Latest news

We continued to receive strong recognition in the latest edition of the Legal 500 UK, released today.

Checkatrade is the UK's number one platform for finding trusted tradespeople, while Rated People has built a strong reputation as an online marketplace matching homeowners with skilled trades.

Lewis Silkin has advised its longstanding client Headland, the reputation and communications consultancy, on its acquisition of Shearwater, a Brussels-based political and regulatory advisory firm.

Lettu, a new AI-powered platform designed to help creators, talent managers, agencies and brands get commercial deals done faster and more efficiently, has been launched today.

We have advised Tickets for Good on its £3.9 million funding round led by Mercia Ventures alongside Shaping Impact Group, Finance Yorkshire, Leansquare and other investors.

We are pleased to announce that we have advised the senior management team at JKR, the award-winning global branding business, on its new investment from Breakwater Management, an LA-based private equity firm.

With the Skilled Worker visa route now closed to new overseas recruitment of care workers, retaining the international workforce already in place has become critical, yet Home Office scrutiny of sponsors has intensified sharply, with sponsor licence revocations more than doubling in the past year.

The AI field “is scaling faster than the systems around it can adapt,” warns the 2026 Stanford AI Index. Seventy-one per cent of UK CEOs say they are already redesigning roles and career paths for AI collaboration. But challenges remain on return on investment: we know that it’s there, but it can often be difficult to work out.

Lewis Silkin announces today that Iskander Fernandez has joined the firm as a Partner, specialising in corporate crime.

Lewis Silkin’s Belfast team are celebrating their fifth anniversary this month, as well as their successful growth from an original team of eight to over 80 colleagues today.

In this article, Declan sets out the key immigration risks for organisations sending business travellers to Ireland, the immigration pitfalls to watch out for, and what you can do to avoid them.

We have advised the shareholders of Yordas Group, a leading international provider of scientific consulting and regulatory content services, on its sale to 3E, a US-headquartered global provider of expert-led AI compliance solutions spanning chemical and workplace safety, product stewardship, and sustainable supply chains.

We have advised Axle Energy on its $25 million Series A fundraising led by Energize Capital with participation from Accel, Picus Capital and Eka Ventures.

We've advised Time Out Group on a series of transactions across Spain, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore, transitioning its Media operations in each territory to long-term franchise partnerships with established local and regional media businesses.

Lewis Silkin today announces that Mark Hague has joined the firm as a Partner in its dispute resolution team, based in the firm’s Manchester office.

Lewis Silkin Partner Cliff Fluet joined the Fastball podcast for a two-part discussion on the legal and commercial foundations of catalogue operations and how these shape a catalogue’s position on the Catalogue Maturity Curve.

Belfast partners, Ciara Fulton, Katey Dixon and Olivia O’Kane join Jim Fitzpatrick on the Irish News Trading Up podcast.

Lewis Silkin has obtained one of the largest costs orders ever made in the employment tribunal for hedge fund Davide Leone and Partners, after a claimant was found to have acted “vexatiously” and with “ulterior motivations” and to have been “wholly disingenuous” in the pursuit of claims he valued at over £100m.

Lewis Silkin has acted for award-winning investigative media organisation Mill Media, its founder, Joshi Herrmann, and freelance journalist, Cormac Kehoe, in the successful defence of two defamation claims brought by Italian businessman Claudio De Giovanni.

We're delighted to be proud sponsors of the Manchester Games Network, a new industry body established to advocate for, support and connect the video games and interactive entertainment sector across Greater Manchester and the surrounding region.

When it comes to taking time off work, what employees and employers want does not always align. It’s vital that employers understand their legal responsibility, their employees rights, and have clear policies in place on annual leave.

We are delighted to announce that Jade MacIntyre, Intellectual Property Partner at Lewis Silkin has been elected as Second Vice President and Treasurer of The Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys for the next two years.

Tens of thousands of residents have left the Gulf amid escalating tensions, with many British and international families temporarily returning to the UK while the situation unfolds.

Wendy Saunders has contributed the UK chapter of the Lexology Panoramic Financial Services Compliance guide for the second time. She has revised and updated this quick reference guide enabling side-by-side comparison of local insights, including into the regulatory framework; registration and authorisation regimes; enforcement; compliance programmes; cross-border regulation and international standards; and other recent trends.

The Financial Conduct Authority enforcement action in the matter of Carillion PLC, which went into liquidation in January 2018, concluded at last on February 16.

Lewis Silkin has today announced the first data Partner in its Manchester team.

We have published our fourth annual Social Mobility Pay Gap Report, as part of our efforts to set the benchmark for transparency, accountability and action on social mobility within the legal industry. The report presents a comprehensive analysis of different aspects of social mobility as they relate to the firm.

Lewis Silkin has today announced the promotion of eight new partners from across its Employment, DCC (Digital, Commerce and Creative) and Real Estate groups.

Bryony Long discusses in People Management why insider risk is becoming a defining issue for HR, highlighting how employee behaviour, access controls and the rise of shadow AI are intensifying data security challenges and reshaping organisational risk management.

James Stewart and Rachael Lawless outline for Law Society Gazette Ireland how Irish employers are increasingly using digital tools to monitor work in hybrid environments, while emphasising that such tracking must remain transparent, proportionate, and compliant with GDPR.

Our Manchester team is today moving to larger premises in Manchester city centre, having outgrown our office space three times since first opening in in September 2022.

Lewis Silkin has advised award winning creative brand experience agency Brandfuel on a minority sale to Clarim Holdings and a new US joint venture with Worth Media Group, marking a significant milestone in the agency’s international expansion.

We have advised social creative agency OK COOL on its sale to LA headquartered Residence.

Lewis Silkin has advised independent creative agency St Luke’s and its shareholders on its majority sale to brand and cultural agency BBD Perfect Storm, creating a new UK based independent agency group with international reach.

Tom Heys, Pay Reporting Lead, comments for Marketing Week and other regional press on the growing calls from workers for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting by the end of 2026.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping work, how roles are designed and decisions are made, but adoption remains uneven. To build an evidence base for action, Lewis Silkin in partnership with MCS Group, are inviting HR professionals to complete a short survey to understand how HR teams across Northern Ireland are using AI today, the challenges they face and the support needed.

Joanne Hyde shares insights on RTÉ about Ireland’s new Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025, which allows, but does not compel, employees to remain in work until age 66, with additional guidance anticipated in an accompanying code of practice.

Lewis Silkin has acted for Rockstar Games, the maker of the best-selling and critically-acclaimed Grand Theft Auto game series, in the successful defence of high-profile applications for interim relief brought by 29 former employees in the Scottish Employment Tribunal.

Lewis Silkin’s Banking and Finance team has advised Astra Group on securing a bespoke funding facility from Shawbrook Bank to support its ambitious expansion strategy.

Lewis Silkin is delighted to announce the three winners of this year’s annual student essay competition.

From data protection to tax and auto-enrolment, employing remote workers across borders presents complex risks for employers and staff-Síobhra Rush offers key insights for the Irish Independent.

At Lewis Silkin we’re committed to reducing our environmental impact, so instead of printing and posting Christmas cards every year, we email virtual cards and plant trees.

Síobhra Rush joins RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland Business News with Gail Conway to discuss Christmas party etiquette and the do’s and don’ts for employers and staff at festive social gatherings. Drawing on an uptick in grievances and claims seen in 2025, she highlights practical steps and policies employers should have in place to prevent issues and manage complaints. Listen here.

Joanne Hyde and Conor Fynes have written for the Law Society Gazette on the rise in claims under Ireland’s whistleblowing legislation. Nearly three years on from the commencement of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, which amended the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, they reflect on the act’s key features and the trends emerging since the 2022 amendments.

Lewis Silkin has advised long standing client, Havas, on yet another acquisition. Havas Play, the specialized sports, entertainment and lifestyles activation offering arm of Havas has successfully acquired award winning experiential agency, Bearded Kitten.

Fixed-term employment contracts are a common feature in the retail sector, particularly during seasonal peaks, promotional campaigns, or when covering long-term absences. While these contracts offer flexibility, they also carry certain legal obligations. Read the full article on page 73 here.

From the long awaited Data (Use and Access) Act is bringing incremental legal changes over the coming months and years, to the widespread adoption of AI technologies reshaping both the volume and sophistication of employee data subject access requests (DSARs), UK employers are navigating a fast‑shifting data protection landscape. What exactly is changing and what needs to be done from a HR perspective? 

As data subject access requests increasingly become a tactical feature of workplace disputes, Benjamin Favaro examines how HR teams can respond confidently amid rising volumes, AI‑generated correspondence, and post‑incident surges.

Lewis Silkin has been ranked in The Times’ top three firms for employment law in England and Wales. These firms were identified according to the number of recommendations received from about 3,900 solicitors and barristers.

Lewis Silkin has appointed Olivia O’Kane as a partner to lead its specialist media law practice in both Belfast and Dublin.

Lewis Silkin has advised its longstanding client Headland Consultancy, the reputation and communications consultancy, on its acquisition of Bladonmore, the international digital, brand and content communications firm.

Lewis Silkin has acted for Jonathan Friend (and Friend TP Limited) in the successful defence of a High Court claim brought by Friend Media Technology Systems Limited and Friend MTS Limited on the direction of its current management team. Both entities are part of the Friend Group which was founded by Mr Friend two decades ago and of which he remains a director and shareholder. 

Lewis Silkin has acted for Davide Leone & Partners, a hedge fund, and five individual respondents in the successful defence of an Employment Tribunal claim brought by Jacopo Moretti, formerly a senior analyst in the fund.  

We have 27 practice rankings in the Chambers UK 2026 guide (up from 26 last year), including 11 practices which are ranked as Band 1. We also have 82 ranked individuals (including nine new rankings and 12 improved rankings), a substantial increase on the 65 ranked last year. This strong performance follows similarly robust results in the Legal 500 UK earlier this month.

Lewis Silkin features in the 2025 Social Mobility Employer Index, which evaluates employers according to what they are doing to change how they find, recruit, and advance talented employees from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Irish Legal News has covered Lewis Silkin’s continued expansion in Belfast, announcing appointment of Caroline McNally, James Stewart and Mark Ward across the firm’s commercial, data privacy & cyber, and corporate teams, alongside promoting Kevin Gallagher in its employment law team. The coverage underscores the firm’s strong momentum and growing footprint in Northern Ireland.

Lewis Silkin is excited to announce a new strategic partnership with VenturePath, the platform supporting high-growth UK tech businesses on their journey from startup to scaleup and beyond.

Lewis Silkin continued to receive strong recognition in the latest edition of the Legal 500 UK, released today.

Lewis Silkin has advised The Outsiders Perspective on securing a minority investment from The Independents, marking its entry into L’Incubateur - an initiative founded by Alexandre de Betak, Creative Chairman of The Independents. This collaboration aims to harness the collective’s global expertise, broaden international reach, and lay the groundwork for expansion into the hospitality and beauty sectors.

Ius Laboris, the world’s leading alliance of specialist HR and employment lawyers, in partnership with Lewis Silkin, has today launched Delphius - an AI powered guide to global employment law for in-house legal and HR teams. 

Matthew Durham comments on a Chinese company's approach to tackling a growing obesity problem.

Lewis Silkin has advised new client Brave Bison on its £19 million acquisition of Mark Ritson’s Mini MBA, the renowned marketing-training platform, from AIM-listed Centaur Media plc. The deal brings together two innovative brands to create a next-generation marketing skills and learning network. 

Business Plus has covered Lewis Silkin’s growth in Dublin, announcing the appointments of Emma Quinn, Conor Fynes, and Megan Hurley to its employment law team. The article highlights the firm’s strong growth and ambition to lead in Ireland’s employment law sector.

We are delighted to announce that Brinsley Dresden, partner and co-head of the firm’s Advertising & Marketing practice, has been appointed a Trustee of the History of Advertising Trust (HAT). 

Lewis Silkin today announces that Rose Carey has joined the firm as a partner in its immigration practice. She will be based across the firm’s Cardiff and London offices.  

Lewis Silkin today announces that Scott Foster has joined the firm as a partner in its IP360 team. 

Lewis Silkin Hong Kong today announces the appointment of Aoife Griffin as Of Counsel and Head of Immigration.

Law firm Lewis Silkin today announces the launch of a new employment law offering in Scotland with the appointment of a three-person team based in Glasgow. 

Most UK workers back mandatory reporting on both disability and ethnicity pay gaps, research from People Like Us and Scope has shown. Tom Heys has been quoted in various articles, explaining that the polling results show what many employers already recognise, that transparency matters. 

Lewis Silkin has been named as a finalist in three categories of the SOMOs (the UK Social Mobility Awards), which celebrate organisations which are embedding social mobility initiatives into their core business strategy.

In his latest piece for The Times, Geraint Lloyd-Taylor explores how the Competition and Markets Authority’s recent investigation into Amazon reflects a shift in regulatory approach under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.