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 was previously a litigation reporter at The Lawyer. Contact her via email at maria.ward-brennan@cityam.com or X (Twitter) @MariaW_B.

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Reed Smith latest to enter fledgling Saudi legal market

October 20, 2025

Transatlantic law firm Reed Smith has stormed into Saudi Arabia, becoming the latest international law firm to plant its flag in the Kingdom’s new legal market. Two years ago, Saudi Arabia changed its law to allow foreign law firms to operate independently. The Saudi government’s strategy was to attract international business and legal expertise for [...]
Square Mile bespoke tailor Tom James takes legal action against ex-employee

October 16, 2025

Tailoring giant Tom James launched legal action in London against a former employee, seeking to enforce restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations. Tom James Company, the UK entity of its US giant, located on Old Jewry, has launched legal action against a former sales professional, Max Potter. The company alleged in its claim, seen by City [...]
Ousted CEO and mounting debts: the lawyers behind £36bn BHP lawsuit

October 16, 2025

The law firm behind the most significant litigation to ever hit the English High Court has been lighting up headlines recently due to allegations around internal issues at the group. Back in 2018, in Liverpool, barrister Tom Goodhead and US lawyer Harris Pogust founded a law firm using an alternative business structure that focused on large-scale group [...]
Credit Suisse’s legal bid to recover Greensill losses from Softbank fails

October 15, 2025

Swiss lender Credit Suisse has failed in its attempt to recover $440m from Softbank following the collapse of financial firm Greensill Capital. Credit Suisse – now UBS – was hit hardest by Greensill’s collapse, owing to its significant exposure through various funding and investment vehicles. Greensill Capital, founded by Alexander (Lex) Greensill, went under in [...]
Richard Desmond’s group makes Rothschild allegation in £1.3bn National Lottery dispute

October 15, 2025

A high-stakes legal showdown has kicked off over the Gambling Commission’s handling of the fourth National Lottery licence, as the role of financial advisor Rothschild and its prior ties to the winning bidder take centre stage in court. Media baron Richard Desmond’s group Northern and Shell and its subsidiary, the New Lottery Company, launched legal [...]
EY accused of missing ‘red flag’ in NMC collapse

October 14, 2025

Big Four firm EY UK was accused of being “grossly negligent” and failing in its most fundamental audit duties over seven years, allowing a massive fraud to continue and ultimately causing NMC’s financial collapse. The mammoth £2.7bn legal battle between EY and its former clients, a London-listed health giant that collapsed after allegations of fraud, [...]
Leeds Reforms trigger wave of recruitment in legal banking

October 14, 2025

Job vacancies for banking lawyers are expected to soar, driven by the government’s Leeds Reforms which seek to unlock capital and overhaul the ring-fencing framework. Labour market analytics from Vacancysoft reveal that Britain’s legal sector is predicting significant growth in banking roles, both in private practice and in-house at major banks. The report projected a [...]
Mind the Split: London is the best city to be a divorce lawyer

October 14, 2025

London’s reputation as the divorce capital of the world looks set to grow after a recent court ruling paved the way for more foreign cases to be heard in the city. Litigation-focused law firm Stewarts has expanded its high-net-worth practice to meet rising demand for complex, high-value divorce work. High-profile, high-net-worth divorces collect media headlines [...]
Surge in cyber attacks expected to generate windfall for consultants

October 13, 2025

The recent surge in cyber attacks targeting major businesses and government entities is expected to drive an increase in spending on cybersecurity services from consulting firms. Cyber attacks have dominated the headlines this year, with recent incidents, such as the attacks on the Co-op and Jaguar Land Rover, resulting in substantial financial hits for the businesses. The [...]
Legal profession hits back at Robert Jenrick threat against ‘activist’ judges

October 13, 2025

Legal bodies representing over 250,000 lawyers have hit back against “politically motivated attacks” on the legal sector as “irresponsible and dangerous”, a week after the shadow justice secretary pledged to sack ‘activist’ judges. Last Tuesday, speaking at the Tory Conference, Robert Jenrick announced a sweeping crackdown on what he describes as “pro-migration bias” in the [...]

Dr Martens shares rocket after kicking down costs

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn on darts in US, Bruin Capital, Saudi and Dana White

Lazy Coffee is the best coffee in the City – this is how they do it

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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