Students and law schools have begun submitting their nominations for the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards 2020.

City practices Linklaters and Addleshaw Goddard have revealed their Spring newly qualified retention rates.

National firm Shoosmiths has announced a major expansion in training contract recruitment and newly qualified solicitor vacancies.

City firms should focus on retaining and developing BAME lawyers to ensure their workforces are diverse and multicultural, in addition to improving recruitment, the diversity network NOTICED has said.

International firm Pinsent Masons has expanded its training relationship with the University of Law to include programmes for its paralegals and legal apprentices.

LawCareers.Net recently conducted its annual survey of users, attempting to find out how our many thousands of readers use the information that is available to them.

We’re keeping the news round-up Brexit-less this week and focusing on commercial issues elsewhere – including the new Britbox online streaming service launched by the BBC and ITV to rival Netflix, and struggling fashion retailers Laura Ashley and Ted Baker.

Birketts LLP, a full-service law firm with office locations across the East of England, London and the South East, eyes plans to develop its international practice by using its City office as a “springboard”. 

Encased in a sleeve of deep cerise, this year's appetizing edition of The Training Contract & Pupillage Handbook is good enough to eat.

Lawyers and sane people have heavily criticised Lord Chancellor Liz Truss after she failed to defend the integrity and independence of the judiciary after three judges were branded “enemies of the people” by the right wing press.

Allen & Overy LLP has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot named Harvey to complete various tasks and save time “at all levels”. 

Earlier in the week the government confirmed that courts will remain open during the latest coronavirus lockdown. The government’s guidelines set out “reasonable excuses” for leaving home, including “to fulfil a legal obligation, such as attending court or jury service”.

The University of Law has announced an exclusive partnership with Royal Holloway, University of London that will see it deliver a number of its postgraduate courses from September 2023. 

Property lawyers are handling 25% fewer cases on average, after monthly property transactions fell 21% year on year, according to data from Search Acumen. 

The Solicitors Regulation Authority should tighten its rules on non-disclosure agreements, MPs have been told.

Thursday’s here again, and although the LCN team is mostly spending all its energy prepping for – and getting excited about – NationalLawLIVE tomorrow and CityLawLIVE next week, there’s still time to devote to learning what the big business stories of the past week were. Read on for our selection.

Plans to introduce online criminal hearings pose “a very real risk of unfair or disproportionate outcomes for the most vulnerable people in our courts,” the Magistrates Association has warned the government in leaked testimony not intended to be seen by the public.

Twelve international City law firms have signed up to help develop a new ‘one-stop shop’ providing artificial intelligence (AI) software to lawyers.

What’s different about today? It no ordinary Thursday – it’s Super Thursday! Which means that the Bank of England is making a decision on interest rates, releasing minutes from its most recent policy-setting meeting and publishing its Quarterly Inflation Report. Follow it live on the Guardian’s live business blog. And don’t forget about these other important business-driven stories from the past week.