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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UK fraud office faces hefty bill after court finds wrongdoing led to ENRC bribery probe

December 21, 2023

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) faces a hefty multi-million pound bill after the High Court ruled today that the agency would not have opened an investigation into a Kazakh mining firm but for the wrongdoing of its officers.
Government profits from surging insurance costs as tax on policies soars

December 21, 2023

HMRC tax receipts for the first two-thirds of the 2023-24 financial year showed that £6bn was collected in IPT. This was an 11 per cent jump on the £5.5bn raised over the same period last year.
The multibillion pound court battle keeping the City’s law firms busy

December 21, 2023

Aircraft leasing companies immediately turned to their insurers after their planes were stranded in Russia. But their refusal to cough up has set up a multi-billion pound court showdown.
Frasers Group: I Saw It First faces court battle with Turkish supplier after £1 deal

December 18, 2023

I Saw It First, the British fast-fashion company backed by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, is being dragged to court over a legal battle with a Turkish textile firm. Fabulous Textiles has instructed small UK law firm Blackstone Solicitors to file a claim against the online retailer which shot to stardom thanks to collaborations with Love [...]
Magic circle law firm reducing working week (and pay) in new flexibility scheme

December 18, 2023

A magic circle firm is incorporating a scheme to give lawyers the option to work shorter hours for less money. Slaughter and May confirmed confirmed its job design scheme which enables eligible associates to reduce to either a 0.9 or 0.8 full-time equivalent, with pay and holiday entitlement pro-rated accordingly. The magic circle firm was [...]
Exclusive data: 2024 sees rise of ESG, group actions and insolvency disputes

December 18, 2023

London litigation lawyers predict environmental-related cases, group actions and insolvency disputes to increase next year. In exclusive data shared with City A.M. from the London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA), the majority of litigants surveyed (65 per cent) envisaged an increase in environmental/environmental, social, and governance (ESG) claims. John McElroy, a committee member of the LSLA [...]
Prateek Gupta fails to overturn worldwide freezing order in Trafigura dispute

December 15, 2023

Entrepreneur Prateek Gupta's application to remove the worldwide freezing order failed after the High Court ruled evidence used did not provide "any real support" for the case.
Exclusive: Millwall FC hits shirt sponsor Huski Chocolate with lawsuit

December 15, 2023

Millwall FC has filed a lawsuit against its sponsor Huski Chocolate, whose logo appears on the team’s kit after it became the principal partner for the 2019/20 season. Millwall Football and Athletic Company (1985) instructed law firm Irwin Mitchell to file a claim against Swedish-owned Huski Chocolate (Choki AB) and Swedish property investor Kvalitena AB, [...]
Two more Labour-run councils at risk of bankruptcy could impact one million households

December 15, 2023

With two more local Labour authorities at risk of effective bankruptcy, council tax may rise by 15 per cent for these areas in order to pay off debts.
Exclusive: London law firm used by Wagner boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin has folded

December 15, 2023

London-based law firm Discreet Law - used by the Wagner boss - has ceased its practice after it was under investigation for allegedly breaching rules to protect free speech

JP Morgan eyes role on London Stock Exchange’s Pisces market

Alcaraz ditches tennis player group demanding prize money hike

City of London’s Rolls-Royce limo converted to electric power

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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