Despite high stress levels across the profession and the widespread practise of going into work when sick, new research published by the Law Society has claimed that solicitors are in better general health than the general population.

Reported instances of bullying and harassment at the Bar have increased in recent years, according to a survey of barristers’ working lives by the Bar Council.

Slaughter and May's latest pay review has cut the firm's trainee bonuses and frozen its associate salaries, while bonuses for support staff will remain the same as last year.

The Legal Aid Agency has been criticised for adding to funding problems which have created “advice deserts” around the UK by setting a maximum £35 case fee for immigration telephone advisers.

Lawyers and litigants have been told to address judges in court or at hearings simply as ‘judge’, instead of ‘sir’ or ‘madam’ as part of new guidance.

Barristers' clerks are keen to be regulated and, by extension, recognised as a profession in their own right.

Companies must comply with equal pay law as new rules force those in breach of legislation to evaluate pay structure to prevent further violations.

Fifth Day, a pro bono scheme for non-lawyers in the legal sector, was launched earlier this week – it aims to encourage law firms to offer volunteering opportunities to non-fee earning staff. 

There are four main types of university degree – arts, sciences, languages and business – and each trains students in a set of skills which are highly transferable to law.

DWF has been named one of The Times Top 50 Employers For Women for the second consecutive year.

Well, the Panama Papers make for a revealing read - not that you have to actually read all 11 million of them, just digest what the papers are saying about them. For the tax-avoiding rich and powerful, it’s a nail-biting time as the world gets to see exactly how they hide their millions away. Read on for this and other enlightening business news from the past week: 

Leading legal lender VFS Legal has gone into administration, leaving law firms at a loss for financing.

Changes sweeping the legal profession will mean that a third of the current top 300 UK firms will no longer exist by 2022 unless firms become more competitive and transparent on the price of services, a law firm finance expert has forecasted. 

Universities and law schools are providing similar law degree courses instead of making the most of their freedom to design a range of options for students to choose from, a new report has claimed.

A report by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has argued that the UK legal market should address its over-capacity by cutting 5% of solicitor jobs.

The College of Law's new two-year LLB, which focuses on boosting students' employment prospects and professional skills, will launch this autumn at the CoL's Birmingham, Chester, Guildford and London Bloomsbury centres.

As Black Friday looms (and the proponents of Civilised Saturday attempt to provide an alternative), retailers will be hoping for some big spending, especially in light of news that sales on the UK high street in October were significantly down.

At the recent CILEx awards, honouring excellence in study, practice and practical training, Bond Dickinson won the award for CILEx Employer of the Year Award in relation to its apprenticeship programme.

The London Borough of Hillingdon has appointed four school leavers as legal assistant apprentices in its legal services department.