Legal tech revolution: Firms invest in cost saving AI tools like ChatGPT to improve profitability February 15, 2023 Law firms are continuing to invest in cost-saving technologies, including artificial intelligence driven tools like ChatGPT, in seeking to stave off falling profitability. A sharp drop in M&A deals has hit US law firms’ profitability, wiping out the majority of all gains they made during Covid, the research from Thomson Reuters shows. US law firms [...]
Analysis: Audit watchdog faces catch-22 in hunt for new chief February 15, 2023 Britain’s audit watchdog is on the hunt for a new chief executive who can face down the Big Four accounting firms after Jon Thompson announced last week he would leave the post to lead the grossly delayed HS2 project. But in choosing a new boss, the newly-merged Department for Business and Trade has a difficult [...]
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UK agency looks to seize mortgage fraudster’s donation to Chelsea private school February 13, 2023 The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is seeking to seize a £92,500 donation given by a Mayfair property magnate who was convicted of fraud to his daughter’s private school. The fraud investigator is seeking permission from a London court to confiscate the money given to his daughter’s school by mortgage fraudster Achilleas Kallakis. The conman [...]
UK law firms hold back on layoffs as legal sector revenues continue to soar February 12, 2023 The UK’s legal sector continued to grow in the final months of 2022 despite a downturn in the wider professional services sector. Legal sector revenues increased six per cent from November to December 2022, to heights of £4bn, figures from the UK’s Office for National Statistics show. The uptick came as the UK’s wider services [...]
UK imposes ‘first of their kind’ sanctions on Russian hackers who attacked British firms, schools and hospitals February 9, 2023 The UK government has imposed “first of their kind” sanctions on seven Russian hackers accused of using ransomware attacks to take millions from British firms. The Russian hackers are alleged to have used “cynical cyberattacks” to extort at least £27m from 149 British victims, including schools, hospitals, and private businesses. The cybercriminals will now be [...]
FRC chief Jon Thompson to leave audit watchdog to lead HS2 project February 9, 2023 The head of the UK’s audit watchdog, Jon Thompson, is set to step down to take up a new position as the chair of HS2. Thompson has handed in his notice to leave his job as head of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and will now serve out his six-month notice period, Sky News first [...]
Mercedes Benz makes first UK court appearance as ‘dieselgate’ class-action lawsuit begins February 9, 2023 German carmaker Mercedes Benz today appeared in a UK court over its alleged part in the ‘dieselgate’ scandal. Lawyers acting on behalf Mercedes Benz drivers asked a London court to let them launch a class-action type lawsuit against the German firm over claims it cheated on emissions tests. Class-action specialists Leigh Day and Pogust [...]
Pub firm Fuller’s sues insurance giants Aviva and Liberty Mutual in fight over ‘business interruption’ claim February 9, 2023 Fuller’s pubs has filed a lawsuit against insurance giants Aviva and Liberty Mutual in a dispute over a “business interruption” claim. Fuller Smith & Turner confirmed to City PM it is suing the two insurers “in relation to a claim under our business interruption insurance” but refused to comment further. Fuller’s filed its claim against Liberty [...]
HMRC delays are hindering UK growth, accounting body warns February 8, 2023 Major hold ups at HMRC are “acting as a drag on the UK’s economic growth,” the head of one of Britain’s top accounting bodies has said. The “unacceptable” delays, caused by backlogs at the UK’s tax authority, “need to be addressed promptly,” ICAEW chief executive Michael Izza said, as he called for the launch of [...]
