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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Hays slashes dividend as profit plummets

August 21, 2025

Hays reported drops across most of its financial lines as the group battles a challenging hiring market, forcing it to reduce its final dividend for shareholders.
Crypto assets could be lost upon death regardless of wills, warns lawyer

August 20, 2025

Crypto assets are not automatically accessible or even traceable through existing methods, it prompts calls for reform to Wills as millions of Brits risk losing assets upon death
Law firm partners’ pay rockets past rest of UK workforce

August 20, 2025

Partners at British law firms have seen their income rise over twice as fast as the rest of the UK workforce over the last five years. According to data shared with City AM by Bowmore Wealth Group, the income of law firm partners rose 42 per cent to an average of £307,000 over the last [...]
Former Chelsea footballer Craig Burley ordered to pay £466,000 to HMRC

August 19, 2025

Scottish former footballer and current ESPN pundit Craig Burley has been ordered by the Tax Tribunal to pay HMRC nearly £466,000 in unpaid income tax
Tax hikes and Employment Rights Bill driving firms to contractors

August 19, 2025

Business pressures from increased costs are prompting leaders to seek alternatives to stay afloat, including going off-payroll by drafting in contractors.
Audit costs for English councils soar as bankruptcies mount

August 19, 2025

Audit costs for English councils have more than tripled, during a time many councils have fallen into bankruptcy or taken on greater debt.
Burford Capital in talks to buy stakes in US law firms

August 18, 2025

Legal financial firm Burford Capital is in talks to buy stakes in a US law firm, the identity of which has not been disclosed
Businesses face wave of AI smear campaigns

August 15, 2025

Businesses are facing an uptick in smear campaigns as AI is making it quicker, easier, and cheaper to spread misinformation, which will get worse
Rumoured changes to inheritance tax gifting spark concern for middle-class

August 15, 2025

Reeves is looking at measures to increase revenue from inheritance tax by tightening gift rules, a move that may disproportionately affect the middle class.
Uptick in Canary Wharf office values after years of decline

August 15, 2025

After several years of declining property valuations in Canary Wharf, the East London area is experiencing a modest recovery as the value of its largest offices rises for the first time in years

Oxford Street pedestrianisation brings ‘staggering’ shopping boost

Women’s football doesn’t need to become men’s football to succeed

The Capitalist: City AM reporter gets royal trashing by AI slop

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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