When does a team hire become a crime? It is a question that French firm Fidal is asking after accounting firm KPMG hired 144 of its lawyers in one of the biggest law firm raids in 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 nonexclusive partnership agreement from 2011 until it was broken off in July 2018.