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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Energy giant clashes with HMRC at UK’s highest court over £28m penalty

May 18, 2026

Scottish Power is to face the tax authority at the UK’s highest court over a tax deduction on a £28m penalty to settle a probe with the regulator. The legal case stems from a probe by the energy regulator Ofgem into Scottish Power between 2013 and 2016 regarding mis-selling, poor complaints handling, and a lack [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks down on election day; oil back below $100 as Iran deal hangs in balance

May 7, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the CityAM liveblog. It’s local election day in the UK and Keir Starmer’s premiership is hanging in the balance as his Labour Party prepares to take a drubbing in council boroughs across the country. Gilt yields rose at their fastest rate earlier this week as the market prepares [...]
City law firms put US partner promotions in the spotlight

May 7, 2026

As law firms increasingly shift their focus to the US there has been a surge in partner promos across the Atlantic – while London is becoming more selective, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. It’s that time of year when my inbox gets flooded with press releases and Companies House notifications about partner promotions at the City’s finest [...]
City watchdog eyes new laws for claimant firms accused of ‘harm’

May 6, 2026

The City watchdog has threatened enforcement action and new laws to impose “stronger compensation mechanisms” against the claims management market, including law firms that cause harm. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a fresh review of “the root causes of poor practices” across the market, as claims management companies and law firms come under [...]
Two million global airline seats cut as jet fuel shortage grounds travel

May 6, 2026

Airlines are preparing to slash millions of seats from this month’s schedule, as the Middle East conflict and soaring jet fuel prices drive up costs ahead of the industry’s busiest travel season. Some 13,000 flights have been removed from May schedules worldwide, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium. Istanbul, one of the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump; oil dips below $100 as Trump says Iran deal close

May 6, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the CityAM liveblog. Brent crude dipped below $100 at Wednesday lunchtime after Donald Trump has hailed “great progress” towards a “final agreement” with Iran, prompting a rally in the FTSE, Asian markets and Wall Street. In a sudden reversal late last night, President Trump said he will pause [...]
Forvis Mazars UK CEO: We have what others are trying to buy

May 6, 2026

Forvis Mazars UK boss tells Maria Ward-Brennan that the firm’s integrated, global structure is what competitors are now trying to acquire through mergers and investments Forvis Mazars has built an integrated firm from the ground up, something others are now trying to purchase, says its UK chief executive, who added that building integration from scratch [...]
KPMG faces staff uproar as job cuts expose communication breakdown

May 6, 2026

Big Four audit firm KPMG is facing something of an internal comms meltdown, CityAM understands, amid complaints of a lack of communication during a ‘mismanaged’ redundancy round. In late March, it was reported that KPMG UK was set to axe more than 500 staff in the latest redundancy round at the Big Four giant. [...]
Motor finance provider faces administration amid £9bn redress fallout

May 5, 2026

Blue Motor Finance is reportedly on the verge of administration after a series of financial setbacks and pressures stemming from the City regulator’s planned £9bn motor finance redress scheme. The independent motor finance provider is said to be facing a redress bill of over £50m, having lent over £1bn to over 120,000 customers – as [...]
Elon Musk settles lawsuit over Twitter takeover for $1.5m

May 5, 2026

Tech tycoon Elon Musk has finally put one of his longest-running legal battles to rest after reaching a $1.5m (£1.2m) settlement with the US regulator. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil lawsuit against the billionaire, alleging violations of securities laws in the run-up to his 2022 purchase of Twitter. Musk, who [...]

Fifpro accused of leaving footballers ‘in the cold’ by doing deal with Fifa

Fifpro accused of leaving footballers ‘in the cold’ by doing deal with Fifa

The best places to eat sandwiches in Lisbon, from bifanas to pregos

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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