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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Cyber attacks cost European businesses over €300bn as insurance uptake lags

September 24, 2025

Almost half of businesses in four of the largest European economies reported at least one cyber attack over the last five years, resulting in costs exceeding €300bn (£261bn). According to a new report by British insurance broker Howden, the cyber attacks on businesses in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain over the past five years equated [...]
Trump’s culture war turns Europe into a ‘Truman Show’ spectacle

September 23, 2025

US President Donald Trump and the American MAGA movement have launched a ‘culture war’ on Europe, says a new think tank report, warning that this transatlantic clash is reshaping European politics. The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) report, published on Tuesday, claims the US is waging its ‘culture [...]
Junior lawyers earn £44 an hour for 13-hour days

September 23, 2025

Junior lawyers at leading City law firms are regularly working well beyond standard hours, with many firms reporting their youngest staff routinely putting in over 12-hour days. According to research by Legal Cheek on over 2,000 trainees and junior lawyers, the London offices of top US law firms are leading the table, which is consistent [...]
Fewer than 1 in 5 senior finance roles held by women

September 22, 2025

Women make up less than 20 per cent of senior leadership roles at UK financial services businesses, highlighting the persistent gender gap at the top of the industry. According to new data by employment law firm Fox & Partners, out of the 66,860 senior executives in UK financial services businesses, only 12,430 are held by [...]
Class action boom hampers Britain’s economic expansion

September 18, 2025

The surge in cases could cost the UK economy up to £18bn, diverting resources away from innovation and undermining growth, according to a new Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) report. A report, authored by lawyer Stephen Dnes, warns that the UK’s competition class action system has seen an explosion of speculative lawsuits, with around one [...]
The great big merger: Chasing elite status in the legal world

September 18, 2025

The ever-evolving legal market continues to expand, particularly when it comes to law firm names, which have become longer as a result of a flurry of recent mergers. The ambition to join the ‘Global Elite’ continues to drive change, as two major firms have recently followed A&O Shearman’s lead by merging with New York law [...]
City of London unveils £600m Justice Hub at Salisbury Square

September 18, 2025

The City of London Corporation is topping out the new flagship building, dubbed London’s new ‘Justice Quarter’, which features 18 courtrooms at Salisbury Square. The City’s £600m investment, which will serve as the new headquarters for the City of London Police, aims to enhance capacity in the criminal justice system, resulting in faster outcomes for [...]
Knives are out in Whitehall after Chinese espionage case collapsed

September 17, 2025

Whitehall is seething with anger following the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) decision to drop its espionage case against two men accused of spying for China. Christopher Cash (30), a former parliamentary researcher and director of the China Research Group, and Christopher Berry (33), a former English teacher in China, were charged last year with providing [...]
EU chief von der Leyen hit with defamation lawsuit by MEP

September 17, 2025

The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, has been hit with legal action by an MEP for alleged defamation in comments she made at the European Parliament. Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, from the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), has filed a claim at the EU Court of Justice. According to his statement, as [...]
PwC UK profits edge up as headcount reductions take effect

September 17, 2025

Big Four giant PwC UK has shown steady financial recovery, with revenue, profits, and profit per partner all increasing slightly compared to the previous year, largely due to the implementation of headcount cuts. For the year ended 30 June 2025, PwC UK generated £6.35bn in revenue, up 0.4 per cent on the previous year. Its [...]

Burnham to announce new publicly-owned grid operator

Nike, Adidas and Puma put historic differences aside to target tariffs and inactivity crisis

London’s best pub crawl through our Toast the City finalists

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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