Wedlake Bell Insights

    • Article
    • Jul 30, 2026

    PISCES gathers momentum: early transactions and the road ahead

    What does the market data show? On 8 July 2026, the London Stock Exchange (“LSE“) announced that Wayve had completed its first transaction on the LSE’s Private Securities Market. The $85 million employee tender allowed current employees to sell vested shares

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    • Article
    • Jul 8, 2026

    The deepfake challenge: protecting creativity, identity and reputation

    AI is accelerating the creation of synthetic media, including deepfakes, which replicate voices, images and performances with increasing realism. This creates commercial and legal risks for creators and the businesses which work with them. The English legal framework does not

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    • Pensions Compass
    • Jun 25, 2026

    Data protection – vulnerability of pension schemes

    Processing sensitive and special category data increases the risks of data breaches. Pension schemes are attractive targets for cyber-attacks, for example, the attack suffered by Capita in March 2023. Schemes are exposed to significant financial and reputational risk. Last year

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    • Article
    • May 14, 2026

    New data protection requirement – are you ready?

    Background Section 103 of the UK Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (the “DUAA“) requires an organisation to put in place a procedure for dealing with individuals’ complaints about the handling of their personal data. While it is not a

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    • Article
    • Feb 2, 2026

    The Employment Rights Act: what’s already in and what’s coming up first

    On Royal Assent – December 2025 The ERA 2025 repealed the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023, which previously allowed the Secretary of State to set minimum service levels for strikes in “relevant services”, such as health, transport and education.

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    • Article
    • Jan 21, 2026

    Under the hammer – the auction process in M&A

    STAGE 1: Auction opening and indicative offers The starting point in M&A auctions is usually the preparation of an information memorandum by the seller about the target and the opportunity to acquire it. This is circulated – subject to a

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    • Article
    • Dec 8, 2025

    Selling your business: 5 steps to optimise your exit strategy

    Below are five essential steps to help you maximise value and minimise risk during your business sale. 1. Start Planning Early Where possible, exit planning should start years before you intend to sell.  Early preparation gives you the flexibility to

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    • Article
    • Sep 9, 2025

    The implementation of compulsory identity verification: Autumn 2025

    Who needs to verify? The ID-V regime will apply to all new and existing company directors (modified for other registered business vehicles), PSCs and anyone filing on behalf of UK companies. The aim of targeting these key individuals is to improve

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    • Article
    • Jul 14, 2025

    AI in the workplace: What employers need to know

    Introduction – What is AI? Artificial intelligence (AI), or, broadly computer systems that perform tasks which typically require human intelligence, is rapidly transforming the modern workplace, offering new efficiencies and capabilities across recruitment, investigations, and everyday decision-making. However, as organisations

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