The country's law firms are beginning to show signs of growth after fee incomes dropped by 6.5% in 2009, according to research from the Law Society's Management Section.

Clifford Chance and Baker McKenzie are among the top law firms raising funds to support India through its covid-19 crisis.

Clifford Chance and Irwin Mitchell are the latest firms to reveal their gender and ethnicity pay gap figures, with both reporting a decreased gap compared to previous years.

An innovative partnership between leading law firms, barristers’ chambers and the University of Manchester is developing the field of lawtech with plans to introduce a new, specialist qualification that sets the skills standard for lawyers working with legal technology.

Several top law firms have signed up to a London-based hybrid internship scheme that offers the chance to gain a rounded introduction to commercial property.

City law firm Addleshaw Goddard is set to move to the heart of London’s square mile having signed a 15-year lease on a new office opposite the Bank of England. 

Recent research suggests that nearly half of the top 200 UK law firms have won business directly through social media engagement, though fewer than a quarter of these have so far integrated social media into their marketing strategies.

LGBT rights charity Stonewall has named nine City law firms as top employers for their commitment to employment equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans staff. The law firms make up more than half of the total shortlist, which named 17 organisations in total.

Many law firms have produced "horrendous" applications for smartphones, while others are still operating websites which are incompatible with mobile devices, according to a report by notable business consultant Kim Tasso.

Browne Jacobson LLP, Linklaters LLP and Allen & Overy LLP are among 41 law firms on the 2023 Social Mobility Employer Index, with the legal profession retaining its place as the best-represented sector in the index this year. 

Several law firms, including Clifford Chance and Macfarlanes LLP, have launched a leadership-led, cross-firm collective developed to improve the representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the UK legal profession. 

Travers Smith LLP and Linklaters LLP both launch new AI training programmes to boost employee understanding, improve the expertise of their lawyers and keep up with the fast-paced nature of the evolving technology space. 

Global disability network The Valuable 500 has reached its target to get 500 global businesses to add disability inclusion to their business leadership agenda, including several law firms.

More than 20 law firms and five barristers’ chambers have signed up to the #10000blackinterns initiative, alongside the Law Society and Bar Council, with the Law Society urging other firms to get involved.

US law firms Kirkland and Ellis International LLP and Paul Weiss are offering large referral bonuses of £38,000 in a bid to attract the best talent. At Kirkland & Ellis, this is double the incentive from last October.

DAC Beachcroft LLP, Hill Dickinson LLP, Mishcon de Reya LLP and Pinsent Masons LLP have each been named as one of the UK’s top 10 family-friendly employers. 

Legal technology company Litera’s new research report has found that both law firms and departments are embracing new technology, with those that “strategically leverage generative AI’ predicted to “gain a competitive edge in today’s volatile economy”.