Candidates from working class backgrounds are being locked out of the legal profession, says Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility Foundation and a former cabinet minister.

The SRA is set to begin granting its first alternative business structure licences in early 2012, now that the House of Lords has approved legislation regulating the disclosure of criminal convictions for non-lawyer owners of ABSs.

Lawyers and sane people have heavily criticised Lord Chancellor Liz Truss after she failed to defend the integrity and independence of the judiciary after three judges were branded “enemies of the people” by the right wing press.

As reported in the Telegraph and the Guardian, Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly has handed responsibility for regulating claims management firms to Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke after a conflict of interests was exposed.

New legislation has passed allowing Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) members to apply for a range of senior judicial positions for the first time.

Global law firm Latham & Watkins has surpassed $1 billion in revenue for the first time in London, marking a “record-breaking” year for the firm, according to its chair and managing partner Rich Trobman.

The UK’s status as a global hub for legal services will continue after Brexit, but securing a “bespoke” deal that gives UK and EU lawyers maximum mutual access to each other’s markets is key for future growth, a City lobby group has said.

New research has revealed that almost half of the 85,000 partners and employees working in the top 50 UK law firms are now on LinkedIn, the professional networking site.

Boris Johnson’s landslide general election victory has in the words of the prime minister confirmed Brexit as the “unarguable decision of the British people”, but uncertainty for businesses remains due to questions left open about his withdrawal agreement, City firms have warned.

International law firm Addleshaw Goddard has increased its annual staff bonus pot by £3 million, from £19 million to £22 million. The move follows a reported 17% rise in both revenue and profit for the financial year ending 30 April.

International law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) has launched sector-specific training contracts in real estate and financial services as part of its plan to “increase sector experience for the firm’s future lawyers”. 

Law firms and barristers’ chambers need to improve the diversity of their workforces or face having quotas imposed on them, the Black Solicitors Network has said.

Law firm Simmons & Simmons LLP has reached its target for women to represent half of partner promotions for 2026, as the latest promotion cycles continue to be announced across the legal sector. 

Dentons has cut emissions by 44% through a new pilot scheme, which sees lawyers work from home, digital dashboards and a ban on printing.

UK-based law firm Browne Jacobson LLP has been named the ‘National (British) Winners of the Equity Trailblazer’ at the National British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) Business Awards.  

The application deadline for student delegate places at the CityLawLIVE conference passed on 6 January, and well over 500 applications were received.

Following a recent change in the law, broadcast news channels will air judges’ sentencing remarks from the Crown Court for the first time.

Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, one of Japan’s biggest law firms, has opened a new office in London and is set to target UK and European companies entering the Japanese market.

The College of Law has announced details of its 2013 scholarship programme, to help its students with their course fees.