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.

All 1749 Articles

City law firms ‘sleepwalking into a crisis’ over AI overreliance

June 18, 2026

As legal tech valuations skyrocket, and AI dominates the airwaves, City law firms have been warned they are ‘sleepwalking into a crisis of judgment’ by treating AI as a definitive authority rather than a collaborative tool. A report by Positive Group, exclusively shared with City AM, stated that the legal sector faces a potential crisis [...]
More Big Four blues as Deloitte plans to slash UK audit roles

June 16, 2026

Big Four giant Deloitte is seeking to cut nearly 200 jobs across its audit business in the UK, the latest in a series of cuts at the accountancy giants. The firm is offering voluntary redundancy packages to a number of employees in response to low levels of staff attrition in its audit practice. A Deloitte [...]
Allianz tech blitz dethrones AXA to claim Europe’s insurance AI crown

June 16, 2026

Allianz has officially overtaken French insurer AXA to claim the top spot in global AI maturity, capitalising on a massive talent hoarding strategy. The German insurance giant, Allianz, has amassed an AI workforce 28 per cent larger than its closest rival, resulting in a staggering 900 active AI use cases worldwide and putting pressure on [...]
Former KPMG chief joins £10m funding round for AI-powered audit challenger

June 16, 2026

A Berlin-based audit AI firm has raised over £10m in a fundraising round, including from Dawn Capital, to expand into the UK market as a solution to the skilled labour shortage in the audit industry. Cortea, founded in 2024 by Valentin Neumann and Philipp Hovelmann, pitches itself as an answer for firms under pressure to [...]
Mayer Brown defends ‘do not disturb’ policy despite criticism from rivals

June 15, 2026

When the US law firm Mayer Brown, based in the City, implemented a policy that partners should not disturb associates during their holidays, its London office managing partner said some rival partners criticised the move. Speaking to City AM, Dominic Griffiths said: “When I introduced that policy [three years ago], there were one or two [...]
KPMG report on AI found riddled with AI hallucinations

June 12, 2026

A new probe into Big Four KPMG’s report on agentic AI found that the majority of its references were flawed, amid the latest news of AI-hallucinated reports published by professional services firms. The investigation, conducted by GPTZero, focused on KPMG’s October 2025 report, ‘Total Experience: Redefining Excellence in the Age of Agentic AI’, which summarises [...]
Why do so many Gen Zs like me love the Pope?

June 12, 2026

Pope Leo XIV is appealing to a new generation with TikTok memes, student saints and a firm stance against AI, says Maria Ward-Brennan When Pope Leo XIV was first elected, I’ll be honest: I wasn’t overly keen. Part of me believed the Pope should come from a Catholic country. But this US-born man has changed [...]
KPMG’s Summer Friday half-day rollback signals deeper woes for Big Four giants

June 11, 2026

Big Four giant KPMG’s removal of its Friday early finish for employees is affecting branding and souring the mood among staff, who may see this as a signal to reconsider a career at the firm. Time spent working at a Big Four giant was once a prized bauble to list on a CV. But with [...]
‘Bogus claim’: Ryanair hits back at watchdog probe into family seating policy

June 11, 2026

Ryanair is under investigation by the British competition watchdog over its policy that parents must pay to sit with their children. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a probe into Ryanair’s terms and conditions (T&Cs), which require at least one parent to sit with their children aged 2-11 when they fly and make [...]
Rising salaries for junior lawyers put pressure on senior associates’ pay packages

June 11, 2026

US law firms continue to drive a fierce salary war in London, leaving UK firms scrambling to keep up with soaring pay for junior lawyers, but as starting salaries rise, growing pay gaps threaten to unsettle senior associates, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. As of next month, London associates at Quinn Emanuel will see their salaries increase [...]

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

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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