By: Maria Ward-Brennan

Professional Services Editor Maria Ward-Brennan is the Professional Services Editor at City AM, focused on law, Big Four, and other management and accounting consulting firms. She edits the Beyond The Billable newsletter and column. She was previously a litigation reporter at The Lawyer. Contact her via email at maria.ward-brennan@cityam.com or on X @MariaW_B.

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Mounjaro maker launches High Court action to block counterfeit drug sites

Legal

US pharma giant Eli Lilly has launched legal action in the London High Court to block black-market websites selling ‘fake versions’ of its medicine. Eli Lilly, the pharma giant behind the weight-loss drug Mounjaro, instructed American legal heavyweights Kirkland & Ellis to file a case in the English High Court, which appeared in the public [...]
Consultancies vulnerable as government plots non-compete axe

Prof Services

Government proposals to scrap non-compete clauses may have ‘significant implications’ for the wider professional services sector. In the Budget, John Healey confirmed that the government is introducing legislation to reform non-compete clauses in employment contracts across the economy, in a bid to lubricate the labour marker for startups and scaling firms. The government will publish [...]
Employees in partner’s clothing? HMRC in ‘aggressive pursuit’ of LLPs

Tax

HMRC is actively writing to limited liability partnerships (LLPs) as firms race to reassess their members’ tax status after the landmark legal ruling, even as both sides “hold their cards close to their chests.” Members of an LLP are treated as self-employed partners, meaning they don’t pay the 15 per cent employer’s national insurance contributions [...]

London-listed Knights’ recent acquisition results in staff layoffs

November 3, 2026

AIM-listed Knights Group’s acquisition of South East England law firm Moore Barlow has resulted in several redundancies among business services staff. On Monday, London-listed legal and professional services firm Knights Group informed shareholders that it had completed its acquisition of the regional law firm with offices in Guildford, Lymington, Richmond, Southampton and Woking, with roots [...]
UK cyber consulting set for explosive growth after wave of AI attacks

November 2, 2026

British cyber consulting is poised for an explosion in growth as boardroom paranoia over AI and hacking fuels demand for external expertise, research has suggested. The UK’s cybersecurity consulting market is expected to have grown about 17 per cent to £2.2bn this year, up from 9.8 per cent in 2025, according to Source Global Research. [...]
Meta and Tiktok lose High Court battle against Ofcom’s regulatory data demands

October 30, 2026

The High Court has upheld the media watchdog Ofcom’s powers to harvest retroactive safety data from tech giants. In February, Ofcom issued formal information notices to major tech platforms, including Meta, Tiktok, and X, requiring them to share detailed data on content and user exposure to harmful material under the Online Safety Act. Meta, Tiktok, [...]
City legal body on standby to aid Weil trainees left in ‘limbo’

October 29, 2026

The City’s legal professional body has said it is on standby to support Weil Gotshal and Manges trainees as the storied US law firm prepares to wind down after 95 years. Colin Passmore, chairman of the City of London Law Society (CLLS), said: “Our primary concern is everyone at Weil’s office, particularly the trainees and [...]
AI startup Ravical bags £12m to power accountancy’s private equity boom

October 29, 2026

AI startup Ravical, serving accounting and tax firms, has raised over £12m in its latest seed round as it positions itself as the tech infrastructure for the sector’s current wave of private equity roll-ups. The tech business secured £12.75m in a funding round led by European venture capital firm MMC, City AM can reveal, along [...]
Legal powerhouse Weil Gotshal set to liquidate after 95 years

October 28, 2026

Weil, Gotshal and Manges has told its partners the firm should be wound down, in a move that will bring an end to one of the US’s most storied legal firms. Weil has seen an exodus of partners across the US and London in recent months, including former corporate co-managing partner Michael Hickey and private [...]
Labour workers’ rights overhaul to inflict ‘negative’ hit on economy, OBR says

October 28, 2026

Britain’s fiscal watchdog has warned Labour’s overhaul of workers’ rights will have a “negative economic impact” as the cost to businesses will far outstrip any boost to workers’ productivity. The government’s sweeping employment reforms in its landmark Employment Rights Act (ERA) have reduced the qualifying period for unfair dismissal to six months, removed the compensation [...]

Orange or CMA CGM: Who could replace Altrad as France Rugby’s shirt partner?

Orange or CMA CGM: Who could replace Altrad as France Rugby’s shirt partner?

The Capitalist: City AM reporter gets royal trashing by AI slop

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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