PwC steps down from auditing heavily-indebted property developer Evergrande January 17, 2023 PwC has resigned as Evergrande’s auditor following a series of disagreements with the heavily-indebted property developer over its audit of the firm’s 2021 accounts. In a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange, Evergrande said its board had decided to replace PwC as the company’s auditor after the two parties failed to reach an agreement [...]
Deloitte snaps up London tech consultancy Reformis January 16, 2023 Deloitte has completed its acquisition of London tech consultancy Reformis as it pushes forwards with efforts to bolster its advisory business. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, will see Reformis’ 83 staff join the Big Four accounting firm as it seeks to capitalise on booming demand for tech focused advice. Founded in 2003, the consulting [...]
London partners paid 25 per cent more at US law firms, new data shows January 16, 2023 The top US law firms are now paying their London partners significantly more than their British rivals, in another sign of American dominance in the UK legal sector. Partners in the London offices of the top 15 US law firms took away 25 per cent higher payouts than their counterparts in the UK’s top 15 [...]
Pensions: Specialist insurer PIC strikes £400m Amey deal after £600m House of Fraser buy-in January 16, 2023 The specialist insurer that bought out House of Fraser’s pensions fund for £600m last year has completed a £400m deal to take over UK engineering firm Amey’s retirement scheme. Pension Insurance Corporation’s (PIC’s) deal will see the firm take responsibility for paying out 3,473 pensions, covering £400m worth of liabilities. Bulk purchase annuity (BPA) deals [...]
London-listed law firm Knights bolsters business with Meade King acquisition January 16, 2023 Knights today acquired commercial law firm Meade King for £2.1m as the London-listed law firm pushes forwards with plans to bolster its business via mergers and acquisitions. Under the terms of the deal, Knights – one of just six UK listed law firms – will take on 29 of Meade King’s lawyers, including four partners. [...]
US-China tensions, tariff hikes and Russia sanctions force firms to look at ‘onshore’ supply chains January 16, 2023 Logistics executives increasingly believe top companies should look to bring their supply chains closer to home to avoid being impacted by trade wars, sanctions and other global shocks, a new survey has found. Supply chain managers increasingly see ‘onshoring’ and ‘near-shoring’ as a means of hedging against disruption to global trade caused by the Covid-19 [...]
Legal & General to vote against NewMed’s takeover bid for Capricorn Energy January 15, 2023 A fight over the future of Capricorn Energy is set to come to a head this week on the announcement that one of its top investors is set to vote against the oil and gas firm’s board in a push to veto NewMed Energy’s £3bn takeover deal. Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) is set [...]
City law firms risk losing talent unless they reduce swelling workloads, research shows January 15, 2023 British law firms could struggle to retain talent if they do not ease workloads that are pushing burnout rates higher, new research reveals. Nearly two in three of UK legal professionals have experienced burnout as a result of their work despite the sector stepping mental health support, a new survey out earlier this week of [...]
Direct Line chief rushes to calm investors after shares collapse January 15, 2023 Direct Line’s share price “doesn’t reflect the intrinsic value of the company,” the insurer’s chief executive Penny James has said, after shares in the firm plummeted last week. In an interview with The Times, James instead said Direct Line still has “huge earnings potential” as she said she feels “very positive about the future prospects”. [...]
Recession to end City’s legal sector pay war, recruiters warn January 15, 2023 A drop in legal sector revenues is likely see the end of the pay war that has played out between the City’s top law firms over the past two years, legal sector recruiters have said. Falling revenues off the back of a slowdown in new business will likely see lawyers’ salaries plateau or even go [...]