To coincide with Black History Month, the Law Society is holding a series of events at Chancery Lane in celebration of the achievements of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) lawyers.

LawCareersNet is again on the hunt to discover the best law lecturer from institutions across the country. We want to know which law lecturer goes the extra mile to make his/her subject understood and inspires you with fantastic teaching.

US firms Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP and Locke Lord have signed a Letter of Intent to combine their two firms, although the proposal is subject to further negotiations and partner approval.

City firm and veritable fairy godmother Linklaters has launched a new competition called Aspire which allows entrants to select their own prize.

As reported in Legal Week, Norton Rose has joined forces with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity in order to encourage more black and ethnic minority individuals to sign up for its summer vacation scheme.

Full-service firm Howard Kennedy has made the University of Law the exclusive provider of the Legal Practice Course to the firm’s future trainees. 

Linklaters has launched a tailored training contract for Mandarin speakers whereby candidates are trained in London before moving to practise in China upon qualification.

As reported in the Law Gazette, Director of Public Prosecutions Kier Starmer has vowed that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will become entirely paperless by April 2012.

Professor Nigel Savage, who oversaw the transition of The University of Law to gaining full university status, was awarded an honorary doctorate at the recent University of Law graduation ceremony.

The Legal Education and Training Review could be outdated before it is published, University of Law chief executive Nigel Savage has warned.

New rules come into force on 1 July 2014, ensuring that every member of a chambers’ selection panel must have received training on fair recruitment processes.

More fallout from the leaked Panama Papers this week, as businesses and individuals scramble to distance themselves from the scandal (Bill Gates has said he’s more surprised by who’s NOT on the list). 

With CityLawLIVE happening tomorrow, and the LC.N team scurrying around trying to connect would-be City lawyers with actual City lawyers, we’re rounding up our commercial news a day early this week.

Applications are now open for places on the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme, which provides financial support for the Legal Practice Course (LPC), as well as access to work experience opportunities and mentoring.

The pay war between law firms continues this month, with newly qualified lawyer salaries at Ropes & Gray increasing to £147,000, plus bonuses.

The government has announced a 5% budget increase for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and an extra £80 million for the Crown Prosecution Service, but lawyers see the increases as nowhere near sufficient to deal with problems in the justice system.

BPP Law School in Leeds recently hosted a launch event for the city’s new legal apprenticeship scheme.

The lord chief justice has called for an independent investigation into the effects of the Legal Services Act 2007, and why increased competition has not led to a reduction in fees.

International law firm has launched a new paralegal apprenticeship scheme, with the University of Law set to deliver the study side of the programme. 

The 11 awardees of this year’s Law Society Diversity Access Scheme (DAS) have been announced.