Government must not undermine £25.7bn legal sector in Brexit process, warns City lobby group December 20, 2016 Government must take care not to unwittingly damage the UK's legal sector, which was worth roughly £25.7bn to the economy in 2015, in the Brexit process, a report out today has warned. The study, produced by lobby group TheCityUK, called on government to make sure the legal sector would not only retain access to overseas talent [...]
Lawyers advise banks they can sue the EU if it won’t grant a Brexit transition period December 19, 2016 Top lawyers are advising banks in the UK they might be able to sue the European Union if a transition deal is not offered as part of the Brexit package. Several across the financial sector have raised concerns they will be faced with a cliff edge situation once the UK divorces itself from the EU, [...]
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 [...]