Art dealer’s sale of aristocrat’s French masterpiece was not negligent, court rules December 4, 2022 A London art dealer who advised a British aristocrat to sell an 18th century French masterpiece for a fraction of its actual worth did not act negligently, a court has ruled. The court ruled in favour of Simon Dickinson after Amanda Fielding, Countess of Wemyss and March, sued the art dealer over claims he [...]
KPMG to bolster legal services offering through deal with Zico Law December 1, 2022 KPMG has struck a deal to incorporate one of South East Asia’s biggest law firms, Zico Law, into its global partnership. The deal will see Zico Law’s more than 275 lawyers join KPMG’s 2,900-strong legal team. The merger is set to expand KPMG’s footprint in the Asia Pacific region, by extending its legal services offerings [...]
Criminal solicitors ‘highly unlikely’ to make ‘reasonable’ living, Law Society warns December 1, 2022 The UK government’s refusal to hike criminal solicitor’s legal aid fees by 15 per cent means it is “highly unlikely” those lawyers coming into the job will be able to make a “reasonable” income from their work, the Law Society has warned. Law Society president Lubna Shuja said justice secretary Dominic Raab’s refusal to increase [...]
Bird & Bird hikes new lawyers’ salaries for second time this year December 1, 2022 London law firm Bird & Bird has given its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers a pay hike for the second time this year. The law firm has given its NQ lawyers a five per cent pay rise in upping their annual pay to £92,400 per year, a Bird & Bird spokesperson told City A.M. The pay [...]
Class actions pose increasing threat to UK firms, new research shows December 1, 2022 Class action lawsuits pose an increasing threat to UK companies, according to new research showing the majority of British people would now willingly take part in collective claims. Most British people (60 per cent) would now be willing to take part in a claim against a company whose actions have impacted them, while 55 per [...]
Court blocks Mastercard’s bid to exclude three million dead people from collective action lawsuit November 30, 2022 A UK appeals court has blocked Mastercard’s bid to prevent three million dead people from participating in a £10bn class action lawsuit against the credit card company. The UK’s Court of Appeals refused to exclude three million individuals who died after the class-action lawsuit was first filed against Mastercard in September 2016. The decision comes [...]
Law Society backs calls to smash City’s ‘class ceiling’ by boosting social mobility November 30, 2022 The Law Society today backed calls to break the “class ceiling” by boosting social mobility in the City. The solicitors’ body came out in support of the City of London’s push towards 50 per cent of senior leaders in the financial and professional services sector coming from non-professional backgrounds. The Law Society said it [...]
City workers are ignoring ‘ego driven’ calls to return to offices November 29, 2022 City workers are ignoring calls from ‘C Suite’ executives for staff to come into the office for a minimum number of days each week, according to a new report. Workers and managers in the financial and professional services sectors are instead employing their own “bespoke” working models that align with their specific operational needs, the [...]
KPMG’s failings led to Carillion’s collapse, High Court lawsuit says November 28, 2022 KPMG’s incompetence in its audits of Carillion played a core part in the construction giant’s 2018 collapse, Carillion’s liquidators have said, as part of a £1.3bn lawsuit against the Big Four accounting firm. KPMG’s 2016 audit of Carillion lulled the construction firm’s board into a false sense of security that saw the firm make a [...]
Birketts strikes merger deal with Batchelors Solicitors amid forecasts of upcoming M&A boom November 28, 2022 UK law firm Birketts has struck a deal to merge with its London rival Batchelors Solicitors amid forecasts of a surge in consolidation in the UK’s legal sector. The deal will see the two firms join forces in a merger that is set to combine their long-standing social housing practices to create a market-leading team. [...]