Grant Thornton snaps up Australian sister firm as part of global push Prof Services Professional services giant Grant Thornton US is set to acquire the firm’s Australian counterpart to become part of its global advisory platform, boosting the private equity-backed player’s global reach. Grant Thornton US said the transaction was “recommended by the board and would close later this year, subject to shareholder partner approval and standard regulatory conditions.” [...]
Big Four carnage as KPMG swings the jobs axe on both sides of the Pond Prof Services On the back of KPMG taking the shears to its partners’ headcount in the UK, around 140 audit partners across the Atlantic are now set to lose their jobs. The Big Four firm is set to cut about 10 per cent of its 1,400 US audit partners to reduce its bloated headcount. The move comes [...]
Big Four giant KPMG downgrades equity partners Big Four Big Four giant KPMG has begun demoting UK senior equity partners – members who hold a stake in the firm and share its profits – and instead offering them lower status salaried partner roles. KPMG, which last year paid its equity partners on average £800,000 each a year, has reportedly been inviting the partners for [...]
AI-focused services make up 40 per cent of BCG’s 2025 revenue April 23, 2026 The global revenue of the consultancy group Boston Consulting Group (BCG) reached $14.4bn (£10.6bn), a single-digit increase over the previous year, credited to AI. BCG reported seven per cent global revenue growth, rising to $14.4bn in 2025 from $13.5bn in 2024, marking its 22nd consecutive year of growth. The firm said its AI-and tech-focused services [...]
Elite law firm apologises for AI ‘hallucinations’ in bankruptcy case April 22, 2026 An elite US law firm has had to apologise to a judge after its restructuring team made a filing in a high-profile case that contained multiple AI generated ‘hallucinations’. The head of Sullivan & Cromwell’s restructuring practice, Andrew Dietderich, apologised in a letter to the New York federal judge for mistakes that included misquoting the [...]
Trojan tools: AI is professional services’ newest cyber liability April 21, 2026 As the UK government ramps up pressure on businesses to strengthen their cyber defences over Anthropic’s Mythos, professional services firms are already feeling increasingly anxious about cybersecurity. In the last month, a hacker gained access to one of Bain & Co’s internal AI tools, which followed another attack that exposed cybersecurity flaws in a system [...]
For Dubai lawyers, loyalty is now being judged April 13, 2026 Dubai has long been seen as a flexible market where lawyers can reside for a few years before coming back. That could be changing.
BDO culls senior partners to clear path for younger staff April 9, 2026 Leading mid-tier advisory firm BDO is set to cut around 6 per cent of its total partner headcount, targeting older partners. The firm is set to axe 31 partners, mainly older staff who were expected to retire soon, or hires from rivals, as it seeks to open space for younger staff, according to the Financial [...]
As KPMG looks to cut hundreds of staff, expect more layoffs at the Big Four March 31, 2026 The Big Four giants, after hitting pandemic-era highs, are currently navigating a perfect storm of challenges: a harsher market, a surge in AI investment and a stagnant economy. These pressures are forcing firms to take a pair of shears to their workforces as the industry’s traditional “attrition model” fails to keep pace with reality. Over [...]
Reeves’ £1.2bn consultancy savings plan in doubt, watchdog warns March 11, 2026 Despite Rachel Reeves’ focus on cutting government spending on external consultancy services, a damning report stated that the government is unable to set meaningful targets to reduce its reliance on external firms. The UK government has said it wants to put an immediate stop to all non-essential consultancy spending and halve consultancy spending in future [...]