The government’s plans to cut legal aid for people accused of crimes have been put on hold while the Court of Appeal considers a challenge from The Law Society, the Criminal Law Solicitors Association and the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association.

A £1 billion court modernisation programme aims to save £250 million a year and cut thousands of jobs, consultation papers sent to judges and magistrates have revealed.

MPs have sharply criticised the government’s courts modernisation programme because it “risks excluding the most vulnerable in our society from access to justice,” and called for a halt in the process of court closures.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board are responsible for prescribing the training requirements needed to qualify as a solicitor or a barrister in England and Wales.

The cost of taking the Bar Professional Training Course has been increased by almost every course provider this year.

How will the implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's new costs management rules affect litigation cases?

Let’s face it, long drawn-out job applications can be a drag! Particularly training contract applications where there are multiple stages to go through.

Research and writing skills tests could no longer be included in stage one of the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), with the Solicitors Regulation Authority suggesting that law firms could instead pay for potential trainees to take these tests separately.

The route into the legal profession is set to undergo a significant transformation following the introduction of the Costs Lawyer Professional Qualification, which offers an alternative pathway into law for graduates and non-graduates alike.  

Browne Jacobson LLP and the Governmental Legal Department are among the 16 organisations that have come together to develop a new Level 6 legal apprenticeship – the costs lawyer apprenticeship. 

Axiom Ince has been shut down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) following allegations of financial misappropriation – a closure that could end up being the most expensive SRA intervention in history.

Who foots the bill for industrial incidents like the Buncefield explosion in 2005?

It’s a tale of many takeovers this week, as you’ll see from below. Read on to discover more about the machinations related to buying and selling companies – as well as news that TSB is in an IT-related pickle.

New research by employee benefits technology provider Zest showed employees in the UK legal sector were leading calls for greater financial support, with private medical insurance the most in-demand benefit among law firm employees.

What is the true cost of free trade?

What are the implications of the Bribery Act 2010 for corporates with a presence in the United Kingdom?

Access to justice is invaluable, but at what price?

It has come to our attention that there is an error in The Training Contract & Pupillage Handbook 2013 in the entry for Francis Taylor Building.