By: Maria Ward-Brennan

Senior Reporter Maria Ward-Brennan is a senior reporter focused on law and professional services. Contact her via email on maria.ward-brennan@cityam.com or X (Twitter) @MariaW_B

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Government puts anti-corruption spotlight on ‘corrupt lawyers, bankers, and accountants’

December 9, 2025

The UK government launched a new anti-corruption strategy targeting “professional enablers”, such as “corrupt lawyers, accountants and bankers” who help dirty money flow. It is estimated that over £100bn is laundered through the UK every year by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The corruption has also affected British businesses, which have faced 117,000 bribe offers [...]
Former Entain execs take Gambling Commission to court over failed 888 bid

December 9, 2025

The former CEO and chairman of Entain, the group behind Coral and Ladbrokes, are set to face the Gambling Commission at court on Tuesday over alleged misuse of private information. Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman filed a civil case against the UK’s gambling regulator in October 2024. This action follows their failed 2023 leadership bid [...]
Global trade resilient but uncertainty persists, IMF director warns

December 8, 2025

Trade is expected to stabilise over 2026 but global uncertainty may potentially impact economies by up to two per cent of their GDP, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) director has warned. Jihad Azour, who oversees the MENA, North Africa, Central Asia, and the Caucasus Region, said 2025 was a year “of two cities,” with shocks [...]
Employment Rights Bill: Labour moves to scrap compensation cap for unfair dismissal

December 5, 2025

Businesses could face unlimited compensation for unfair dismissal claims as Labour seeks to appease unions after it abandoned ‘day one’ rights last week. After weeks of Employment Rights Bill ping-ponging over the controversial ‘day one’ rights, the government agreed last week to drop its pledge of ‘day one’ rights in exchange for rights over six [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Unilever demerger; House prices hit record high

December 5, 2025

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Autumn Budget started nearly an hour earlier than expected on 26 November after the fiscal watchdog leaked its forecasts for the UK and with it all the Labour government’s economic policy for the next year. But start as you mean to end rings true [...]
Birthday cookies and fine dining: Inside the law firm aiming for 5-Star service

December 4, 2025

There are not many office buildings in the City where, just five feet in the door, you receive a personalised greeting, but Addleshaw Goddard’s client services team would put The Ritz to shame. How to stand out in a crowded field? That is the question plaguing most law firms as they battle to grow in [...]
Accountants expect price hikes and job cuts following Budget

December 4, 2025

A chartered accountancy body has urged the government to consult on a path to a single VAT rate to simplify and restore business confidence following the Autumn Budget. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), which represents over 140,000 UK members, reported negative overall sentiment toward the recent Budget. According to exclusive [...]
UK profit dips at BDO as partner numbers hit record

December 2, 2025

Mid-market accountancy giant BDO has seen its profit slip, with the firm blaming challenging market conditions and a significant increase in partner headcount for the decline. BDO UK delivered stable revenues of just £1bn over 2025, a slight dip after becoming a £1bn-turnover firm last year. Profit per equity partner (PEP) fell over 13 per [...]
Government slashes rights to trial by jury in court shake-up

December 2, 2025

Justice secretary David Lammy has confirmed his controversial plans to scrap some jury trials to tackle the nearly 80,000 criminal cases backlog. Speaking in the House of Commons, after a week of outrage following a leak of the plan, Lammy told MPs that he will “follow Sir Brian [Leveson]’s bold blueprint for change”, by creating [...]
Legora CEO: Troubled Robin AI ‘had two parallel business models’

December 2, 2025

The boss of legal tech firm Legora says troubled Robin AI had ‘two parallel business models’. Last month, City AM revealed London-based legal firm Robin AI was put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace after fundraising ambitions fell short. In the same month, it was hit with a winding-up petition by HMRC. The legal [...]

Kemi Badenoch joins protesters calling for Government to stop China mega-embassy

The Jenga Effect: Why professional rugby’s collapse has already happened

Ariana Grande tickets for London musical ‘could easily go over £300’

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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