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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Government backs SLAPPs bill to stop gagging of press amid warning it needs more work

February 23, 2024

The UK Government has backed a bill that will crack down on SLAPPs that will prevent wealthy or corrupt people from gagging journalists by using the legal system. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) is a term given to defamation cases and legal threat that are generally brought against journalists and campaigners as a form [...]
ICO tells Serco Leisure to stop ‘unlawfully’ using facial recognition and fingerprint data to monitor staff

February 23, 2024

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has ordered public service provider Serco Leisure and its trusts to stop using facial recognition technology and fingerprint scanning to monitor employee attendance. Following an investigation, the ICO said Serco Leisure was “unlawfully” processing the biometric data of more than 2,000 employees at 38 leisure facilities. The regulator said the [...]
City of London Investment Group reports drop in profit as investments struggle

February 23, 2024

The City of London Investment Group (CLIG) announced its 2023 half-year results as for the first time, the group reported in US dollars.
Leeds Building Society sees record number of new members as consumers snap up savings deals

February 23, 2024

The building society's total savings balance reached a record of £20.8bn, a 19 per cent jump on its 2022 figure of £17.5 bn.
Addison Lee settles workers’ rights case before landmark hearing

February 22, 2024

The private hire taxi firm Addison Lee has reached a settlement with three drivers who were set to take them to the employment tribunal in a long-running battle over workers’ rights. The claim was originally brought by three drivers who sued Addison Lee to establish that they were in fact employees and not self-employed contractors. [...]
Claim brought by students against UCL will go to trial after settlement talks fail

February 21, 2024

A group action against the University College London (UCL) over Covid-19 and strike-related disruptions will proceed to the High Court after settlement talks break down. A lawsuit brought initially filed with 924 students from UCL argues that the university breached its contract with them between 2018 and 2022 during lecturer strikes and Covid-related closures. The [...]
Mike Lynch: Extradited businessman hires Boris Johnson and Man City’s lawyer Lord Pannick for SFO data fight

February 21, 2024

Pannick was reportedly on £10,000 an hour during Boris's Partygate hearing, when treble-winners Manchester City hired him to fight financial fair play breach claims.
Logo wars: Tesco and Lidl at Court of Appeal in latest instalment of clubcard row

February 21, 2024

The logo at the heart of this dispute is Tesco's "Clubcard Prices" promotion which uses a blue square with a yellow circle, with the words 'clubcard prices' inside.
SFO launches probe into £140m property fraud

February 21, 2024

The UK anti-fraud agency has raided three residences and made four arrests in North West England in relation to an investigation into Signature Group.
Sharp rise in cyber attacks at UK law firms as hackers eye sensitive data

February 21, 2024

The number of reported cyber attacks on UK law firms has increased 36 per cent over the past year. According to data by speciality reinsurance group Chaucer, there were 166 reported cyber breaches in 2021/22, this number jumped to 226 for 2022/23 (as of 30 September). Chaucer says that the large number of attacks against [...]

Tottenham Hotspur owed money after Big Zuu water brand Drip is liquidated with £9m debts

Tottenham Hotspur owed money after Big Zuu water brand Drip is liquidated with £9m debts

Artificial writer admits AI industry workers helped shape OpenAI film

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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