The Legal Services Board (LSB) has announced plans to “step up” its oversight of legal regulators and implement formal action against those it deems to be underperforming.

Brexit has this week been interwoven with the appointment of a new prime minister and a major cabinet reshuffle, including a new chancellor of the exchequer. 

Top of the list in terms of business news this week was the collapse of BHS - the biggest and most visible loss to the high street since Woolworths went under in 2008.

Devonshires has maintained 100% of its newly qualified solicitors for the fourth consecutive year, across its offices in London and Leeds.

Bond Dickinson LLP has won the ‘Newcomer Large Employer of the Year’ award at the National Apprenticeship Awards for its ground-breaking efforts in the legal apprenticeship space.

In all the apocalyptic, post-Brexit scenarios, no one was likely to have predicted the worst outcome of all – a lack of Marmite in some parts of the United Kingdom.

The legal sector is ranked as the 13th industry most exposed to ransomware attacks, according to data collected by file encryption service NordLocker. 

Top regional firms Coffin Mew and Charles Lucas & Marshall have announced their impending merger. 

The four-day weekend looms and while it’s hard to imagine doing anything much other than gorging on chocolate and hot cross buns, it’s also an opportunity to catch up on some light reading. 

Here we are on another Super Thursday (ie, when several key economic announcements are made on the same day) and everyone is watching the Bank of England nervously to see if it will drop interest rates – the first time since 2009.

The backlog in Crown court cases has started to stabilise at 58,000 cases.

International legal business DWF Group Plc has opened its fourth office in Germany through the recruitment of the entire Düsseldorf office of Marccus Partners.

Becoming a barrister gives you the chance to embark on one of the most stimulating, varied and exciting careers that there is.

Leading national firm Penningtons Manches and shipping specialist Thomas Cooper have agreed to merge, the firms have announced.

More fallout from the leaked Panama Papers this week, as businesses and individuals scramble to distance themselves from the scandal (Bill Gates has said he’s more surprised by who’s NOT on the list). 

Slaughter and May is the first magic circle firm to announce its 2020 partner promotions, with eight new partners appointed – two of whom are women.

Plans for a new ‘super exam’ for all qualifying solicitors have been approved by the Legal Services Board, meaning that the Solicitors Qualifying Exam is now certain to go ahead in some form.

Following on from its stage one pilot of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, the Solicitors Regulation Authority is looking for candidates to take part in a trial run of SQE stage two in December.

Reed Smith has revealed plans to make redundancies at its London office, referencing the “prolonged economic uncertainty” caused by the pandemic.

Pay cuts, shorter weeks and furloughing will also be implemented.