By: Maria Ward-Brennan

Professional Services Editor Maria Ward-Brennan is the Professional Services Editor at CityAM, focused on law, Big Four, and other management and accounting consulting firms. She was previously a litigation reporter at The Lawyer. Contact her via email at [email protected] or X (Twitter) @MariaW_B.

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‘Significant backlog’ for Tribunal cases as new workers’ rights come into law

April 8, 2026

Concerns have been raised about the “ongoing and significant” backlog at the Employment Tribunal as new worker rights come into play this week. The Law Society, while welcoming the launch of the Fair Work Agency (FWA), raised concerns that the new agency will be equipped to tackle the case backlog. Between Monday and Tuesday, a [...]
Son of world’s richest banker challenged US law firm over $35m legal bill

April 8, 2026

Alberto Safra survived a bitter fight over his father’s $23bn fortune. Then the legal bill arrived, all $35m (£26m) of it. Safra, son of Brazilian billionaire Joseph Safra, now deceased, was billed over $35m for less than two years of work over a ‘bitter multibillion-dollar estate feud’ and one of the largest inheritance battles in [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Blue-chip stocks boom on Trump and Iran ceasefire

April 8, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the CityAM liveblog. Markets are in line for a major boom this morning after Donald Trump confirmed a two-week ceasefire with Iran shortly ahead of his latest bomb threat deadline. Trump announced the two-week postponement by stating the US and Iran were “very far along” with a “definitive” [...]
Jet fuel crisis sparks rush for travel insurance as airlines warn of Summer cancellations

April 7, 2026

Interest in travel insurance has spiked over the last month after airline bosses warned of cancelled flights amid shortages of jet fuel due to the ongoing energy crisis. Thousands of flights have been cancelled, and more cuts are planned, as global airlines struggle with surging fuel costs and supply issues caused by the war in [...]
As the Big Four cut back on staff BDO is building its own pipeline – from school

April 7, 2026

As the accountancy sector faces a “perception problem” among younger talent, advisory giant BDO is moving the goalposts by engaging school-level students. Speaking to CityAM, Louise Sayers, audit partner and head of audit, people and culture at BDO, explained that when it comes to attracting new talent, the sector does not have an image problem [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks dip ahead of Trump’s Iran deadline

April 7, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the CityAM liveblog. The London market is set to return from the bank holiday break with a major hangover. Whilst the City enjoyed an Easter break, volatile trading continued with Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – hovering around the $110 mark after see-sawing between gains [...]
From sick pay to whistleblowing: Sweeping new worker rights take effect

April 6, 2026

This week marks one of the most significant shifts in employment regulations in years. From whistleblowing protections to ‘day‑one’ rights for fathers, a series of new costly rights is coming into force that businesses need to be prepared for. The government published a report earlier this year that revealed an estimated direct cost to business [...]
Big Four KPMG cleared as regulator drops Entain audit probe

April 2, 2026

The regulator has closed a probe into the Big Four giant, KPMG, over its audit of the Ladbrokes owner, Entain. In January 2025, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) announced an investigation into Entain regarding its financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022. At the time, a KPMG UK spokesperson said: “We will cooperate [...]
Oil soars as Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’

April 2, 2026

The price of oil has spiked by over 7 per cent following Donald Trump’s vow to keep hitting Iran ‘extremely hard’ over the next few weeks, in an address to the nation. After a 17-minute speech on Wednesday evening, which failed to reassure global markets, Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 5 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Dow Jones joins City in red; Oil soars on Iran war fears

April 2, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the CityAM liveblog. After a dose of optimism hit markets on Wednesday, that looks to all be eradicated come this morning. In a 19-minute long address to the nation, Donald Trump vowed to “finish the job” in Iran and warned the country would be hit “extremely hard” in [...]

Apple and Google face age-check showdown as Starmer’s social media ban widens

2026 World Cup: How England went from misery to magnet for blue chip brands

Old Pulteney releases 50-year-old whisky for 200th anniversary

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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