Commerciality remains top of many recruiters’ list of ideal traits for their future trainees – where better to develop that skill than with a small collection of topical business news stories, designed to help you to start thinking like a lawyer.

The Black Solicitors Network has identified Shoosmiths as the country's most diverse law firm in its 2011 Diversity League Table.

Andrew Caplen, Law Society president, has increase the pressure for a digital Magna Carta, in order to establish global internet rights and particularly to protect legal privilege from surveillance systems.

Partners at CMS UK, Nabarro and Olswang have voted in favour of a proposal to combine the three firms, creating the sixth largest firm in the world (by number of lawyers) and in the United Kingdom (by revenue). The merger goes live on 1 May 2017.

A group of firms in the North East have teamed up to develop a collaborative approach to promoting legal apprenticeships in schools. Meanwhile, international commercial firm Charles Russell Speechlys has launched its solicitor apprenticeship programme, with two apprentices set to join the firm’s London office in September 2017. 

According to an article in Legal Week, the author of the 2010 report on civil costs reform Lord Justice Jackson has spoken out against the government cuts to legal aid.

The take up of apprenticeships among law firms continued this month with the announcements that Mischon de Reya is to take on two new apprentices at its London office.

Three US law firms are among the top five earning legal practices for UK corporate work, researchers at The Lawyer reveal, stating that the figures demonstrate further “Americanisation” of the UK’s legal market.

The Law Society is calling on the government to save the tax payer millions of pounds by making changes to the wasteful criminal justice system.

The government’s announcement that it could place a time of limit of 28 days for suspects to be held on police bail has been welcomed by the Law Society.

The recruitment of lawyers has reached its highest level since before the covid-19 pandemic forced the country into lockdown, according to new labour market data for England and Wales.

The government’s plans to stop ordinary members of the public from being able to challenge unlawful actions by state bodies through judicial review have been dealt a second defeat in the House of Lords.

City firms have revealed plans to reduce office space, as lawyers forecast remote working to become the new norm.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, LawCare highlights “the critical role of physical activity in managing our mental health”, particularly in the legal industry, which is known for “its long hours, high stress and sedentary lifestyle”. 

Switalskis Solicitors has acquired Atherton Godfrey LLP, a law firm based in Doncaster, creating a business with a turnover of £20 million.

Magic circle law firm Linklaters has partnered with a tech start-up to launch a specialist mental health app.

Clifford Chance and A&O Shearman become the latest magic circle law firms to increase pay for newly qualified (NQ) solicitors to £150,000, after their counterparts announced similar moves in recent weeks. 

The Bar Council has warned that the government's plans to introduce competitive tendering for legal aid contracts and deny defendants the right to choose a lawyer will undermine the UK justice system's good reputation among the international community.