The role of the Inns of Court in the education and training of aspiring barristers has been strongly defended by the Bar Council after it was revealed that joining an inn could be no longer compulsory under Bar Standards Board (BSB) plans to overhaul the training of barristers.

Leading commercial firm DAC Beachcroft has launched an “in-house chambers”, with plans for it to become “the biggest model of its kind” by the end of the year, according to Sahar Farooqi, one of the two barrister partners leading the project.

Magic circle law firm Linklaters has announced a partnership with education and training provider BARBRI Global to prepare overseas-qualified lawyers for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).

Nearly 20% fewer Bar Professional Training Course students had completed the course in 2019/20 as of May 2021, compared with the 2018/19 cohort, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) reported in July – an additional 2.5% had withdrawn from the course at this stage. 

Now in its fourth year, the Legal Social Mobility Programme (LSMP) has increased its reach to 300 students from non-privileged backgrounds across seven towns and cities, broadening their access to the legal profession and developing their career aspirations.

The government has announced a £12.5 million funding boost for the family court pilot scheme ‘Pathfinder’, which has been welcomed by the Law Society of England and Wales. 

The legal profession’s annual celebration of the important work done in the pro bono sphere has launched, as National Pro Bono Week begins today and runs until 6 November. Events during the week highlight the contribution of lawyers engaged in pro bono and raise awareness of pro bono opportunities and issues.

CEO of Obelisk Support and founder of The First 100 Years and Next 100 Years campaigns Dana Denis-Smith has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List for her services to women in law. 

Two international law firms have reported increased profits, and several other firms saw revenues rise as the 2024/25 financial reporting season begins.

The new legal training organisation Accutrainee expects to see its first cohort of aspiring lawyers embark on their training contracts in the next few months.

City firms Ashurst, Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith Freehills, Slaughter and May, and Travers Smith have teamed up with 34 recruitment agencies to launch the ‘Recruitment Agency Race Fairness Commitment’ in an effort to improve racial diversity in the legal profession.

A US judge has fined two lawyers for submitting fake citations generated by ChatGPT in a court filing.  

International firm Ropes & Gray has launched a new contextual, CV-blind trainee recruitment process aimed at reducing unconscious bias to ensure that all applicants are assessed on their merits, not their backgrounds.

Brexit has been causing all sorts of bother this week, with several high-profile companies’ announcements revealing just how worried they are about the future of business in the UK. No-one knows exactly what might happen after Britain leaves the EU, but it’s certainly a good idea to keep your finger on the pulse of how the business world is reacting, and what concerns firms might have about how Brexit will affect their business. 

US firm Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP has reinforced its London bankruptcy team in anticipation of the cost-of-living crisis.

A study analysing cases before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) over two decades, has explored whether women make more ethical lawyers than their male counterparts.

Is it true that the most valuable asset of many businesses is their brand? If so, how are such brands protected?

According to recent research into Twitter use by the top 50 UK law firms, those that have corporate accounts but fail to use them effectively could be "damaging their brand".