The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has published the results of its first CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) assessments, with 61% of students passing the first stage. 

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has published the results of its first CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) assessments, with 61% of students passing the first stage. 

Following the latest Solicitors Qualifying Examination assessment in July, data collected by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) demonstrates that there continues to be a significant difference in attainment when looking at candidates’ ethnicity.

National firm Irwin Mitchell is offering free 20-minute consultations to domestic abuse victims until the coronavirus crisis ends. According to the Law Gazette, the firm said it feels “duty bound” to support domestic abuse victims as UK lockdown continues in a bid to slow down the spread of the pandemic.

The final design of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) has been revealed, with the introduction of the new ‘super exam’ in 2021 confirmed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. But despite initial claims that the SQE will help to make a career as a solicitor more accessible, the results of two pilots indicate that the new system will do little to reverse the trend of BAME candidates receiving lower marks than white students.

The Times recently released its Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality list, with the likes of Addleshaw Goddard, TLT LLP, Linklaters LLP and DWF Group Limited, among other law firms, named on the list.

New rules governing how prospective barristers will train and qualify are expected to come into effect in early 2019.

The role of the Inns of Court in the education and training of aspiring barristers has been strongly defended by the Bar Council after it was revealed that joining an inn could be no longer compulsory under Bar Standards Board (BSB) plans to overhaul the training of barristers.

Law firms are locked in a never-ending arms race to attract the top talent. This is because they’re predominately people businesses – the value of a firm’s offering is derived directly from its people and their legal expertise.

What is a tax haven?

The Windrush Legal Initiative, a pro bono advice scheme, has been relaunched in an effort to support more victims of the Windrush immigration scandal. 

The consultation on proposals for a new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) has closed with students, educators and employers now waiting for a final decision and further detail from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), but the plans remain controversial.

The Bar Standards Board has launched its consultation paper on the future training of barristers, and has invited all those with a view on the matter to express their views by 23 December.

A woman who alleges that she was raped and sexually assaulted by her ex-husband has been left alone in court without legal representation or support to face her alleged abuser, in another distressing example of the crisis in the justice system caused by cuts to legal aid funding.  

BPP University Law School and Kennedys have teamed up in relation to the firm’s six new solicitor and 16 new paralegal apprenticeships. Kennedys was among the group of leading firms that helped develop the new trailblazer apprenticeship standards, designed to ensure that students have the required skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the legal services market.

The Bar Standards Board will host a debate on the different options for training and qualifying as a barrister set out in its Future Bar Training Consultation. 

For the very first time, the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board have published the Bar Barometer, an annual report on statistical trends within the Bar.