Olswang and Linklaters have been criticised for the "cursory nature" of their checks into Dominic Chappell, the director of Retail Acquisitions Limited (RAL), which took over BHS last year prior to its collapse. In the Parliamentary Select Committee report into the collapse of the retailer, the firms were criticised for the checks they carried out into Chappell, a bankrupt with no retail background.

The report, released today (25 July), states that firms were there to advise and "not to provide an expensive badge of legitimacy to people who would otherwise be bereft of credibility", which it says is what had happened.