‘Outdated’ consultancy sector faces a reckoning as AI rips up the old model May 27, 2026 For years, the consultancy sector has relied on a traditional model and profitable formula: retained clients, billing time and upselling clients. Another crucial element has been the blend of ‘senior counsel’ supported by a team of juniors carrying out research and compiling reports. But the rug is being pulled from under this model and a [...]
Octopus acquires legal team to boost bereavement services with AI May 27, 2026 Octopus Legacy, a bereavement service owned by Octopus Group, has acquired a private client team from a large UK-based law firm as part of a push to speed up its services using AI. The company’s legal arm, Octopus Legal Services, has taken on a team of 50 legal professionals from NewLaw Solicitors in “a significant [...]
Top City law firm slammed for ‘misleading’ AI letters sent to court May 26, 2026 A well-known London-headquartered law firm has been criticised by a High Court judge after a lawyer sent the court AI-generated letters containing false legal information. A judgment handed down on 22 May found a junior solicitor at Pinsent Masons used AI to draft two “misleading” emails containing so-called hallucinations sent to the High Court [...]
Ex-KPMG led accounting giant stalls £1bn sale May 25, 2026 One of the UK’s largest accounting firms founded by a former KPMG head has put a £1bn auction on hold despite receiving a wealth of interest from investors. Sumer, a ‘consolidator’ firm that buys majority stakes in smaller independent accounting companies, had hired advisors at boutique advisory Continuum last September to oversee a review on [...]
Accountants ‘still in high demand’ despite AI impacting sector May 22, 2026 Accountants in the UK are still in high demand despite the impact of AI on the sector, according to new research from the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW). The body, which regulates and supervises around 12,000 accountancy and audit firms in the country, said that accountants “are still in high demand” even as AI reshapes [...]
Job cuts at Big Four firms fuel worker burnout May 20, 2026 Job cuts at professional services firms are resulting in overworked staff, but the pressures – combined with increased reliance on AI – risk damaging firms’ reputations through mistakes, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The professional services industry, especially the Big Four giants, has faced its fair share of job cuts, with thousands of roles laid off in [...]
Deloitte set to boost UK staff bonuses and promotions May 19, 2026 Big Four giant Deloitte’s UK staff are set to be given higher bonuses and larger salary increases over the course of the year as the firm is set to surpass its profit targets. The firm’s UK chief executive, Richard Houston, said today that bonus funds would be upped by 14 per cent, while salaries would [...]
Shakira’s taxes don’t lie as singer wins £48m tax row May 18, 2026 A Spanish court has ordered the country’s tax authority to repay Colombian singer Shakira £48m after ruling that it had improperly collected the money in a dispute over her tax payments. In a statement published today, Madrid’s National Court said it has upheld Shakira’s appeal against the fine she was hit with five years ago, after [...]
Regulator under pressure as solicitor misconduct reports soar nearly 30 per cent May 18, 2026 Reports about solicitors’ misconduct have spiked by nearly 30 per cent in the past year, new data from the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) has revealed. The watchdog, which regulates more than 200,000 solicitors in England and Wales and 9,000 law firms, said there is “a large increase” in misconduct reports and the number of investigations [...]
Cyberattacks hit UK businesses with £3.7bn in legal costs last year May 18, 2026 Large UK businesses were forced to fork out £3.7bn to defend legal action brought by shareholders last year over cyberattacks, according to new research from insurance giant Gallagher and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). Cyberattacks cost firms with over 250 employees an estimated £11.7bn in total, with litigation being the second largest [...]