Despite pressure from students, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) will not reinstate spring Bar Professional Training Course exams. The regulator said it would be impossible to create a “suitable, secure alternative” to in-person assessments by April.

The pandemic didn’t impact the Legal Practice Course (LPC) pass rates, according to new statistics from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

As details of the laborious and confusing Brexit negotiations continue to seep out – today’s highlights alone include the possibility that UK will remain under EU judicial remit and warnings that an absence of EU workers will seriously damage the economy – there is much to consider about where we will be from an economic point of view when the split becomes final. For news on this, and more, read on.

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. 

CILEx Regulation is “delighted” to have launched its first-ever equality, diversity and inclusion strategy earlier this week, which aims to promote fair access for all in the legal services market and implement measurable targets for the next two years. 

New reports show that the employment tribunal backlog has risen alarmingly by approximately 28% over the past year, following the introduction of new workers’ rights in the Employment Rights Bill.

The Bar Standards Board is set to introduce an aptitude test which wannabe barristers must pass to gain admission to the BPTC.

Addleshaw Goddard saw double-digit growth for the financial year ending April 2024, with turnover growing by 12% on the previous year to £495.6 million.

Students aged 15-18 competed in the final of the 23rd annual Bar National Mock Trial Competition on Saturday 22 March at Cardiff Crown Court.

Partners and staff at Osborne Clarke will take an 11-month pay cut as the firm continues to weather the impact of covid-19.

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.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP has announced that its newly qualified solicitor pay will rise to £150,000, as the battle for legal talent in London continues. 

The House of Commons committee of Public Accounts has produced a damning report on the Ministry of Justice’s cuts to legal aid spending.

This week all eyes were on the "meeting of the century" (so described by North Korea’s official state newspaper), which was "tremendous" (so described by Trump). 

One of the few benefits of a summer holiday that feels more like late autumn is that you won’t be tempted to spend all day lying around in the sunshine. Instead, you could cast your eye over this week’s collection of business stories, all designed to help you work on your commercial awareness.

The winner of the 27^th Bar Mock Trials National Competition final which took place last month is Wilmslow High School in Cheshire.

Private wealth and real estate firm Boodle Hatfield LLP has reported a fee income of £32.5 million for the 2022/23 financial year, rising from £30.7 million the previous year.  

To reduce the impact of the barrister strikes, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab plans to challenge barristers’ complete ownership over crown court trials.

Why commercial awareness? Why not! Start here with our carefully selected compilation of thought-provoking and conversation-starting business news.

As of 1 July, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has put into force some changes to its education and training regulations.