Legal News

Mojzesowicz told the Annual Conference on European Data Protection Law 2025 that the Polish government, which is presently leading the talks, is ‘very committed’ to concluding them within its term chairing the body representing Member States, a mandate running until the end of June 2025. She noted that the Commission shares this goal, saying there is genuine momentum and a broad recognition of how essential this procedural regulation has become, with everyone acutely aware of its necessity. The timetable, she cautioned, is exceptionally tight, with numerous ‘technical trilogues’, pointing to several March 2025 sessions where outstanding technical points might be settled ahead of a final political......

What new offences, powers or reforms in relation to corporate crime are being proposed? This Bill is remarkably broad, spanning multiple governmental policy aims and priorities......

The ECJ held that the General Court, when reviewing the European Council’s move to sanction Igor Shuvalov, was justified in concluding there was adequate evidence that he had supported Russia since 2014 ‘on a continuous basis’. As recorded by the ECJ, the General Court considered that, by virtue of his role as president of VEB RF, Shuvalov implemented the Russian government’s economic policy and thereby contributed to Crimea’s economic development, so it could be concluded that he provided active support, the ECJ found. Shuvalov, previously deputy prime minister in Dmitry Medvedev’s cabinet and, before that, in the cabinet of now- President Vladimir Putin, had sought to set aside a February 2024 General Court judgment that upheld the Council’s sanctions on the former statesman......

These appeals mark the Supreme Court’s initial look at challenges to sanctions within the UK’s post‑ Brexit framework, and the first since its landmark ruling in Bank Mellat v HM Treasury [2013] UKSC 39 in 2014, which set out the test for assessing a measure’s proportionality. They stem from the UK’s Russia sanctions regime and follow several lower court judgments dismissing challenges to sanctions designations. At the heart of these cases is whether the measures accord with rights under the European Convention on Human Rights ( ECHR), and whether they are proportionate in light of Bank Mellat. Guidance from the Supreme Court on these key questions will have a significant bearing on future sanctions disputes. This article considers the issues raised that are likely to be examined by the UK Supreme Court in due course concerning...

A revised edition of the Employment Rights Bill ( ERB), including the amendments agreed at Report Stage on 11 and 12 March, has been posted on the Parliament website. The 310‑page Bill has moved on to the House of Lords, where it is set for its second reading on 27 March. Employment Rights Bill (as brought from the Commons) We will provide more detail on the Bill’s new provisions in a separate bulletin, and will update our Employment Rights Bill—tracker to mirror these changes as soon as possible......

The new labour regulator The new labour regulator, formed by merging three separate existing enforcement bodies, will be empowered to provide guidance and support to staff taking legal action against their employers and to issue penalties to repay underpaid workers more quickly overall than pursuing an employment tribunal case themselves, Justin Madders told MPs. The agency will also be able to reclaim enforcement expenses from employers it successfully prosecutes, though this measure will be consulted on. ' We believe it is a key principle that, where wrongdoing occurs, the wrongdoer contributes towards the taxpayer’s costs of upholding the law,' Labour MP Madders said in the House of Commons......

On 11 March 2025, lawmakers voiced worries over clauses on EU– UK data adequacy in the bill and pressed for a 'crucial' fix. Speaking at a conference on 12 March 2025, Bryant said they would complete the legislation and aimed to have it on the statute book by Easter, or within a fortnight after. He acknowledged the Data ( Use and Access) Bill was probably two or three years out of date and should have been addressed sooner. The UK is now on its third bid to overhaul its post‑ Brexit data protection regime, yet he remained 'very hopeful' the bill will satisfy EU data adequacy requirements. Bryant noted the UK has already held talks with leaders at the European Commission. Back in December 2024, the EU’s executive initiated its review of the adequacy decision that underpins substantial data transfers between the EU and the...

In this issue: AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Data protection Cybersecurity Other Practice Compliance updates this week Question of the week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing EU regulator eyes harmonised AML enforcement Law360, London: Europe’s banking supervisor supports the EU’s forthcoming anti-money laundering ( AML) authority taking a consistent approach to enforcement across member states, with sanctions calibrated to the seriousness of breaches. See News Analysis: EU regulator eyes harmonised AML enforcement. Spotlight on Corruption reports ongoing deficiencies in legal sector AML Spotlight on Corruption has reviewed the latest statutory AML reports from legal sector supervisors, building on its 2022 probe that exposed major supervisory gaps. The assessment highlights enduring doubts over the effectiveness of AML oversight in the legal profession, with earlier findings of widespread non-compliance and limited enforcement still unresolved. Despite the Office for Professional Body AML Supervision’s ( OPBAS) remit, it has not...

In a letter dated 10 March 2025, the Financial Conduct Authority ( FCA) and the Information Commissioner’s Office said they also plan to convene industry leaders to explore obstacles stopping financial services firms from adopting AI. According to FCA chief executive Nikhil Rathi and Information Commissioner Jon Edwards, a recent FCA and Bank of England survey revealed that companies and trade associations harbour worries about embracing these fast-changing technologies. They noted with interest that respondents identified data protection and the consumer duty as among the top three regulatory barriers to rolling out AI across the sector, based on the survey responses cited by Rathi and Edwards. ‘ These findings appear to demonstrate a......

What is the failure to prevent fraud offence? The FTPF offence arises where a large organisation gains from fraud carried out by its associated persons. The entity may incur liability if an associated person commits a specified fraud offence intending to benefit the organisation, whether that benefit is obtained directly or indirectly. A 'large organisation' is defined by reference to three size tests; it qualifies if at least two are met: (1) more than 250 employees (2) more than £36m turnover (3) more than £18m in total assets An 'associated person' broadly includes anyone who provides services for or on behalf of the relevant organisation, such as officers, directors, employees and agents, together with subsidiaries and employees of subsidiaries. Under the new offence, an organisation can be liable—and face an unlimited fine—for a wide range of fraud offences, including fraudulent...

These revisions form part of the government’s bid to remove changes inserted into the Bill by peers in the House of Lords, Parliament’s upper revising chamber. Addressing the issue of public authorities, the Minister of State for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries, Chris Bryant, explained that the Bill is meant to establish a trust framework setting rules for the nation’s digital verification services, rather than dictating how public bodies handle data. He added that existing data protection law already obliges public authorities to ensure personal data they process is accurate and, where necessary, kept current. Consequently, the government could not proceed with the amendment, Bryant told MPs on a House of Commons committee examining the Bill. The Bill began its parliamentary examination in the House of Lords, where changes were made in late 2024 and early 2025 by...

See Q& A: Is it possible for a firm supervised for anti-money laundering purposes to share information with another professional who is supervised for AML purposes, in the context of potentially submitting a suspicious activity report to the National Crime Agency? Sections 339ZB to 339ZG of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 ( POCA 2002) address how suspicious activity is handled within the regulated sector as follows: POCA 2002, s 339ZB permits voluntary disclosures and disclosures made by an individual working in a regulated sector business to another person in a regulated sector business, or to the National Crime Agency ( NCA), where requested by the NCA or by that other regulated sector person POCA 2002, s 339ZC describes the type of information a disclosure request must include and provides for the necessary...

On 6 March 2025, the European Banking Authority ( EBA), in draft advice to the European Commission on how to operate the AML regime, observed that enforcement by national supervisors is inconsistent. It put forward a set of common indicators to judge the gravity of breaches. The authority also explained that the proposed regulatory technical standards, which sit alongside the core AML rules, would oblige regulators to rate each infringement within one of four tiers, arranged by increasing seriousness......

Employment Rights Bill, As Amended ( Amendment Paper), 5 March 2025 Employment Rights Bill— Stages What are the implications? The Amendment Paper sets out the amendments lodged by 5 March 2025 for consideration at the report stage. There are no immediate consequences because it is still uncertain which of these proposals—if any—will be approved and trigger revisions to the ERB, although government-backed amendments remain more likely to pass. The consolidated schedule within the Amendment Paper also contains previously tabled, non-government amendments that we covered in our earlier News Analysis: Employment Rights Bill—non-government proposed amendments. The government’s suggested changes, many stemming from conclusions reached in its consultation responses, provide practitioners with an early indication of adjustments that are expected to filter into this key item of employment legislation. As a result, close monitoring of the debate remains advisable for all employment law...

See Q& A: Where a law firm represents a consumer client and an individual acts as guarantor by giving a personal guarantee for that client’s legal fees, does that guarantee fall within any statutory or regulatory requirements? Key legal issues for guarantees A guarantee is a contract and must therefore satisfy the four essential elements: offer acceptance consideration an intention to create legal relations As a general rule, past consideration will ordinarily not suffice. A firm should avoid obtaining a guarantee once it has already agreed to supply services to the client. The guarantee must also comply with section 4 of the Statute of Frauds (1677), meaning it must be in writing and signed by the guarantor. The firm should be mindful of potential allegations of misrepresentation, duress, and undue influence. It is also prudent practice to ensure the guarantor receives...

In this issue: Sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Data protection Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content DBT refreshes export control guidance with new CHPL licensing section for Russian sanctions The Department for Business and Trade has revised its guidance on preventing Russian sanctions evasion, adding a new section 6 centred on export controls licensing for the Common High Priority List ( CHPL). This update sets out tailored export control requirements for CHPL items, and consequently the former ‘ Additional Resources’ now appears as section 7. See: LNB News 25/02/2025... FCDO unveils largest Russia sanctions package since the 2022 invasion The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has introduced its most extensive package since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, totalling 107 new measures. For the first time, powers to designate overseas financial institutions have been used, naming...

Long-trailed changes appended to the Crime and Policing Bill 2025, laid before Parliament by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on 25 February 2025, aim to broaden corporate criminal liability and fortify investigations to recoup the assets of fraudsters. The draft law would likewise curb the financial risks borne by enforcers in litigation. Here, Law360 flags three aspects of the government’s new Bill you may have overlooked. Corporate criminal liability widens The centrepiece for white-collar specialists is a plan to extend the spectrum of offences for which a corporate body can face criminal liability when they are committed by senior managers. After years of prosecutorial frustration, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 ( ECCTA 2023) overhauled the legal test, allowing authorities such as the Serious Fraud Office ( SFO) to hold companies liable for economic offences carried out by their senior managers. These fresh...

The government plans to issue the next assessment of the UK’s money laundering and terrorist financing threats before year-end. It may offer a revealing snapshot of the present landscape. Under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds ( Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, HM Treasury and the Home Office must produce periodic joint reports on the money laundering and terrorist financing dangers within the UK. No fixed timetable governs compilation or release, yet both departments are obliged to keep their assessment of risk current. The most recent edition appeared in 2020. At that time, increasing reliance on cash-intensive enterprises to conceal the proceeds of crime was highlighted as a concern, together with the emerging issue of cryptocurrencies being used for money laundering. There is no set calendar for their production and publication; however, both institutions must ensure their...

Jim Harra, who leads HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC), wrote in a letter to lawmakers on the UK’s Treasury Select Committee stating that last year recorded the highest number of inquiries opened into suspected sanctions breaches. Twenty-seven of these were connected to potential Russian breaches, Harra noted. Those totals contrast with 2023, when 22 cases were opened, with 20 of them linked to Russia. In 2021, no criminal sanctions cases were initiated, the letter added. HMRC oversees the enforcement of sanctions breaches associated with the import and export of goods, according to his correspondence......

What is the Deepseek AI model? Deep Seek AI is a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system built by Deep Seek, a company based in China. The organisation’s mission centres on stretching the limits of AI to deliver tools that empower enterprises and elevate human capability, while keeping advanced AI accessible, ethical and meaningful. Established in 2023, Deep Seek rose swiftly through the AI ranks by releasing free, open-source language models. Most recently it unveiled two high-end models: V3, aimed at broad use cases such as chat-style applications, and R1, tailored for reasoning-heavy work, including programming and maths challenges. R1 has drawn notable media interest by offering cost-conscious AI performance when set against leading US counterparts. Why is it having a big impact on technology markets around the world? Deep Seek AI is reshaping global tech markets largely through its cost efficiency. Reports suggest the company trained its system for...