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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Reeves vows to halve consultancy bill, but government can’t track its spending

November 21, 2025

Despite the government setting an ambitious target to halve overall spending on consultants, a new report suggests, the lack of consistent data hinders efforts to track progress toward spending targets. Rachel Reeves has set targets to halve the UK government’s overall spending on consultants in 2025-26 and to save £550m in 2024-25, aiming for £700m [...]
Money talks, but culture counts in transatlantic law firm tie-ups

November 20, 2025

A merger between a notable US outfit and a UK-headquartered legal firm used to be a rare event, but with the focus on global dominance, these strategic moves are now attracting more attention – as more firms begin to follow suit. This week, London-based Ashurst agreed to merge with Seattle-based Perkins Coie, and overnight it [...]
Backlogs and political attacks risk erosion of rule of law, Lords claim

November 20, 2025

The rule of law in the UK is being weakened, and everyone must take steps to protect it against further erosion, says a damming House of Lords report. The ‘Rule of law: holding the line between anarchy and tyranny’ report, published on Thursday, identified three areas contributing to the decline: social/cultural erosion, institutional failings in [...]
AIG dropped John Neal’s appointment after ‘alleged workplace relationship’

November 19, 2025

The former chief executive of Lloyd’s of London, John Neal, had his offer from AIG pulled after alleged inappropriate workplace relationship came to light. Neal was in a leadership position at Lloyd’s for over six years, having joined from QBE, where he was the group CEO for over five years. He was set to join Aon as [...]
Uplift in patrols: West End businesses fund major Christmas crime crackdown

November 19, 2025

The largest single private-sector investment in enhanced security and policing in London’s West End was launched, involving over 600 businesses in the busy section of the capital. Operation West End, an initiative from the New West End Company, which represents over 600 West End businesses, including on Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, works [...]
HP pursues Lynch estate for £1.35bn as tech giant forks out £150m in legal bills

November 18, 2025

The High Court heard that the estate of British technology tycoon Mike Lynch should be liable to pay more than £1.35bn to Hewlett-Packard (HP) over fraud linked to the sale of Autonomy. Lynch, who founded software firm Autonomy in 1996, sold it to HP in 2012 for $11.1bn, but after a bust-up over allegations of [...]
Company directors now required to verify identity under new rules

November 18, 2025

In one of the biggest changes at Companies House for years, its new ID powers kicked in today – forcing company directors to verify their identity or risk facing new enforcement powers. Starting from 18 November, anyone who becomes a company director or person with significant control will need to verify their identity via GOV.UK [...]
PE-backed Grant Thornton defies market trends with recruitment drive

November 18, 2025

Private equity-backed accountancy giant Grant Thornton is bucking the trend in the professional service market with its plans to recruit 160 new partners over the next two years. Back in December, the firm’s partners unanimously voted in favour of an investment from private equity firm Cinven in a deal expected to value the firm at up to [...]
PE, mergers, and AI: Professional services faces its most pivotal moment for 20 years

November 18, 2025

The professional services industry is arguably going through its most critical time in the last 20 years. As it sits on its train to the future, where it jumps off will seal its fate, as each move firms take will be critical to what the industry may look like in the next 10 years. While [...]
Crinkled paper to fake logos: Businesses face surge in expense scams

November 18, 2025

Businesses are experiencing a sharp rise in fraudulent attempts at expenses, as AI has made it easier to replicate receipts. Over the last three months, Google searches for ‘AI receipts’ have soared by 340 per cent, as employees look to take advantage of AI-generated capabilities to submit fake expenses. A recent study by SAP Concur [...]

Giving Neets jobs in hospitality would generate £2.3bn, Hilton claims

All Hundred owners expected to explore bids for Big Bash cricket franchises

Are Peugeot’s 208, 2008 and 3008 good enough for the city?

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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