City firms Nabarro and Simmons & Simmons have both won national recognition for the quality of their work experience and internship schemes at the National Council for Work Experience 2012 awards.

Careers advice provider Ultimate Law Guide is holding a one-day conference on 11 July, designed to help trainees and students learn more about the "radically changing profession" they hope to join and the skills they need to succeed.

Thursday’s here again and it’s time to devote a bit of effort to learning what the big business stories of the past week were; read on for a selection.

Metro Bank has launched a professional studies loan scheme for postgraduate students, available initially only to students at the University of Law.

Leading South East firm Cripps and London firm Pemberton Greenish will merge on 1 December to create a leading practice focusing on real estate, private wealth and growing businesses. The merged firm will be ranked in the top 70 of UK law firms with revenues of c£45 million and create a firm of 465 people, including 66 partners.

High numbers of female lawyers feel that the profession must undergo serious cultural change in order to increase the representation of women in partnership positions and stop female lawyers from deserting law altogether, a survey has revealed.

Public-spirited lawyers undertaking long, complex cases for free are the only people filling the “gaping holes in the fabric of legal aid”, a High Court judge has said.

Two Birmingham City University students beat a team from the University of Bedfordshire in the third round of the English Speaking Union's National Mooting Competition last week.

The Stobart Group, famous for its trucks, has been granted an alternative business structure licence to set up a firm of solicitors.

The Bar Council is this week hosting the Bar Placement Scheme in conjunction with the Social Mobility Foundation.

Norton Rose has announced an impending merger with US firm Fulbright & Jaworski, which is set to be completed on 1 June 2013.

Justice secretary Chris Grayling has lauded the UK legal profession and the value of City law firms to the country's economy.

The Co-operative Group has bought up the Sheffield-based Collective Legal Solution Group – the retailer’s first legal acquisition since launching its legal services offering in 2012, when the Co-Op became the joint-first organisation to gain an alternative business structure license.

The Legal Education Foundation has announced the appointment of two new governors, while confirming that its latest round of grants total over £500,000.

With just a week to go until the general election, the news cycle is dominated by politically linked stories, many of which also have a business/economic slant.

For the second year in a row, The College of Law and the International Bar Association are offering scholarships towards fees for the full-time LLM in International Legal Practice, which runs at CoL's Moorgate and Manchester centres.

Norton Rose Fulbright has announced its partnership with the Financial and Legal Skills Partnership through the 'Get In Get On' initiative.

The Bar Council has partnered with tech company Spot to launch an anti-harassment and bullying tool for barristers to anonymously report inappropriate behaviour.

This is the first in a weekly series of news digests, collecting together some of the key business stories that you should keep an eye on for two important reasons.

The GDL is only the first stepping stone on the way to becoming a lawyer for non-law graduates.