The government's legal aid bill has suffered a third defeat in the House of Lords.

Prominent in-house appointments have made the news this month, with Royal Dutch Shell naming Donny Ching as its new legal director and HSBC Holdings hiring Shawn Chen to lead its global litigation and regulatory affairs group.

Are you up to date with this week’s commercial news? NatWest announces its purchase of Sainsbury’s Bank, Just Stop Oil targets Taylor Swift and Stonehenge, economists predict that interest rates will hold and Amazon’s Coventry warehouse takes steps towards unionisation. Read this week’s commercial news round-up to find out more. 

Are you up to date with this week’s commercial news? Nike has postponed its investor meeting following a revenue drop and the Bank of England (BoE) governor has stated that further interest rate cuts could be on the cards. Meanwhile, UK house sales have risen at the fastest rate since lockdown and the number of complaints against water companies has increased. Read on to discover more!

Communities secretary Sajid Javid has promised new legislation to outlaw unfair and abusive practices within the leasehold system, including a ban on leaseholds for almost all new-build houses. 

Field Fisher Waterhouse has welcomed its first five recruits to the firm's Step2Success programme, a scheme for school leavers who want careers in the legal profession.

The well-established, and former Lincoln’s Inn set, Hardwicke Chambers will now be referred to as Gatehouse Chambers after the name change became official on 19 July 2021. 

The BBC is opening applications for three in-house training contracts at the beginning of March.

As teachers across the country prepare to welcome back students into the classroom for the first time since March, there are a number of other important updates for you to catch up on in this week’s commercial news round-up.

The 'Help to Buy' scheme: who may pay the price?

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.

In this brand-new LCN Podcast episode, LawCareers.Net’s Bethany Wren (she/her) is in conversation with Iko Onuh and Beth Harland, trainee solicitors at Brighton and Hove Council, as they discuss what it’s like to train in-house at a local council.

US law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has launched an in-house pupillage scheme.

US President Donald Trump said the US is exploring a potential Greenland deal after talks with Nato. Meanwhile, the House of Lords has backed a proposed social media ban for teenager, experts have questioned plans to reshape the Competition and Markets Authority, and the government has unveiled a major green-tech scheme as part of its £15 billion Warm Home plan.

This week’s round-up is full of energy… literally. From the UK’s wind farms to the energy price cap falling, there’s lots for you to get stuck into in this regard. Plus, read the latest from streaming giant Netflix and social media mogul Meta. 

From American sub-prime to private equity houses: how has the 'credit crunch' affected the private equity market?

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been urged to revaluate its conclusions of a review it made of the in-house sector, with the regulator being criticised for “understating” the severity and risks faced by general counsel.  

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

In-house lawyers are turning to AI as dissatisfaction with the current law firm model grows, according to a recent survey by intelligent contracting platform Juro.