Linklaters cancels annual partner conference as coronavirus hits Europe March 4, 2020 Magic Circle law firm Linklaters has cancelled its annual partner conference in Berlin due to the spread of the coronavirus through Europe. A spokesperson for the firm said today that the annual gathering its 480 partners scheduled for the end of April would now be held virtually. “We have cancelled our annual partner meeting in [...]
EY strengthens tax controversy and risk management team with five key appointments March 3, 2020 | City Talk EY has announced the arrival of five key appointments to its tax controversy and risk management team, expanding its tax litigation and corporate crime service offerings to clients. The new arrivals are all practicing solicitors. James Wilson, EY Partner and head of the Tax Controversy and Risk Management team comments: “We’re delighted to welcome these [...]
Brexit and international trade policy leader joins EY’s trade team March 2, 2020 | City Talk EY has strengthened its International Trade and Brexit team with the key appointment of leading global trade specialist, Sally Jones. Specialising in trade policy, from both a global and Brexit perspective, Sally joins EY as partner and trade policy leader, having previously worked at Big Four competitor, Deloitte. Sally has worked with clients across multiple industries [...]
UK’s consulting market slows its growth in 2019 March 2, 2020 Growth in the UK consulting market almost halved in the three years between the 2016 EU referendum and 2019, a new report has shown. Britain’s consultancy growth slowed from 7.5 per cent in 2016 to four per cent in 2019, according to a study by Source Global Research. Similar growth rates are expected in 2020 [...]
Big Four continue to dominate FTSE 100 despite growing pressure March 2, 2020 The dominance of the Big Four serving the FTSE 100 continued in the first quarter despite growing regulatory pressure. The Big Four were the only auditing firms to serve the FTSE 100 last quarter with PwC retaining the top spot with 27 clients, closely followed by KPMG’s 26. Deloitte and EY served 25 and 22 [...]
Car shipping cartel to face UK class action March 1, 2020 Five shipping companies who ran a cartel for importing cars to the UK will face a class action lawsuit. MOL, “K” Line, NYK, WWL/EUKOR and CSAV are being sued for overcharging UK consumers and businesses. The European Commission ruled in 2018 they had breached competition rules by coordinating rates and capacity. Brussels imposed a €395m [...]
Coronavirus: Baker McKenzie clears out London HQ as staff member who went to Italy falls sick February 28, 2020 Law firm Baker McKenzie has ordered all 1,100 staff in its London office to work from home today after fears a member of staff may have contracted the coronavirus. Baker McKenzie told employees to work remotely after the staff member came back from northern Italy, which has seen a spike of hundreds of coronavirus cases [...]
Burford Capital nominates three new male directors for all-male board February 27, 2020 Burford Capital today nominated three new directors for its all-male board, all of who are men. The litigation funder said it was “sensitive to the fact that its board will remain, with these new appointments, entirely male, which is not our desire and is inconsistent with the significant level of gender diversity in the business”. [...]
FRC tells Big Four auditors to accelerate break-up plan February 27, 2020 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has told the Big Four to accelerate the ring-fencing of their audit businesses by strengthening independent governance and improving financial transparency. The regulator wrote to Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC this week to set out details of the ‘operational separation’ blueprint, according to Sky News. The FRC is reported to [...]
US legal giant Latham & Watkins boosts revenue to record $3.7bn February 26, 2020 US law firm Latham & Watkins today announced a revenue boost of 11 per cent to $3.76bn (£2.91bn) for the 2019 calendar year. Latham, which has been heavily investing in its City office in recent years, became the first law firm to surpass the $3bn revenue mark in 2018. Its London revenue is understood to [...]