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.

All 1608 Articles

Sanctioned Russian oligarch’s charity launches legal action against Barclays

March 30, 2026

The Potanin Foundation, a UK charity of its Russian sister organisation, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, has launched legal action against Barclays Bank in London via advisory firm Forvis Mazars. Founded in 2006 by the former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Potanin, the organisation has focused on education, culture, and philanthropy. The charity was intervened [...]
Burford Capital shares crash after US court overturns $16bn Argentina ruling

March 30, 2026

Shares in the dual-listed group Burford Capital have dropped nearly 50 per cent since a US court overturned a ruling in favour of Argentina, a blow to the litigation funder. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the District Court’s previous ruling that found Argentina liable to pay $16bn to former shareholders [...]
Deloitte confirms tax head to replace Richard Houston

March 30, 2026

Big Four giant Deloitte has selected Darren Graves to succeed Richard Houston, who is stepping up to lead the newly created Deloitte EMEA unit. Graves will be the next senior partner and chief executive from June, after winning a confirmatory vote by the firm’s partners. However, according to media reports, he was put forward as [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Dollar dips amid Trump oil threats; motor finance decision expected

March 30, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the CityAM liveblog. In a fresh escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, Donald Trump has said that he wants to “take the oil in Iran”, with the US dollar taking a hit this morning. In an interview with the Financial Times, the US President said that [...]
EY’s legal provisions balloon 300 per cent as audit battles mount

March 27, 2026

Big Four giant EY has reported a surge of over 300 per cent in its legal provisions, as the firm grapples with the fallout of high-profile audit failures and regulatory crackdowns. According to the firm’s latest results on Companies House, EY didn’t just add a small buffer; it added £188m in new claims-related charges in [...]
How Bishopsgate became London’s Midtown Manhattan for law firms

March 26, 2026

If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting a top law firm in London, you might mistake yourself for being in an episode of smash US legal drama (and Duchess of Sussex starring) Suits. Increasingly City firms’ offices have a more American feel to them. In Canada, it is not just a race [...]
Crispin Odey accused of ‘trying to manipulate’ a woman he assaulted

March 25, 2026

Crispin Odey has been accused of “trying to manipulate” a woman into silence, after the financial regulator alleged that the disgraced financier tried to discourage her from giving a full account of her experience with him. In text messages shown in court sent to a woman, Odey said: “Really sorry… the FCA is pursuing a [...]
Regulator unveils major overhaul to its audit supervision

March 25, 2026

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is introducing a major overhaul of its audit supervisory model, aiming to replace the current system with one designed to enhance audit quality. The accountancy watchdog is moving its primary focus to a system of quality management (SoQM), placing firm-wide quality controls at the heart of its new supervisory activity. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks soar as Trump claims ‘victory’ in Iran; Economists clash on inflation

March 25, 2026

Welcome back to the CityAM liveblog. Fresh figures this morning revealed inflation rose three per cent in the year to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January 2026. Grant Fitzner said: “The largest upwards driver was the price of clothing, which rose this month but fell a year ago. “This was offset [...]
Crispin Odey tells court sacked receptionist was ‘dismissed for being a flirt’

March 24, 2026

Hedge fund tycoon Crispin Odey took the stand at the High Court in his case against the City watchdog, as he faced questions over his alleged behaviour toward young female employees at his eponymous hedge fund. Odey said he had a “very flirtatious relationship” with one of the women who alleged sexual harassment against him, [...]

2026 World Cup: England only attract half as many bets as Norway to lift trophy

2026 World Cup: England only attract half as many bets as Norway to lift trophy

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

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

All 1608 Articles