Hogan Lovells has teamed up with three universities to launch a £150,000 bursary scheme to help law undergraduates through their studies.

A new law firm has been launched entirely dedicated to the protection of animal rights. Advocates for Animals, which is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, plans to work for charities and non-governmental organisations and is already supported by the legal charity, the UK Centre of Animal Law.

Global law firm Reed Smith has launched a new programme, Wellness Works, to support the wellbeing of its employees. 

Olympic rowing gold medallist Katherine Grainger CBE will be joining 6,000 members of the legal profession for next month’s London Legal Walk to raise money for the free legal advice sector.

How will the recent amendments to the upcoming Employment Rights Bill help to better protect employees?

The Co-operative Group's announcement of its intentions to create 3,000 jobs in the legal sector is the latest and clearest sign that alternative business structures are set to have a big impact on the legal profession.

The new centralised ‘super exam’ for qualifying solicitors which will replace the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course (LPC) does not amount to a “robust and effective measure of competence” and may end up costing students more than the current system, the University of Law has said.

The majority of courses are delivered in two stages. 

The Law Society of England and Wales updated its official guidance on diversity and inclusion language, encouraging the use of alternatives to ‘Dear Sirs’ at the start of legal correspondence – a greeting often used when a recipient’s name is unknown. This use is widely regarded as antiquated, originating from a time when the profession was predominantly male. The Law Society stated: “This gendered greeting perpetuates the assumption that the recipients of correspondence are by default men”.

How are the positions of construction industry clients, contractors and subcontractors secured?

Plans to stop McKenzie Friends from being able to recover fees from members of the public following successful court action have received the support of the Law Society and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.