UK audit reforms and governance to be watered down after business backlash November 9, 2021 The UK’s reform package to overhaul corporate governance and auditing will be “scaled back” following pushback by businesses, according to reports. Officials working on the plans, which are being finalised, are expected to water down some of the proposals, the Financial Times reported. The reform package, which has been touted as the biggest overhaul to [...]
Australian treasury accused of pressuring ex-KPMG partner to omit $10bn gap in report November 8, 2021 A former KPMG partner has claimed he lost his job after being pressured by an Australian public servant to change a document that found a $10bn gap in the Treasury’s finances, according to reports. In a parliamentary hearing today, Brendan Lyon said he received “professional, ongoing attacks,” from public servants and that the Australian treasury [...]
Norton Rose Fulbright joins junior lawyer pay war with salary raise to £95k November 8, 2021 Norton Rose Fulbright will increase pay for newly qualified lawyers by 12 per cent, as it joins the clamour for fresh legal talent, according to reports. The law firm announced a new “compensation strategy” which rewards new junior lawyers with an additional £10,000 a year, bringing their annual salary to £95,000, according to Legal Cheek, [...]
KPMG eyes larger piece of UK’s asset management pie as it lures EY and UBS veterans November 8, 2021 Accountancy giant KPMG is ramping up its efforts in the UK’s wealth and asset management space as the firm has appointed a range of new partners. KPMG said it has appointed Dean Brown as a partner and Shelley Doorey-Williams as an Associate Partner in its market leading Wealth and Asset Management practice. Brown will support [...]
City law pay war intensifies: Ropes & Gray raises new lawyer salaries to eye-watering £147k November 5, 2021 Ropes & Gray has hiked the salaries of newly qualified lawyers in London by 13 per cent, as the bidding war for legal talent intensifies. Freshly qualified lawyers at the London offices of the US law firm will now take home £147,000 – with their bonus added on top – marking a neat step up [...]
Stephenson Harwood raises newly qualified lawyer salaries to £90,000 November 4, 2021 Stephenson Harwood have raised salaries for newly qualified solicitors by 20 per cent to £90,000, as City law firms fight to attract and retain legal talent in an increasingly competitive market. While newly qualified lawyers enjoy a jump up from £75,000, staff across different levels will receive bumpers, ranging from 8-17 per cent, to their [...]
Crypto blindspot risks ‘crumbling’ British legal system place on international stage November 3, 2021 Britain’s legal system could lose both business and its international standing because of failures to keep up with laws for new markets like crypto-currency and artificial intelligence, according to a new report. English law underpins financial contracts and transactions worth trillions around the world, according to the report by think-tank Social Market Foundation. But the [...]
Mayfair casino found guilty of discrimination by accommodating racist requests November 2, 2021 An employment tribunal has found that exclusive London casino, Crown Aspinalls, racially discriminated against one of its dealers by allowing a request by a patron not to have black dealers at their table.
Investors warn Big Four of AGM rebellions over climate accounting November 2, 2021 An investor group managing around $4.5tn worth of assets have issued a warning to the top four auditing giants to start including climate risk into their audits, or risk rebellions at AGMs, according to reports. In a letter seen by Reuters, which first reported the news, the investors told the Big Four auditors that unless [...]
Grant Thornton and partner fined over £750,000 over Interserve audit failings November 1, 2021 Grant Thornton has been fined over £700,00 by UK regulator Financial Reporting Council (FRC) for audit failings at Interserve, a British multinational construction business which collapsed in 2019. The fine comes just over a month after the FRC issued another sanction, of £2.3m, on the accounting giant for a “serious lack of competence” in the [...]