The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live!
This week, Linzi and Ben unpack claims that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest was triggered by a report based on media coverage compiled by Republic, as the campaign group pushes for a private prosecution of the former royal and questions swirl over the evidential and political backdrop. They also examine Taylor Wessing’s hunt for external investors to back its start-up funding vehicle Outpace, and what it signals about law firms’ growing appetite for alternative capital and tech-enabled growth strategies.
The pair then turn to why mega law firm mergers fall apart – and how much firms actually get paid when transformative tie-ups collapse – before heading to New York, where the law firm space race is intensifying and Linklaters is expanding its office footprint by more than 50%. Finally, they discuss a closely watched court case on whether bankers can be fired for demanding sleep, and a £1m claim brought by homeowners against a developer over a badly fitted lavatory, exploring what both disputes reveal about workplace culture, liability and the limits of employer responsibility.
The episode can be downloaded and streamed from the below platforms:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/private-prosecutions-runaway-mergers-and-the-race/id1651377427?i=1000750656455
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1z6rqVPixSm9f9cSKYhTuj?si=m6gQwq2DRx6mziBWMFKJkw
If you’d like to read any of the stories covered in today’s episode, follow the below links.
Andrew’s arrest down to our report, claims group seeking private prosecution of former prince – https://www.thelawyer.com/andrew-arrest-a-response-to-our-report-claims-group-seeking-private-prosecution-of-andrew/
Taylor Wessing hunts for investors to back start up funding platform Outpace https://www.thelawyer.com/taylor-wessing-outpace-2026/
Why Mega Mergers fall apart? https://www.law.com/international-edition/2026/02/18/when-mega-mergers-fall-apart-how-much-do-firms-get-paid/
As Law Firm Space Race Heats Up in NY, Linklaters Expands Office Size by More Than 50% https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2026/02/17/as-law-firm-space-race-heats-up-in-ny-linklaters-expands-office-size-by-nearly-50/
A court will decide if bankers can be fired for demanding sleep https://www.ft.com/content/60b3dd1c-112a-470c-aa77-1bc697d13cf7
Couple sue develop for £1m over a badly fitted lavatory https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/couple-sue-developer-for-1m-over-badly-fitted-lavatory-bwvvjc9gg
Thanks for listening!
