By Jamie Lasaki
•
min read
In partnership with
Dear reader,
Welcome to a slightly different edition of The Board Minute.
As some of you will know, Karen Lord is stepping back from her role as editor and head of the corporate team as she begins a well-earned transition into part-time retirement. David Gordon, who many of you will remember from our team member spotlight back when he joined in 2022, has taken over as head of department.
Karen has been instrumental in working with to shape The Board Minute into the practical and insightful resource it is today, and I am delighted to be taking on the role of editor going forward. While there is a change in leadership with David at the helm and me now as editor, the focus of this newsletter remains very much the same; providing business owners, entrepreneurs and decision-makers with clear, commercially focused legal insight to help navigate risk and support growth.
The start of 2026 has already brought a number of developments for UK businesses. Continued regulatory scrutiny, the increasing digitisation of public services, and the growing role of AI in commercial decision-making are all shaping how businesses operate and more importantly, where risks can arise. Against that backdrop, this edition brings together a mix of legal updates, internal developments and practical case studies drawn from our work with clients.
We begin with an important update on the recent issue at Companies House, where a security vulnerability in its WebFiling service raised concerns around access to sensitive company information. While the issue has now been resolved, it serves as a timely reminder of the importance of regularly reviewing company records and maintaining robust internal controls.
We also take the opportunity to introduce and celebrate developments within our Corporate team. With a new head of department, new talent joining and well-deserved recognition for members of the team, we reflect on the breadth of expertise we bring to supporting clients across both the London and Brighton offices, and the role we continue to play in advising businesses at every stage of their journey.
Finally, we share some practical insights from recent matters where we have supported clients in avoiding potentially serious commercial pitfalls. In particular, we explore how an overreliance on AI tools, combined with a misunderstanding of legal documentation, can expose even experienced business owners to significant risk. These real-world examples highlight the importance of combining innovation with appropriate professional advice.
As always, we hope you find this edition both informative and thought-provoking. If any of the topics discussed resonate with you, or if you would like to contribute to a future edition, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Best wishes
Jamie Lasaki
A Slideshow of Errors!
There are claims that a US judge created a slideshow to confront a lawyer about errors in their filings which it turns out, was prepared using AI! Apparently the judge created a PowerPoint presentation listing the lawyer’s mistakes and, even worse, asked the lawyer to explain each mistake, slide by slide. This gives a new meaning to ‘death by PowerPoint’. Needless to say, the moral of this story is measure twice, cut one (i.e. thoroughly check anything before taking action)!
