Spring may have sprung, but that is no reason to neglect your commitment to self-improvement and progressing your legal career. This week’s selection is a real mixed-bag of commercial stories that should serve to pique your interest in the business world.

Working class students face disproportionate barriers at university and are dropping out without graduating in increasing numbers, while universities are not doing enough to provide support, new research has revealed.

Both Kennedys and Browne Jacobson have recently welcomed their first batch of legal apprentices, reflecting a trend that is fast gathering momentum.

In the latest LCN Podcast episode, LawCareers.Net’s Bethany Wren (she/her) spoke to ex-lawyer and career coach Helen Pamely about building a long and sustainable career in law. 

Supreme Court Justice Lord Sumption has claimed that the profession's best lawyers did not study law at university.

With news this week that Article 50 will be triggered on 29 March, the reality of what a departure from the European Union will mean for the economy is likely to start firming up. 

International law firm Reed Smith has joined forces with BPP Law School to launch a bespoke MA qualification, to be piloted in September 2012, which integrates the LPC with business learning.

An innovative legal ‘hackathon’ in which computer programmers will compete to find the best solutions to legal technology problems is set to boost efficiency at Hackney Law Centre – and could help law centres nationwide in the longer term.

According to a report in theLaw Gazette, former Bar chairman Nick Green QC has claimed that the rise in paralegals is bringing down the cost of legal advice, as clients realise that paralegals can do many of the same tasks as solicitors and barristers for a fraction of the cost.

Working as a paralegal before securing a training contract is increasingly the norm for thousands of candidates. It’s even possible to qualify as a solicitor by gaining relevant experience as a paralegal, instead of a formal training contract – a route that could become even more popular with the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam and qualifying work experience.

What options do victimised businesses have? 

To become a barrister, students must pass a Bar course at an education provider that's been approved by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). All aspiring barristers must complete a Bar course in order to be ‘called to the Bar’, which enables you to apply for a pupillage. Read LawCareers.Net’s guide to Bar courses to understand what you need to do to reach qualification as a barrister.

This guide breaks down 10 practical training contract interview tips, including what law firms are really looking for and how to stand out.

David O'Donovan talks about the importance of work experience for training contract applications, his work in the renewable energy sector at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (UK) LLP and more in this Meet the Lawyer profile.  

“You don’t look like a solicitor, you’ll never make it.” This is what former President of the Law Society I. Stephanie Boyce was told throughout her journey to becoming a solicitor. Boyce’s story encapsulates the outdated homogeneity concerning what a typical solicitor should ‘look and sound like’.

The College of Law's new two-year LLB, which focuses on boosting students' employment prospects and professional skills, will launch this autumn at the CoL's Birmingham, Chester, Guildford and London Bloomsbury centres.

First-year law students at City University London will learn about the reality of working in the legal profession through the introduction of a compulsory graduate market and employability module.

Members of the legal profession - including Miriam González Durántez and representatives from the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives - attended the government’s latest Inspiring Women campaign event.

Students from Notre Dame Sixth Form College developed key analytical and public speaking skills at a recent mock trial run by BPP Law School in Leeds.

Best in Law, sister publication to LawCareers.Net and The Training Contract & Pupillage Handbook, has recently been published. Now in its 13th year, the magazine is published in conjunction with the LCN Training & Recruitment Awards and remains an essential read for those who really want to stand out from among their peers.