The government has rejected the Legal Service Board's recommendation that the interests of the public would be best served by making will writing subject to regulation

The Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has asked his shadow justice team to “immediately” review the government’s cuts to legal aid.

The UK legal services sector saw turnover fall by 16% in May from £3.92 billion (April 2022) to £3.28 billion in May, according to Office of National Statistics data. 

Trainee recruitment has been indefinitely postponed at both Beachcroft and Davies Arnold Cooper in preparation for the merger of the two firms on 31 October.

The Welsh government has proposed a new unified and expanded tribunal system: the Appeal Tribunal for Wales. 

Magic circle firm Clifford Chance has attacked proposals by the Labour Party to create a broad financial transaction tax (FTT) by extending stamp duty – a policy also known as the ‘Robin Hood tax’. 

Professional services firm EY has announced that it will be offering training contracts to join its legal services team. EY received an alternative business structure (ABS) licence in 2014, allowing it to increase the size of its legal services team to over 30 people. It expects this figure to double within the next 12 months.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed the assessment sitting dates for part two of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), having announced the dates for SQE1 at the end of last year.

The president of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, has announced measures to diversify the roster of Supreme Court judges as upcoming retirements create vacancies over the next couple of years. 

Sustained cuts to legal aid funding and police budgets have badly lowered the quality of the country’s criminal justice system, the forensic science regulator has warned in her annual report. 

Students will be deciding whether to resit their Bar Professional Training Course exams in October, despite not knowing their original results beforehand, the Bar Standards Board has said.

Most barristers are not attracted by the innovative new business models which have emerged in recent years and want to keep the chambers model, which they feel is capable of adapting to changes in the legal market, a survey by the Bar Standards Board has revealed.

The first woman to practise as a barrister will be commemorated with a blue plaque this year. Helena Normanton KC (1882-1957) was the first woman to join an Inn, practice at the Bar, appear in the High Court, appear in the Old Bailey, and was one of the two first women King’s Counsel in England and Wales.

Announced to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week, Bond Dickinson is recruiting a new group of apprentices to its Plymouth office.

The Association of Women Solicitors has criticised the Solicitors Regulation Authority's decision to abolish the minimum salary for trainee solicitors.

Beyond London, the most active cities are Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Liverpool, Cardiff, Newcastle and Nottingham. 

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a new government guide, which has been designed to lift “the curtain” on the justice system and boost transparency.

Linklaters launched its Ally programme earlier this month – the firm’s first LGBT-focused network supporting minority groups.

A lack of understanding of the benefits of apprenticeships is limiting take up among employers, according to research by Skills for Justice.