How are the positions of construction industry clients, contractors and subcontractors secured?

News of the Sainsbury’s and Asda merger has sent shockwaves through the supermarket sector this week. Designed to fight the pre-eminence of the giant Tesco, as well as helping to see off the Lidl/Aldi success stories, the merger would create a company with 330,000 staff and an annual revenue of around £51 billion. Both supermarkets have vowed that no jobs will be lost, nor stores closed, but MPs have raised concerned about the negative effect on suppliers. For other commercial news, read on.

We’ll keep it short this week as many of you are completing vacation scheme or pupillage applications. Commercial awareness is a key attribute that you must demonstrate in your applications as recruiters want to see that you have a knowledge of what is going on in the business industry, and how key issues might affect the law and the businesses that operate within it.

Climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion will conclude their fortnight of creative disruption this afternoon, but not before several protestors glued themselves to the entrance of the London Stock Exchange. Fortunately, law students don’t need to take such drastic measures in order to improve their commercial awareness – just take a look at our round-up of this week’s business news stories.

Salary (49.55%) and work/life balance (48.65%) were rated as the most important factors that candidates are looking for in their future legal employer in LawCareers.Net’s user survey. 

High-performing student Saida Hidari has received “life-changing” funding from the Fraud Lawyers Association (FLA) to support her studies at the University of Salford.

In this LCN Says, we speak to Sally Glarvey, head of DE&I and wellbeing at Gowling WLG (UK) LLP, about how the firm prioritises the wellbeing of its employees. Read on for Sally’s insights into why wellbeing is so important to the firm, the programmes and initiatives in place to support wellbeing at Gowling WLG, and more.

How can borrowers in finance transactions best protect themselves?

As the UK awaits Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s update in today’s daily briefing on whether there will be any changes to the social distancing measures currently in place, here’s a short round-up of how the outbreak continues to affect the business and legal worlds, among other news.   

The president of The University of Law, Nigel Savage, is due to step down from his full-time position at the helm of the legal course provider as of 1 April 2014, after 18 years managing the institution.

Working in around 90 countries, Save the Children seeks to protect children’s rights and lives by facilitating development programmes and providing emergency relief in the UK and around the world.

Save Justice UK is asking as many people as possible to sign postcards protesting against the government's plans to cut legal aid, before delivering them to deputy prime minister Nick Clegg in an attention grabbing media stunt.

A national fund designed to boost social mobility within the legal profession, address the recruitment and retention crisis, and ultimately improve access to justice has been launched. 

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has enrolled nine scholarship winners onto the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) – a new approach to on-the-job training which CILEX launched in 2021. 

Scottish law firm Biggart Baillie has been tasked with advising administrators from Duff & Phelps regarding the case of Glasgow Rangers Football Club, which went into administration on 14 February.