanks to AI supplementation. The Court of Appeal’s decision is in many ways already out of date. AI use is already prolific and even were some sort of action taken to curtail or ban its use it seems very difficult to see how this could be practically enforced. A working group set up this week to consider how to tackle AI in law has a difficult job ahead of it. However, it is very unlikely that its use will be outright banned, and even if some attempt were made it would be simply unenforceable. Any lawyer practicing today who doesn’t get a grip on the reality of AI risks being left behind, or worse sharing the fate of those in Ayinde and Al-Haroun. [1] R (on the application of Frederick Ayinde v The London Borough of Haringey and between Hamad Al-Haroun v Qatar National Bank QPSC and QNB Capital LLC [2025] EWHC 1383 (Admin)   Author: Sam White, Barrister