The Bars of the UK and Ireland have doubled down on their commitment to the cab bank rule ahead of the Four Jurisdictions Conference in Belfast. 

The government is in consultations to cut a further £220 million from criminal legal aid despite widespread opposition across the legal profession.

Deloitte Legal has entered a strategic partnership with legal AI platform Legora in the UK to accelerate the transformation of legal services. The collaboration, announced on 8 September, aims to reshape how legal teams operate by implementing AI-driven solutions that go beyond task-based productivity gains and into full-service redesign.  

Student volunteers in Bristol have overturned 95% of the decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in their area regarding 200 claimants who had wrongfully been ruled ‘fit for work’.

The Law Society of England and Wales has expressed its support for the House of Commons Justice Committee’s call for urgent reform, following its recent report, which stated that the county court needs “urgent attention”.

International law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) has announced the introduction of three new social mobility benefits for trainee hires and vacation scheme students in response to the rising cost of living and inflation. 

The government’s attempt to introduce a discriminatory residence test for legal aid claimants, which sought to limit the availability of services for people born outside the United Kingdom, but living here for "one year or more", has been unanimously thrown out by the Supreme Court.

Nineteen leading law firms have signed up to ‘the social mobility pledge’, an initiative aimed at tackling the depressing lack of upward social mobility in British society.

The Next 100 Years has launched an annual lecture series, Heilbron Lectures, named after Rose Heilbron QC – the first female senior judge and joint first female Queen’s Counsel (QC). The series of annual lectures will promote rising female legal experts and balance out the current male-dominated lecture format.

The president of the Supreme Court and the chair of the Bar have both warned that cuts to legal aid must be reversed to some extent if the justice system is to function properly and the public are to be able to access their legal rights. 

Amid the building excitement around Halloween, don’t get so entirely caught up with how to be the most convincing zombie at the party that you forget what October is really all about – preparing to meet future employers at law fairs and wow them with your commerciality. To keep you on track, cast a (cycloptic) eye over this collection of (not very) ghoulish stories.

The College of Law has announced 100 new awards of up to £3,000 toward course fees for students with top academic credentials.

Law firms will be required to publish set fees for legal services including wills, conveyancing and divorce under new Solicitors Regulation Authority proposals.  

What do the government’s new consumer rights reforms mean for businesses?

Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau LLP has expanded its footprint in Edinburgh to accommodate its “rapidly growing team”. 

On 7 February 2019 the Ministry of Justice released its long-awaited review of the controversial Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, which promises an extra £6.5 million to counteract the cuts and admits some of LASPO’s failures.

Dentons, Mishcon de Reya LLP and Stevens & Bolton LLP have all revealed revenue growth for the 2023/24 financial year.

The Government Legal Department has revealed its plans to adopt the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), following its introduction in September 2021.