The Law Society of England and Wales updated its official guidance on diversity and inclusion language, encouraging the use of alternatives to ‘Dear Sirs’ at the start of legal correspondence – a greeting often used when a recipient’s name is unknown. This use is widely regarded as antiquated, originating from a time when the profession was predominantly male. The Law Society stated: “This gendered greeting perpetuates the assumption that the recipients of correspondence are by default men”.

Fifteen law firms and other legal sector organisations have made this year’s list of the top 100 LGBT-inclusive employers, compiled by charity Stonewall.

Many law firms, in-house legal departments and other organisations including the Government Legal Department have become the founding signatories of the Law Society’s Pro Bono Charter. 

Pinsent Masons has been named the UK’s most inclusive employer by LGBT-rights charity Stonewall, while Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) and Baker McKenzie are the other law firms to rank in the top 10 in Stonewall’s top 100 employers index for 2019.

A national fund designed to boost social mobility within the legal profession, address the recruitment and retention crisis, and ultimately improve access to justice has been launched. 

New research from the Social Mobility Foundation has revealed that those from working-class origins earn on average 13.05% less than their middle and upper-class peers.

Solicitors’ firms across the legal profession are making use of the government’s employee furlough scheme as they look to mitigate the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Joining the big business world of City law is the goal for many aspiring lawyers. But how do you know if it’s for you?

Walker Morris, a distinctive and independent top 100 UK law firm, has introduced a new sabbatical scheme for lawyers.

It's Neurodiversity Celebration Week! A week that “challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences”, according to the Law Society.

Magic circle law firms are taking different approaches to their trainees’ Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) exam results, following the recent round of results released for those who took the SQE1 assessment in January.

Browne Jacobson LLP (alongside PwC) tops the UK’s Social Mobility Employer Index for the third time, with magic circle law firms Slaughter and May, Linklaters LLP and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP also featuring in this year’s top 10. 

Read this essential advice for first-year students covering legal work experience, extracurricular activities, law fairs and more. For lots more information and advice, see our dedicated First-year student hub.

Solicitors in England and Wales will celebrate Black History Month by embracing the ‘Proud to Be’ theme.

In a monumental transatlantic legal collaboration, renowned magic circle law firm Allen & Overy LLP is set to merge with New York-based Shearman & Sterling LLP. 

Commercial law firm Kennedys is among 14 leading law firms that have signed up to the Mansfield Rule to push greater transparency around diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, following its UK launch this summer.