RPC has announced the expansion of its solicitor apprenticeship programme to London. The international law firm will start training solicitor apprentices in its London office from September 2025 with applications for the scheme now open.

Associate Elizabeth Zang explains what life as a cyber and tech lawyer involves, the variety of her work and her advice for aspiring lawyers struggling with training contract rejections. 

If commercial awareness means keeping up with the latest commercial news stories affecting law firms and businesses, then there can be no more timely news than that of the Brexit mayhem currently taking place.

General counsel attendees discussed the benefits of hiring an in-house trainee solicitor at a recent roundtable discussion hosted at the Law Society.

Ropes & Gray announced it will be retaining all its newly qualified (NQ) London-based trainees this month.

William Allen is a solicitor in the private equity and transactions team. He outlines how his work experience prepared him for a career in law and the opportunities he’s got involved in so far at Ropes & Gray.

Maya Shah, early careers specialist at Ropes & Gray, outlines what the firm wants to see from candidates in their applications and at interview, as well how the firm is adopting the SQE and what candidates can expect from the vacation scheme. 

Ropes & Gray International LLP has confirmed that its deadline for training contact applications is now 22 August 2014.

In this LCN Says, we speak to Rona Ankrah from Mayer Brown International LLP about building commercial awareness. Read this article for insights on how you can demonstrate commercial awareness in interviews, how Mayer Brown helps trainees to develop their commercial awareness and how Rona approaches learning about clients’ businesses.

We’re keeping the news round-up Brexit-less this week and focusing on commercial issues elsewhere – including the new Britbox online streaming service launched by the BBC and ITV to rival Netflix, and struggling fashion retailers Laura Ashley and Ted Baker.

The House of Lords constitution committee has launched an inquiry into the centuries-old office of lord chancellor, asking whether it is sufficiently independent of government and whether it should be held by a lawyer.

The University of Roehampton is launching a law school, with plans to recruit its first LLB intake for a 2015 start.

The University of Roehampton today celebrates the official opening of its law school, featuring a keynote speech from Baroness Helena Kennedy QC.

Despite its previous ruling in Roe v Wade, the US Supreme Court has now overturned the ruling, no longer protecting a woman’s right to abortion in the US. This means that many states are not required to make abortion available to women, with many planning to criminalise it yet again.