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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Tony Blair accuses Starmer of damaging economy by clinging to manifesto pledges

May 27, 2026

Sir Tony Blair has taken a swipe at Sir Keir Starmer for sticking to campaign pledges from Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which he says are economically damaging and should have been dropped “right at the outset.” In a 5,000-word essay published by his think tank, Labour’s longest serving PM pointed out that Budgets put forward by [...]
Gen Z craze toy maker Jellycat launches legal action against Next and Hamleys

May 26, 2026

Jellycat, the British soft toy company that took Gen-Z by storm, has filed several legal actions in the London High Court over trademark allegations. Lawyers at Stephenson Harwood filed three separate lawsuits last week against retail giants over passing off and trademark allegations, as seen by City AM. The firm, founded by Thomas Gatacre in [...]
Starmer confirms teen rape case sent to Court of Appeal after public outcry

May 26, 2026

The Attorney General has sent a rape case, which saw two teenage boys spared jail, to the Court of Appeal following a political backlash over the weekend against the judge’s ruling. Two teenage boys raped two girls in separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in 2024 and 2025. The third boy, who aided and abetted the [...]
David Lammy rejects higher pay rise for judges amid recruitment crisis

May 26, 2026

David Lammy turned down an independent recommendation for a higher judicial pay increase, instead approving a 3.5 per cent rise amid government efforts to tackle recruitment challenges for senior judges. The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) report, published last week, recommended a 3.8 per cent pay increase across the judiciary, estimated to cost taxpayers around [...]
Businesses brace for more layoffs as redundancy warnings climb to post-Pandemic high

May 22, 2026

Last year emerged as the most severe year for redundancy warnings since the height of the Covid pandemic, and early 2026 is already accelerating that trend. According to new data from the Liquidation Centre, sourced via an FOI, 2025 was the most severe year for redundancy warnings since 2020, with 315,605 jobs flagged for potential [...]
Lawyers for alleged Prince Andrew trafficking victim now in contact with Police

May 22, 2026

The Police confirmed that they are “engaging” with the lawyers of a woman who claims she was trafficked for sex at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s address in Windsor. In its first update on Friday, Thames Valley Police emphasised that if she wishes to report her allegations, they will be “taken seriously and handled with care, sensitivity and [...]
Lawyers say fee hikes punishes profession for regulator blunders

May 21, 2026

The legal watchdog plans to raise its funding by increasing lawyer fees to address past shortfalls, but the legal profession is frustrated, arguing they are being forced to pay for the regulator’s own failures and legacy issues, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. Lawyers are not chuffed at the regulator’s plan to increase its fees in the upcoming [...]
BDO picks US audit leader for senior partner role

May 20, 2026

Mid-tier advisory firm BDO’s equity partners have voted to name Iain Henderson as the firm’s next senior partner. Henderson will take office on 1 October 2026, succeeding Matthew White, who will have completed his maximum of two four-year terms in the senior leadership role. Unlike the role of managing partner, the senior partner oversees the [...]
Job cuts at Big Four firms fuel worker burnout

May 20, 2026

Job cuts at professional services firms are resulting in overworked staff, but the pressures – combined with increased reliance on AI – risk damaging firms’ reputations through mistakes, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The professional services industry, especially the Big Four giants, has faced its fair share of job cuts, with thousands of roles laid off in [...]
HMRC fights to close Bolt’s VAT loophole

May 19, 2026

Ride-hailing platform Bolt faces the tax authorities in court today over how it calculates and pays its VAT bill. At the centre of this dispute was the question of whether Bolt could use the tour operators’ margin scheme (TOMS). Under this scheme, businesses only pay VAT on the profit margin they make between buying a [...]

Oil hits $100 a barrel as Iran war escalates

Bournemouth in spotlight after female fan complains to Kick It Out about searches

Open House Festival: The best guided walks in the Square Mile

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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