Watchstone shares jump 40 per cent after it settles Slater & Gordon fraud claim October 21, 2019 Insurance firm Watchstone and law firm Slater & Gordon have settled a long running fraud claim just hours before a nine-week High Court trial was due to begin. Watchstone’s shares jumped 45 per cent today to 156p after the settlement was announced. The claim dates from listed Australian law firm Slater & Gordon’s acquisition of [...]
However worthy their cause may be, eco-rebels are not above the law October 17, 2019 Imagine a city in the grip of a crime wave, where the hard-pressed police have to draft in officers from other parts of the country to maintain order in an increasingly fractious situation, where ordinary citizens find their daily journeys to work and school disrupted, and where local businesses suffer the effects of day after [...]
Sir John Kingman says lack of government action putting audit reform at risk October 15, 2019 The author of a report into the future of the audit regulator warned today that lack of government action risks letting the watchdog “drift on, half-reformed”. Former mandarin Sir John Kingman undertook the report into the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) following the failure of outsourcer Carillion in 2018. Kingman expressed his concerns in a letter [...]
Auditors slapped with rising fines after turbulent year October 14, 2019 Britain’s beancounters faced rising fines over the last year, as the industry’s watchdog upped its penalties following a series of major accountancy scandals. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) fined audit firms roughly £24.3m in the year to the end of September, rising 44 per cent on the previous year, according to new Thomson Reuters research. [...]
Longer prison sentences given out for tax evasion October 14, 2019 Prison sentence lengths for tax evasion rose by 10 per cent on average last year as the taxman pushed for tougher punishments to dodgng payments. The average sentence for the deliberate non-payment of tax rose to two years and seven months in 2018 – an increase of two months on 2017’s figures – according to [...]
Ex-Freshfields partner escapes strike off after sexual misconduct allegations upheld October 10, 2019 An ex-Freshfields partner escaped being struck off today after a tribunal found he had engaged in sexual activity with a heavily intoxicated junior lawyer. Ryan Beckwith, 41, tearfully hugged and kissed his wife after the sanction was handed down. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) fined Beckwith £35,000 and ordered him to pay costs of £200,000. [...]
Shares in recruiter Pagegroup tumble as it warns on profits for second time October 8, 2019 Recruiter Pagegroup delivered its second profit warning of 2019 today sending shares tumbling, blaming challenging trading conditions in the UK, France and China and deteriorating economic conditions in markets such as Germany. The recruiter cut its forecast for 2019 operating profit to between £140m and £150m, down from earlier market estimates of between £156.5m and [...]
BDO profits jump as partners enjoy pay rise October 7, 2019 BDO has reported a double-digit rise in profit and revenue for the last 12 months, as the accountancy giant ramped up the pressure on its larger under-fire Big Four rivals The beancounter enjoyed its seventh consecutive year of growth after profits rose 26 per cent to £134m and revenues jumped 25 per cent to £578m. [...]
Ex-Freshfields lawyer accused of lying about sex assault allegations October 2, 2019 An ex-Freshfields lawyer was today accused of fabricating her account of an alleged non-consensual sexual encounter with a married partner at the firm. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard evidence from the unnamed female lawyer, known as Person A, who accused Freshfields partner Ryan Beckwith, 41, of sexually assaulting her at her flat after an evening [...]
Trying to impeach Boris would be an unmitigated catastrophe October 2, 2019 Rumours are swirling in Westminster of a plot to impeach Boris Johnson. The news broke over the weekend that, inspired perhaps by the US Democrats’ move against Donald Trump, opposition parties are considering moving to strip the Prime Minister of his position. This is foolish and dangerous. For a start, it is entirely unclear if [...]