KPMG to double size of UK legal practice as part of ‘once-in-a-generation’ growth strategy May 4, 2022 Big Four accountancy firm KPMG is set to double the size of its UK legal practice over the next three years, as it pushes forwards with plans for its “once-in-a-generation” growth strategy. The plan is set to see KPMG hire 220 new lawyers – including 45 new partners and directors – by the end [...]
Online Harms Bill: Lawyers warn new rules will have ‘chilling effect’ and hit businesses unnecessarily hard April 27, 2022 Broad and far-reaching legislation to tackle online harms could place a major burden on companies, particularly small businesses, lawyers told City A.M. today. The Government’s Online Harms Bill, published in March, seeks to address illegal and harmful content on the Internet with the aim of safeguarding UK citizens online. Companies that don’t comply with the [...]
T.M. Lewin faces legal battle after workers win £439,000 employment lawsuit against collapsed firm April 19, 2022 Clothing retailer T.M. Lewin faces a lengthy legal battle over claims it was required to consult employees before firing them, after an employment tribunal told it to pay out a total of £439,000 to more than 100 of its former staff, lawyers have said. The comments come after an employment tribunal ruled that T.M. Lewin [...]
Pinsent Masons enters City bidding war after boosting pay for new lawyers to £92k April 19, 2022 Pinsent Masons has given newly qualified (NQ) lawyers working in its London offices a 22.6 per cent pay rise, in upping their salaries to £92,000 a year. The commercial law firm entered the fray by hiking pay for its freshly trained lawyers from £75,000 to £92,000 a year. NQs working in its regional UK [...]
London lawyers expect boom in legal disputes on the back of Brexit and Covid-19 April 11, 2022 London litigators are readying themselves for a new wave of litigation lawsuits on the back of Brexit and Covid-19. In a survey carried out by the London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA), 84 per cent of lawyers polled said they expect a surge in the number of Covid related contractual disputes. Another 70 per cent of [...]
Clifford Chance paid working class staff 44.1 per cent less than employees from professional families April 6, 2022 Employees at Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance, whose parents work as plumbers, electricians, or train drivers, took home significantly less pay in 2021 than staff whose parents work as teachers, accountants or solicitors. Clifford Chance employees from working class families earned 44.1 per cent less last year than staff at the law firm from [...]
Regulating for a decentralised future April 4, 2022 Dr Jane Thomason draws from her experience at the recent AIBC summit to look at the latest regulatory thinking.
A snap legislative change to isolate P&O exposes the holes of employment law March 29, 2022 First came the heavy-handed sacking of 800 workers via Zoom. Then followed the unnerving performance of P&O chief exec Peter Hebblethwaite in front of a parliamentary select committee. The P&O saga has been a total mishap. Now, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has vowed to change the laws and make it illegal to pay employees below [...]
P&O tells Government rehiring staff would lead to “financial collapse” March 29, 2022 P&O Ferries can’t rehire those 800 seafarers it sacked earlier this month without risking a “financial collapse”, its boss Peter Hebblethwaite said today. “The circumstances which led P&O Ferries to make the decision in the first place still apply,” Hebblethwaite told transport secretary Grant Shapps in a letter. “Complying with your request would deliberately cause [...]
To make the City rich in socio-economic diversity, we need a measure of it first March 28, 2022 THE City of London today is a far more diverse place than when I started out my career as a lawyer. The workers spilling out of the tube stations, flitting between offices, grabbing coffees and enjoying the Square Mile’s vibrant hospitality venues are now a rich cosmopolitan blend, representing every corner of the globe. Strikingly [...]