It's been a long year. The pandemic’s impact has caused global unrest, forced uncomfortable changes and injected uncertainty in many. In the legal sector, amidst it all, are junior lawyers fighting for their place in the profession. As we head into the new year, I am recapping 2020 to highlight how we can embrace future challenges alike to covid-19 in the most productive way.

What does it mean to be a solicitor? Am I cut out for the work? Why do I want to be a solicitor rather than a barrister?

Here we are again, another lockdown (in England at least). In order to save lives and prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed by the spread of covid-19, we are being asked to stay inside and not mix with others. 

Here’s our last round-up of 2023, covering plans to tackle spiking, a possible merger, Swiss business and 2023 awards. We’ve got it all, especially for you. 

With 31 December looming, Brexit negotiations ongoing and Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spending review, there’s lots of important news to take in this week. Catch-up below with LCN’s round-up.

The Bar Council hosted a roundtable on tackling violence against women and girls in Merseyside, which discussed the integral role both the criminal and family courts play in resolving violence, and the impact court delays can have on successfully convicting perpetrators.

David Gauke has become the sixth MP to take up the role of justice secretary in as many years, replacing David Lidington after just six months as part of Prime Minister Theresa May’s latest cabinet reshuffle. 

I’m a non-law student qualifying via the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) – do I still need to do a law conversion course?

With the World Health Organisation declaring the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic and coronavirus updates still at the forefront of everyone’s minds – among other news – this week’s commercial round-up looks at the impact that the virus is having on the business and legal world.

As we near the end of another week, the global coronavirus pandemic is still dominating the front pages, twitter feeds and even our own LCN news stories.

Full-service law firm Browne Jacobson LLP has officially launched its REACH (Race, Equality and Cultural Heritage) mentoring programme, offering 20 aspiring Black lawyers the chance to kickstart their career in the legal profession. 

As Parliament prepares itself for a special sitting to decide the future of Brexit next Saturday 19 October, and leaked phone calls report German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying “nein” to the current Johnson deal, cast your minds towards the business world which has faced as much turbulence as the political one recently. 

Magic circle law firm Linklaters has launched a bespoke A-level tutoring programme – Making Links Discovery – with two pillars, one aimed at advancing social mobility and the other on improving racial and ethnic diversity within the profession.

As autumn knocks at the door, we’re sure that you’re all getting excited for crunchy leaves, pumpkin spiced lattes, and Chancellor Philip Hammond’s big reveal of the autumn budget (29 October, people, put it in your diaries!). Here at LCN the autumn term signifies the onset of traversing the country for law fair season.

Not enough has been done to address recruitment and other problems which continue to be barriers to diverse judiciary which reflects the population, the House of Lords Constitution Committee has warned.

Beyond Compliance Limited and Clerksroom launched an anonymous survey last month, which aims to acquire details from prospective pupils regarding their experiences, and offer them the chance to share their thoughts on the training and qualifying processes at the Bar, as well as the current challenges surrounding pupillage. 

The Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) discussions about reforming barrister training should be made more urgent by its latest statistics report, which shows that over 60% of those who complete the prohibitively expensive Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) never go on to secure pupillage.

International law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has announced the launch of a unique international summer placement programme for students taking the double degree in English and French law at Queen Mary University of London and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. 

After announcing that the opening date of the Pupillage Gateway application system would be moved from April to January from 2016 onwards, the Bar Council has now U-turned to say that the current timetable will remain in place (with applications being made in April and offers being sent out in August) until further notice.

The government plans to build 14 new Nightingale courts to tackle outstanding court cases caused by the pandemic, according to a statement from Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland.