Articles
Good News, Bad News: What the EU AI Act Delay Actually Delayed
The EU AI Act's high-risk deadline moved to December 2027, but Article 50 transparency rules land on 2 August 2026 regardless. What UK and EU SMEs need to fix before then.
The Fine Print Brief: what actually matters this week (14 July 2026)
A five-minute legal briefing for founders, CEOs and time-poor GCs. Seven developments, one verdict each, and what to do about them. No filler.
Europe's Tech Sovereignty Package: why "where is your cloud" just became a contract question
The EU's Cloud and AI Development Act turns cloud sovereignty into a four-level compliance standard. What CADA means for SaaS contracts, procurement and supplier due diligence.
The EU AI Act on 2 August 2026: what actually applies, what moved, and what I'd do this month
The Digital Omnibus delayed the EU AI Act's high-risk rules to December 2027, but 2 August 2026 is still a live compliance date. Here's what applies, what moved, and what to do now.
Ireland Built the AI Enforcement Engine for a Deadline That Just Moved
Ireland published its AI enforcement Bill the same fortnight the EU delayed the AI Act's high-risk deadline. Here's what still applies from August 2026.
Building a law firm from scratch: what five people who actually do this for a living told a packed room at LegalTechTalk 2026
Rory O'Keeffe moderated a LegalTechTalk 2026 panel on building a law firm from scratch. Here's what five legal leaders discussed and disagreed on.
The Great Digital Curfew: What Starmer's Social Media Ban Actually Means
PM Sir Keir Starmer has announced a ban on social media for under-16s. Rory O'Keeffe analyses the UK plans, compares them to Australia, and explains what digital, gaming and AI businesses need to do before 2027.
The Flight of the Autonomous Agent: What London Tech Week Tells Us About Britain's AI Moment
AI governance resources for UK businesses: Rory O'Keeffe reflects on London Tech Week 2026, agentic AI in the legal profession, and whether Britain is leading the AI revolution or catching up with it.
Behind the Curtain: What AI Actually Changes About Legal Work
AI doesn't challenge the complexity of law. It challenges the assumption that complexity requires a priest. Rory O'Keeffe unpacks the real shifts with Avatar Buddy co-founder Stephanie Sylvestre.
What Happens When You Sign Without Reading: The Commercial Consequences of Unreviewed Contracts
You signed it. You probably should not have. Here is what the law says, what your options are, and at what point it becomes too late to do anything about it.
The In-House Leverage: When Your Generalists Face an AI or Tech Goliath (and How to Drop a Specialist into the Breach)
For GCs and in-house legal teams with capacity gaps or specialist contract needs. What to send, what you get back, how fast, and what it costs compared to a City firm.
The Invisible Trapdoors in Your IT Outsourcing Contract (and the Eye-Watering Cost of Falling Through Them)
IT outsourcing contracts that look complete often have six critical provisions missing. Rory O'Keeffe, who managed £2bn+ in outsourcing at Accenture, identifies them - and what happens when they are absent.
Liability Caps in UK Commercial Contracts: What ‘Market Standard’ Actually Looks Like
What is a reasonable liability cap in a UK commercial contract? Rory O'Keeffe, who has negotiated liability positions on over £2bn in contract value, gives you the real numbers - by contract type.
When Harry Met Midlife: What Lawyers Over 40 Are Not Saying Out Loud
James and Claire Davis of The Midlife Mentors join Beyond The Fine Print to explore why lawyers over 40 feel disconnected, and how to start the honest conversation.
What Do the EU AI Act High-Risk Guidelines Mean for UK Businesses?
The European Commission published draft guidelines on 19 May 2026 for classifying high-risk AI systems under Articles 6(1) and 6(2) of the EU AI Act. The three-phase framework covers product safety AI and eight high-risk sectors. The public consultation closes 23 June 2026, with standalone high-risk compliance now required by December 2027 following the Digital Omnibus on AI.
The Dark Five: What Corporate Sociopaths, Sadists and Machiavellians Tell Us About How Organisations Actually Work
Jonathon Grantham, author of The Corporate Sociopath Handbook, explains the dark five personality traits in corporate leadership, negotiation tactics, whistleblowing, and how honest professionals can survive inside organisations that reward the behaviour they claim to prohibit.
King’s Speech 2026: Three Bills, No AI Act, and the Word “Growth” Forty-Seven Times
Analysis of the King’s Speech 2026 for tech, AI and cyber law. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, Regulating for Growth Bill with AI sandboxes, Digital Access to Services Bill, and why no standalone AI Act was announced.
Agentic AI and AI Bias in 2026: Why Your Governance Framework Is Already Outdated
How agentic AI systems break existing governance frameworks, why AI bias cannot be eliminated from LLMs, and the practical governance approaches businesses should adopt in 2026.
PDP Data Protection and AI Conference 2026: What Regulators, Lawyers, and AI Practitioners Are Actually Saying
Review of the PDP Data Protection and AI Conference 2026 at Shoosmiths, London. ICO keynote on AI governance, agentic AI liability, DPIAs for LLMs, AI copyright, and bias mitigation.
Your AI Outsourcing Contract Is Obsolete. What CEOs and Heads of Legal Need to Fix Before August 2026
AI has broken the outsourcing contract playbook. IP, liability, exit rights, audit clauses and pricing models all need rethinking before the EU AI Act enforcement deadline on 2 August 2026.