Here’s our last round-up of 2023, covering plans to tackle spiking, a possible merger, Swiss business and 2023 awards. We’ve got it all, especially for you. 

LawCareersNetLIVE application season is here (apply now).

Climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion will conclude their fortnight of creative disruption this afternoon, but not before several protestors glued themselves to the entrance of the London Stock Exchange. Fortunately, law students don’t need to take such drastic measures in order to improve their commercial awareness – just take a look at our round-up of this week’s business news stories.

A survey of pupils has revealed that students still feel the course is too expensive, despite the average cost per student dropping by £4,700 in 2022, compared to 2019 (amount adjusted for inflation).

The attorney general, Dominic Grieve QC MP, once again hosted the annual LawWorks & Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards at the House of Commons.

Students never stop asking us what they can do to improve their commercial awareness, and aside from reading the weekly Commercial Questions written by top firms, the next best thing you can do is to learn about the business news stories being reported each week. Read on for a short summary of just that.

Applications are now open for LawCareers.Net’s legal careers conferences, LawCareersNetLIVE, taking place in November and December later this year.

The Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) discussions about reforming barrister training should be made more urgent by its latest statistics report, which shows that over 60% of those who complete the prohibitively expensive Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) never go on to secure pupillage.

Some 55% of all barristers’ chambers will go under within six months and 81% will not survive 12 months without financial aid, if current pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic continue, a recent survey by the Bar Council indicates.

LawCareersNet’s commercial news round-up summarises some of the most significant news stories from the previous week to support you as you develop your commercial awareness.

Lawyers in England and Wales are poised to withdraw from criminal legal aid work in a pay dispute, which could severely impact the justice system. The Law Society plans to advise members to "withdraw or scale back" their legal aid services unless the government takes “meaningful action”.

A report on the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) solicitors by The Law Society identified that BAME solicitors earn 25% less on average than their white counterparts.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly popular topic in the legal industry and many firms are beginning to explore its potential applications.

A report by YouGov SixthSense has revealed that students studying in the United Kingdom had a collective debt of almost £20 billion in 2012-13, and are also spending more than their collective incomes.

UK law firm TLT LLP has created a bespoke and innovative Solicitors Qualification Programme (SQE) in collaboration with BPP University Law School. 

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has enrolled nine scholarship winners onto the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) – a new approach to on-the-job training which CILEX launched in 2021. 

The University of Law recently announced the winners of its ‘Real World Questions Essay Competition’ who were awarded prizes including £1,000 cash, a week’s work experience with either Clyde & Co or Co-op and a two-hour session with The University of Law’s director of employability.

Harrow Law Centre, set up in 2010, has taken an unusual step and bid for a criminal legal aid contract and, as such, will now be able to offer greater support to its vulnerable clients.

The University of Law has revealed a portfolio of Solicitors Qualifying Exam preparation courses, with details on course fees due to be announced within the next month.