In what ways will AI impact the legal profession? For many years, there have been growing concerns that the increasing use and development of AI technology would eventually turf out and replace human lawyers. 

The University of Law (ULaw) has agreed a new partnership with leading firm Muckle LLP, which will see ULaw become the exclusive Solicitors Qualifying Exam training provider for the firm’s future trainees from September 2023. 

Spring may have sprung, but that is no reason to neglect your commitment to self-improvement and progressing your legal career. This week’s selection is a real mixed-bag of commercial stories that should serve to pique your interest in the business world.

Research undertaken jointly by the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Law Society, the Bar Council and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has found that members perceive nearly all aspects of judicial office as increasingly appealing.

The University of Law (ULaw) and international law firm Taylor Wessing have revealed an exclusive partnership, which will see ULaw deliver its postgraduate courses with the firm.

Legal Aid Minister Shailesh Vara has told the All Party Parliamentary Group on Legal and Constitutional Affairs that the planned £220 million legal aid cuts will not reduce the quality of lawyers operating in the field.

The new Bar training rules require that those who commenced training for the Bar from 2020 take a Bar Standards Board (BSB) exam in Professional Ethics if, after their vocational training, they then go on to pupillage.  

Kaplan has been appointed to run the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam, but students, law firms and academics have still received no information on what the assessment will cost.

The Law Society has made called on the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to urgently provide more clarity on the regulations that will govern the new ‘super exam’ for qualifying solicitors. 

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced that it will trial running the first part of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) – SQE1 – in Welsh.  

What better way to round off the week than with a few topical business news stories, collated with the intention of getting you to think about the broader commercial issues that law firms’ clients may be grappling with. No, no – you don’t have to thank us.

The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education have jointly announced that the apprenticeship standards for the Trailblazers in Law initiative have been approved.

Commerciality is an important part of being a successful lawyer, but law firms won’t expect you to be a fully formed, business guru when you arrive as trainee – they appreciate it takes years to develop. However, what they will expect is that you have started to gain some understanding of what is required to advise your clients in a business-appropriate way. The best place to start is by keeping up with big business news stories of the day; examples to follow.

Irwin Mitchell's partnership with The College of Law and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has won the education and training initiative of the year prize at this year's British Legal Awards.

We’re pleased to be recruiting for our next cohort of solicitor apprentices across our four offices in the UK – Birmingham, Exeter, London and Manchester. Not only will you be able to find a more accessible path into law, you’ll be earning while you learn in a top 50 law firm.

We’re pleased to be recruiting for our next cohort of solicitor apprentices across our four offices in the UK – Birmingham, Exeter, London and Manchester. Not only will you be able to find a more accessible path into law, you’ll be earning while you learn in a top 50 law firm.

City lawyers have “very poor” knowledge of the Solicitors Regulation Authority Handbook, according to the findings of a leading legal academic.

The UK will not be a member of Europe’s planned Unified Patent Court, the government has confirmed in what intellectual property (IP) specialists have described as a blow to the industry.

The government is investigating concerns about the quality and accountability of decisions made by algorithms, including the risk that automated decision-making software used by police forces could emulate human biases such as racial prejudice.