‘Ambulance chasers’ in the crosshairs as claims industry faces scrutiny April 2, 2026 As London’s legal scene gets more litigious, creeping closer to the American ‘sue everything’ culture, so-called ambulance chasing claims firms are starting to appear in the headlines – for the wrong reasons. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s chief executive, Nikhil Rathi, has been critical of claims management companies (CMC) or similarly specialised law firms throughout [...]
Motor finance compensation scheme set to fuel even more legal action March 31, 2026 The City watchdog has revealed its long-awaited motor finance redress scheme, but despite the bill for lenders coming in lower than predicted the scandal is not going away any time soon, as further legal action is expected. After a 2024 legal case ruled that car sales firms couldn’t lawfully receive commissions from finance firms unless they had [...]
Sun, money and missiles: The dilemma facing British lawyers in the UAE March 19, 2026 The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranks among the most popular international destinations for British lawyers, to say nothing of influencers, but has the Iranian war burst the bubble? Based on the latest reports from the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for 2025 and early 2026, there are around 500 to 700 English [...]
Accountancy firms lag behind legal firms in gender equality at top level March 3, 2026 The UK accountancy sector is lagging in diversifying its leadership, with only half of firms having at least one woman at the board or partnership level. According to data exclusively shared with City AM by Lubbock Fine, UK accountancy firms are lagging behind legal firms in the proportion of women at the senior level. The [...]
Legal accounts controversy: Who should fund the broken justice system? January 22, 2026 First, the government tried to go after the LLPs, but that failed. Now its eyes are on law firms’ client accounts under the narrative that it will be used to help the crumbling justice system, but lawyers are seeing it as just another tax raid. Law firms earn substantial income from interest on client accounts, [...]
Immigration law firm put up for sale on insolvency market amid visa crackdown January 13, 2026 A London law firm specialising in immigration services has been put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace in an early sign the government’s crackdown on visas has sparked a slump in applications. Woolwich-based A Vincent Solicitors, which employs more than two dozen staff and has a second office in Manchester, offered multi-lingual support services [...]
Turf good, grassroots bad: Budget spares horse racing but divides sport November 26, 2025 Horse racing chiefs have welcomed the Chancellor’s decision to afford it an exemption from major increases in gambling taxes announced in today’s Budget. While tax on remote gaming will jump to 40 per cent from April and remote sports betting from 15 to 25 per cent in 2027, duty on horse racing wagers has been [...]
City watchdog accused of ‘massive overreach’ in motor finance clampdown October 28, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been accused of a “massive overreach” following letters sent to law firms and claims management companies (CMCs) requesting batches of information under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers law. The FCA sent letters in August, seen by City AM, requesting information on the law firms’ motor finance services, [...]
Legal sector feeling subdued as regulator loses its AML powers October 23, 2025 The Treasury’s decision to transfer oversight of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision to the FCA has sparked concerns within the professional services sector. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) served as a Professional Body Supervisor (PBS) for AMLCT for law firms across England and Wales, while for the accountancy sector, the HMRC plays the supervision [...]
FCA to take control of anti-money laundering supervision of professional service firms in major reform October 21, 2025 The government’s reform of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision will significantly change and diminish the roles of the legal regulator and HMRC. Today, the Treasury revealed the outcome of its consultation on reforming anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision, primarily for professional services, by creating a Single Professional Services Supervisor (SPSS), with the Financial [...]