Reed Smith and Mayer Brown joined Aspiring Solicitors at an event discussing how to increase awareness and understanding of disabilities in the legal profession earlier this month.

Stronger Together is a network designed to “promote racial diversity, inclusion and equality” in Leeds’ professional services sector, while identifying ways to create a more diverse and inclusive sector in the city.

Senior associates are reportedly the least satisfied cohort of fee earners at UK law firms, according to a recent Leading Teams report.  

Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance has introduced a "CV blind policy" in the final recruitment stage of its trainee selection process.

The government has rejected calls from lawyers and firms to lower employment tribunal fees, which have caused a huge drop in the number of employment tribunal cases being brought since their introduction in 2013. 

Phew, what a week. If you’re tired of seeing Donald Trump and his entire extended family having a jolly time being entertained by the royals, then you’ve come to the right place.

A scholarship programme for Black law graduates which aims to provide work experience required to secure solicitor roles, funding for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam and a practical way to “move forward with diversity in the profession” has been launched by Accutrainee.

It’s the calm between the storms Ciara and Dennis, but all is not quite peaceful in the world. Take a read of our commercial news story summaries to find out which issues are affecting the business and legal worlds this week.

Candidates undergoing qualifying work experience (QWE) must be paid the same as those completing a training contract, the Law Society has recommended.

Economists’ ideal market – known as ‘perfect competition’ – would operate something like a large town square full of fruit and vegetable stalls. Prices would be clearly visible to consumers and one stall’s products would be very similar to the next, making it unlikely that one seller would set a higher price than their neighbour.

As National Apprenticeship Week 2018 launches, Browne Jacobson – one of the profession’s earliest adopters of legal apprenticeships – has announced plans to add to its stable of apprenticeship programmes. Over 100 new positions will be offered across the firm’s various offices in two new schemes, with a commitment to invest 100% of its apprenticeship levy into the new programmes.

The flurry of riot-related prosecutions following violent disorder across parts of the UK in recent weeks will cause further delays in other cases, the head of the criminal justice inspectorate has warned.

UK judges will now use preferred pronouns as a “common courtesy” in cases that involve transgender people.

Chief executive of the Legal Services Board (LSB), Matthew Hill, talked about diversity during a plenary session at the Law Society’s Junior Solicitors Network summit, stating that diversity at partnership level at the biggest law firms “ought to be a national scandal”.

A woman who alleges that she was raped and sexually assaulted by her ex-husband has been left alone in court without legal representation or support to face her alleged abuser, in another distressing example of the crisis in the justice system caused by cuts to legal aid funding.  

The government has given ground to striking barristers with an offer of £15 million to address the crisis in the criminal justice system.

Law centres have been granted permission to challenge the Ministry of Justice in the High Court over changes to housing possession court duty schemes, which provide on-the-day advice and advocacy services to people facing eviction.

The vast majority of barristers are opposed to withdrawing the United Kingdom from the European Convention on Human Rights in favour of creating a separate UK bill of rights, a survey commissioned by the Times has found.