Partners at CMS UK, Nabarro and Olswang have voted in favour of a proposal to combine the three firms, creating the sixth largest firm in the world (by number of lawyers) and in the United Kingdom (by revenue). The merger goes live on 1 May 2017.

Labour has announced its spending plans for the justice sector at its annual conference, pledging £74 million to reverse cuts to legal aid and train more community lawyers.

The recruitment of lawyers has reached its highest level since before the covid-19 pandemic forced the country into lockdown, according to new labour market data for England and Wales.

Exclusively UK-based firms typically offer a broad commercial training, emphasising one or two specialist areas; some will also have a private client practice, reflecting longstanding relationships with wealthy individuals and trusts. 

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has approved the alternative business structure licence for Jordans Corporate Law.

The application process for seven social welfare law training contracts, organised through The Legal Education Foundation (TLEF) is currently in full swing.

Lucy Scott-Moncrieff was inaugurated as the new president of the Law Society at its annual general meeting on 5 July.

Much-needed domestic abuse legislation could be lost if the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson goes ahead with his plan to prorogue Parliament so that MPs are unable to influence whether the UK exits the European Union without a withdrawal agreement on 31 October.

More solicitors have been encouraged to contribute their views to the legal education and training review, after a disproportionately low number responded to an online survey.

Samuel Linehan, a criminal law pupil, has won £4,000 in the Bar Council’s Law Reform essay competition with his submission, “Putting the wheels back on: a better approach to compensation for miscarriages of justice”.

The new Level Four Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services is now open for registration.

Legal trainees now have the chance to compete for the Young Lawyers Enterprise Award, sponsored by Netlaw Media and Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

A domestic violence charity has set up its own alternative business structure in a drive to bridge the gap in legal services provision created by cuts to legal aid.

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.

A £1 billion court modernisation programme aims to save £250 million a year and cut thousands of jobs, consultation papers sent to judges and magistrates have revealed.

On Sunday 1 January Mishcon de Reya LLP and Taylor Vinters LLP completed their merger after it was first announced in September 2021. A joint statement confirmed that more than 200 staff joined Mishcon de Reya, including 145 fee-earners and 60 business operations and legal staff as part of the merger.  

London firm Sprecher Grier Halberstam will merge with Birmingham-based Martineau on 1 December in a move that will take the new firm into the top 70 in the United Kingdom, it has been revealed.

Commerciality; as far as law firms are concerned, you can never have too much of it, nor start developing it too early.

Law firms will often stress that their lawyers need to be 'commercially aware'. This phrase often causes confusion as it means different things to different people. However, in essence, it means that commercial lawyers deal with more than just the law.  

Brexit has this week been interwoven with the appointment of a new prime minister and a major cabinet reshuffle, including a new chancellor of the exchequer.