“Some firms don’t get it” – Sir Nigel Knowles on innovation in the legal sector, staying ahead of global competitors & the UK’s competitive advantage June 28, 2021 What Sir Nigel Knowles doesn’t know about legal and business services probably isn’t worth knowing. After a glittering 38-year career at DLA Piper, he is now CEO at London-listed DWF Group. He took the job in May 2020, after three years as Chair. Since then, the firm’s share price has risen around 30 per cent, [...]
UK credit score giant Clearscore heading for unicorn status after $200m Invus injection June 24, 2021 Clearscore, a free-to-use credit check company based in London, has reportedly accepted a $200m (£144m) investment from US-based fund Invus Opportunities. As reported by Sky News, the deal values the company at $700m (£503m), placing it on track for unicorn valuation. The company plans to use the funding to grow its staff numbers, product offerings [...]
Small businesses battered by Covid restrictions see return to pre-pandemic sales June 24, 2021 Small businesses are seeing their sales slowly creep back toward pre-Covid levels, but sectors such as hospitality and arts and recreation still have a way to go. An analysis of the records of hundreds of thousands of companies shows that the health of small businesses has remained steady. However, despite the easing of lockdown restrictions [...]
Record backlog: 60,000 cases waiting to be heard in UK crown courts June 24, 2021 The backlog of criminal cases in the UK’s crown courts has hit almost 60,000 – the highest number since records began. There were 59,532 outstanding crown court cases in the first quarter of 2021, up 45 per cent on the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) [...]
KPMG told to expect £250m claim for Carillion collapse June 23, 2021 Accounting giant KPMG is expected to be told to pay £250m for its role in the collapse of outsourcing firm Carillion, its former client, in 2018. On behalf of the Insolvency Service, lawyers have warned KPMG to expect a claim. The expected move is part of an effort to reclaim funds that will be used [...]
Accounting watchdog pushes for KPMG to be fined £15m over Silentnight sale June 21, 2021 Accounting watchdog pushes for KPMG to be fined £15m over Silentnight sale
Race to identify EU nationals who have yet to apply for post-Brexit papers as cut-off date is next week June 21, 2021 The Government said today it is working hard to identify tens of thousands of Europeans living in the UK who have yet to apply for a new post-Brexit residency scheme ahead next week’s cut-off date. Downing Street said only a “small minority” of those eligible for the settled status scheme – which closes at the [...]
Deloitte tells staff they can work from home forever June 20, 2021 Staff working at Deloitte will be able to work wherever they want when Covid restrictions are eased and work from home guidance is scrapped. Staff at the Big Four firm will not be obligated to work from the office for a minimum number of days per week, as has been a typical response of Deloitte’s [...]
Supreme Court rules Grant Thornton owes Manchester Building Society £13.4m June 18, 2021 The Supreme Court has backed a £32m negligence claim from Manchester Building Society against its former auditor Grant Thornton in a landmark ruling that could make it easier to bring claims against professional advisers. The Supreme Court said Grant Thornton had incorrectly told the building society that its accounts could be prepared using a rule [...]
The highest prosecutor at the International Criminal Court is now London lawyer Karim Khan June 16, 2021 British lawyer Karim Khan has been sworn in as the new chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, pledging to reach out to nations that are not members of the court. Khan, a 51-year-old English lawyer, has years of experience in international courts as a prosecutor, investigator and defence lawyer. He takes over from Fatou [...]