City grind: Will law’s stuffy image and long hours stop it attracting top talent? April 22, 2019 Law firms are the original pyramid scheme. The model depends on a wide base of junior lawyers working long hours to generate cash for partners who sit at the top and take a share in the profits. Arguably it is a model that has had its day in an era where a younger generation increasingly prioritises [...]
UK financial services face talent crisis over social mobility and “boring” reputation April 21, 2019 The UK’s financial services sector is facing a talent crisis as would-be employees are put off by its reputation for being “boring”, a new survey has revealed. Research carried out by Big Four auditor KPMG showed 65 per cent of the UK population would not consider taking a job in the financial services sector. Read [...]
HMRC has warned young adults to be wary of tax rebate scams April 20, 2019 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has warned young adults to be wary of text message and phone call scams as people try to impersonate the government body. It is at this time of year when there are legitimate rebates being processed, that fraudsters target vulnerable people with fake messages, HMRC says. Read more: Court resurrects £14bn Mastercard mega-claim [...]
DEBATE: Is it right for Shamima Begum to receive legal aid for her citizenship appeal? April 18, 2019 Is it right for Shamima Begum to receive legal aid for her citizenship appeal? John Oxley, a barrister at Vardags, says YES. When William Joyce was captured after six years of aiding the Nazis, he was hanged for treason. He was, however, first provided with lawyers and allowed to exhaust all avenues of appeal. At Nuremberg, [...]
Business lobby groups slam competition watchdog’s calls for radical audit reform April 18, 2019 Business lobby group the CBI said reforms to the audit sector proposed today by the competition watchdog could “undermine confidence in corporate Britain”. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today called for the Big Four accountancy firm’s audit arms to be split from their non-audit arms with separate profit pool and management in a major [...]
Court brings £14bn Mastercard mega-claim back to life April 16, 2019 A £14bn class action against Mastercard has been revived after the Court of Appeal reversed an earlier decision to have the claim dismissed. Three judges found that the case, led by the former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks, could be reheard for certification in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), which ruled in 2017 that the claim [...]
Recruiter Hays’ share price slips after it lags fee expectations in trading update April 16, 2019 Shares in recruiter Hays dipped today after it announced lower-than-expected growth in its third quarter trading update. Read more: Profits grow at Robert Walters in a 'solid' first quarter Hays said net fee growth for the quarter was six per cent, below the consensus figure of seven per cent. The firm was hit by a [...]
Law firm Baker McKenzie confirms death of global chair Paul Rawlinson April 15, 2019 The global chair of Baker McKenzie has passed away, the law firm has confirmed. Read more: Over here: City's legal elite under pressure from expansion of US entrants Paul Rawlinson died unexpectedly on Friday, Baker McKenzie said. He had stepped back from his role temporarily last October due to exhaustion. “It is with great sadness that [...]
Profits grow at recruitment consultant Robert Walters in a ‘solid’ first quarter April 15, 2019 Recruiter Robert Walters started the year solidly, growing gross profit by 11 per cent in the first quarter, it said this morning. The global consultant relied on strong growth in Asia to help push up overall figures, increasing gross profit, or net fee income, 12 per cent to £36.4m. In Japan, mainland China, the Philippines, [...]
Lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis worry boozy grad event could see firm landed with frat boy rep April 15, 2019 Lawyers at US law firm Kirkland & Ellis say a recent boozy graduate recruitment event that saw two lawyers go home with students could land the firm with a frat boy reputation. The firm’s head of compliance was looking into the incident last week, insiders say, ahead of reports that emerged on Friday. Legal gossip [...]