FRC probes KPMG and PwC’s Eddie Stobart audits May 26, 2020 The accounting watchdog has opened investigations into audits by KPMG and PwC of haulage firm Eddie Stobart Logistics. In August, Eddie Stobart sacked its chief executive and suspended trading in its shares after an accounting investigation found its 2018 profits had been overstated by £2m. A review of the company’s accounts, undertaken by finance chief [...]
Easyjet woes grow after it is hit with massive group action claim over data breach May 22, 2020 Struggling budget airline Easyjet suffered another blow today after it was hit with a massive group action claim following its data breach which was announced earlier this month. Law firm PGMBM today said it had issued the group action claim in the High Court on behalf of customers whose details were exposed in the breach. [...]
Chair of audit watchdog the FRC Simon Dingemans resigns after less than nine months May 20, 2020 Former Glaxosmithkline finance boss Simon Dingemans has stepped down as chair of audit watchdog the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) less than nine months after taking the role. Dingemans was appointed last July to chair the FRC and oversee its transformation to the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA) after the FRC was heavily criticised for [...]
Consumer law firm Taylor Rose buys rival McMillan Williams in pre-pack deal amid High Street law coronavirus struggles May 20, 2020 Consumer law firm Taylor Rose has bought struggling rival McMillan Williams in a pre-pack administration deal in what could be an early sign of an expected wave of consolidation in the High Street legal sector. Law Society president Simon Davis warned earlier this month that more than 70 per cent of High Street firms may [...]
Square Mile lockdown: City firms plot staff’s return to work May 14, 2020 City banks and professional services firms are drawing up plans to send staff back to the office as the UK begins to ease its coronavirus lockdown. Earlier this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that people who can work from home should continue to do so, as he laid out guidance to make workplaces “Covid-secure”. [...]
Hackers hit celebrity law firm used by Madonna and Elton John May 12, 2020 A law firm used by A-list celebrities including Madonna, Elton John and Lady Gaga has been hacked by cyber attackers. The website for Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks has crashed and hackers claim to have 756 gigabytes of data including contracts and personal emails. The cybercriminals have released an image purporting to show a Madonna [...]
Could group action claims explode in post-coronavirus crisis litigation boom? May 7, 2020 Lawyers and litigation funders are increasingly looking at group action lawsuits in England and Wales as a way of holding major companies to account. After the last financial crisis litigation spiked as contractual counterparties fell out and consumers and shareholders pursued banks for wrongdoing. The litigation landscape in the English legal system has changed over [...]
Regulator calls for early interventions in poor audits to help stop scandals May 6, 2020 The audit regulator today called for accountancy firms to flag poor quality audits sooner to help prevent corporate scandals. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said tools for spotting signs of poor quality audits should be used more effectively, following a major review of their use. Last year all of the UK’s leading accounting firms failed [...]
EY investigated over audit of scandal-hit NMC Health May 4, 2020 Regulator the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said today it had opened an investigation into Big Four firm EY’s audit of scandal-ridden NMC Health. The audit watchdog said it was probing EY’s audit of NMC for the year ended 2018. It said the investigation, which launched on 15 April, is being carried out by its enforcement [...]
Half of top law firms had less than one month’s cash pre-coronavirus crisis May 4, 2020 More than half of the UK’s top law firms have insufficient cash on their balance sheets to cover one month’s operating expenses, according to new research. Analysis of the limited liability partnerships (LLP) accounts of 40 law firms with a combined revenue in excess of £15bn by litigation funder Augusta Ventures found 55 per cent [...]