IMF chief Christine Lagarde found guilty in negligence trial December 19, 2016 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, has been found guilty of negligence in relation to her handling of a controversial payout to a French tycoon during her time as the country's finance minister. However, the judges did not hand down any sentence in the case. The IMF chief was facing charges linked to [...]
Brewin Dolphin snaps up asset manager Duncan Lawrie for £28m December 19, 2016 FTSE 250-listed investment manager Brewin Dolphin has snapped up a UK private client investment management business for £28m. Duncan Lawrie Asset Management (DLAM) has around 1,000 client relationships and manages funds of £735m, Brewin Dolphin said this morning. On a pro-forma basis Brewin Dolphin's total group funds under management will increase to £36.1bn. The acquisition was financed [...]
KPMG boss: Let’s get my successor in place then it’s time to shoot for the global job December 18, 2016 KPMG’s UK boss will throw his hat in the ring for the firm’s global top job, with winning back public trust in business at the top his to-do list. Simon Collins surprised fellow partners during the firm's annual conference in December by revealing he would not be seeking re-election as the UK chairman. And speaking to [...]
Growth in revenues is good but it’s even better if you look more carefully, says KPMG boss December 16, 2016 KPMG said its annual results proved it had moved beyond simply being a Big Four beancounter as it joined competitors in smashing through the £2bn revenue barrier. The UK arm, based in Canary Wharf, is the last to announce its annual return, reporting performance for the 12 months to the end of September. EY's UK business reported revenues [...]
Eversheds seals the deal with US law firm Sutherland as partners vote “overwhelmingly” in favour of combination December 16, 2016 City lawyers at Eversheds moved closer to a tie-up with US firm Sutherland today, as partners from both firms voted "overwhelmingly" in favour of a combination. The firms announced that they were in merger talks at the end of November, and the consultation and voting process concluded today, with approval from both partnerships. The combined [...]
Recruitment outshines other sectors such as food and advertising in terms of economic contribution December 14, 2016 The UK’s recruitment industry is worth £35.1bn a year, a new report shows. The value of recruitment to the economy is at its highest ever level, up 9 per cent on last year, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s annual report. Of the 23,980 registered agencies in the country, 9,565 have a turnover of [...]
Disinherited daughter takes case all the way to the Supreme Court December 11, 2016 The Supreme Court will today hear an appeal in the case where an estranged daughter is challenging her deceased mother’s will, which left her estate to charity and disinherited her child. In the case of Ilott v Mitson, an estranged daughter, Heather Ilott, challenged her mother, Melita Jackson's, will after discovering it left her entire estate [...]
Central London take ups surge on the back of a number of large deals, CBRE finds December 11, 2016 Central London office take-up in November 2016 rose to 1m sq ft, representing a monthly increase of 118 per cent and bringing take-up in line with the 10-year monthly average, according to the latest figures from real estate consultants CBRE. Take-up in November 2016 was boosted by a number of large deals. A total of [...]
Government to consider widening the list of crimes companies could be held criminally responsible for December 8, 2016 Government could broaden the types of crimes companies can be held responsible for, the attorney general told MPs today. Answering questions on government's policy on corporate criminal liability, Jeremy Wright said government would soon be calling for evidence to look into further reform, and potentially whether it should widen the crimes companies could be found [...]
Scots are not claiming a Brexit veto, court hears December 7, 2016 The Scottish government is not claiming a veto over the UK leaving the European Union, the Supreme Court heard today. James Wolfe QC, the lord advocate for the Scottish government, told justices that Scotland’s consent still matters however because of the effect of withdrawal from the EU on its citizens. This evening MPs overwhelmingly backed a motion [...]