Herbert Smith Freehills has launched its first ever Community Engagement Awards, designed to showcase the best social projects led by students in India. 

Another week, another bumper crop of commercial news to consider. If your ultimate plan is to succeed as a legal professional, an interest in the business world – and the world generally – is a must. As everyone digests the news that the Bank of England is again leaving interest rates where they are (with the Guardian reporting that some analysts have called Mark Carney an “unreliable boyfriend” due to his habit of changing his mind), here is a selection of other stories for your edification.

Organisations from across the legal sector, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority will once again be attending the Birmingham and London Pride festivals in a show of support for and celebration of the LGBT community.

Held on Saturday 9 April, the biennial Minority Lawyers Conference brought together high-profile speakers to celebrate the achievements of black and Asian lawyers, and highlight the issues facing the profession in a year of both challenge and opportunity.

The government has asked victims of the Windrush scandal to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in return for fast-tracking their compensation claims, in the latest high-profile example of the controversial practice.

Tens of thousands of lawyers nationwide took part in walks to raise vital funding for free legal services this month, culminating in the London Legal Walk 2018 in which 12,000 people participated.

People from minority ethnic backgrounds still “face bias, including overt discrimination” in the UK criminal justice system, according to a highly critical report produced by Labour MP David Lammy at the request of the prime minister. 

More than a quarter (27%) of small and medium (SME) law firms haven’t adopted the Solicitor’s Qualifying Exam (SQE) yet, according to new research.

The legal sector’s mental health charity LawCare has launched its new Life in the Law 2025 surveys, which look at mental health and wellbeing in the legal profession. 

The University of Hertfordshire has suspended its Legal Practice Course (LPC) in response to the proposed changes to legal education and training currently being considered by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), but other leading universities have said that they intend to stick with the LPC despite ongoing uncertainty.  

Students from Northumbria University's award-winning Student Law Office recently had the chance to meet Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC MP as he visited the university and LawWorks' regional offices.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has fined eight law firms for breaching transparency rules and one firm for failing to publish diversity data. 

The University of Law (ULaw) and leading law firm White & Case LLP have agreed an exclusive partnership, in which ULaw will deliver training and development to the firm’s future trainees to prepare them for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and legal practice. 

The Solicitors’ Charity has appointed I. Stephanie Boyce as chair elect, from March 2026, and as a member of the board of trustees.

Some 12 City firms have been named among this year’s top 100 LGBT-friendly employers by leading equality charity Stonewall. 

Global law firm White & Case LLP has announced a firm-wide rollout of Legora’s AI platform for legal professionals across its 43 offices in 29 countries. The strategic partnership will see the firm make the most of Legora’s capabilities and solutions to enhance legal workflows and support complex matters across its global practices.

Responding to the latest coronavirus update, The University of Law has suspended face-to-face teaching and postponed assessments for a month, with thousands of law students affected. Learning and teaching will be moved online where possible.