When does a team hire become a crime? It is a question that French firm Fidal is asking after accountancy firm KPMG hired 144 of its lawyers in one of the biggest law firm raids of recent times.

The hire, which included 26 partners, marks an acrimonious turn in what used to be a close relationship between the two parties, spanning back decades. The pair had a non-exclusive partnership agreement from 2011 until it was broken off in July 2018.