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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City lawyer pleads not guilty to insider dealing charges

September 11, 2026

A City lawyer has pleaded not guilty to five counts of alleged insider dealing for trading in the assets of maternity fashion brand Seraphine Group. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed in July that it charged Richard Bloomfield, 38, with allegedly using inside information he obtained while advising on the buyout of London-listed maternity brand [...]
Regulator opens triple probe into Prax Group’s oil audits

September 11, 2026

The audit watchdog has launched three separate investigations into the auditing of the collapsed UK energy challenger Prax Group. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) opened probes into the financial oversight and audit of Prax’s parent company, State Oil, and will also examine Big Four KPMG’s audit of the fiscal years ended 28 February 2022 and [...]
FTSE boss calls on City businesses to hire former offenders

September 9, 2026

Beazley chief executive Adrian Cox has encouraged City business leaders to hire ex-offenders as he believes in “looking beyond convictions and recognising potential”. The boss of the FTSE specialist insurer, which agreed to be acquired by Zurich Insurance for approximately £8.14bn earlier this year, said: “City employers can transform lives while strengthening their organisations’ access [...]
Why Labour can’t kick Whitehall’s consultancy habit

September 9, 2026

Since coming to power, Labour has been vocal about cutting spending on external consultants to save taxpayers money. However, data suggests it has actually moved in the opposite direction, as the private sector shows it is a necessity and not a luxury, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The pledge to cut back on external consultants was first [...]
Ousted former law firm chief launches bid to wrestle back £36bn BHP lawsuit

September 9, 2026

The ousted former chief executive of the law firm leading the largest group claim in UK history against mining giant BHP is behind a bid to wrestle the £36bn case from a firm where he previously served as a director, City AM understands. Thomas Goodhead, who founded Pogust Goodhead (formerly PGMBM) in 2018 with US disputes lawyer Harris [...]
How the NHS backlog fuelled a private equity gold rush in UK health market

September 8, 2026

Private equity firms are circling the UK’s healthcare market as NHS backlogs push a wave of patients towards private providers, experts have said. Britain’s biggest private hospital operator, Spire Healthcare, which operates 38 private hospitals, on Sunday agreed to a £1bn takeover by Toscafund Asset Management. Earlier this year, private healthcare property firm Assura agreed [...]
UK government slashes corporate red tape, cutting paperwork ‘longer than The Hobbit’

September 7, 2026

Ministers have announced sweeping reforms to corporate reporting, aiming to save businesses over £450m annually by ditching “Hobbit-length” paperwork. Under the overhaul, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including local family firms, will be exempt from certain reporting forms and audits, aiming to save businesses thousands of pounds and hours of administrative work. The Department for [...]
Next dodges ‘hammer blow’ with equal pay court victory

September 7, 2026

Retail giant Next has won an equal pay appeal allowing it to pay warehouse workers more than shop-floor staff, warning that its defeat “would have represented a hammer blow to retail employment in the UK”. The FTSE 100 retailer told shareholders on Monday that it was justified in paying its warehouse operatives a higher rate [...]
Lawyer struck off for using fake AI evidence in his own disciplinary case

September 4, 2026

An immigration lawyer who was referred to a Tribunal after a criminal conviction has been struck off after using AI-generated evidence as part of his own defence. Abhishek Kumar, 41, a registered foreign lawyer, was referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) after his 2024 criminal conviction at the Central Criminal Court, after he knowingly [...]
McGill and Partners staff to benefit from EQT’s $2bn insurance broker deal

September 4, 2026

Speciality London-based reinsurance broker McGill and Partners has agreed to a $2bn (£1.48bn) investment by private equity giant EQT. Founded in May 2019 by industry titans Steve McGill and John Lloyd, the firm handles high risks for corporate and institutional clients. In seven years, the broker has grown revenues to more than $250m and expanded [...]

Nandy flags downsides of closer EU relations

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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