The Legal Services Board has published an interactive map and two reports aimed at understanding and tackling the barriers that individuals face when pursuing a legal career, regardless of background and circumstance. 

Hannah Cockle opens up about her experience as part of Sullivan & Cromwell’s small trainee cohort. She outlines the integral role that trainees are given at the firm and the rewarding nature of working on big deals and directly with clients and partners.

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.

Associate Sophie Freelove offers her insights into Vinson & Elkins’ training contract, the early responsibility trainees are exposed to, the variety of work on offer and the firm’s excellent culture. Find out more in this Meet the Lawyer. 

What key reforms will be introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023?

Bristol - the UK’s most environmentally friendly city, the world’s leading producer of hot air balloons and the place I call home during term-time.

LIBOR and the EU: did the banks collude to manipulate the rate?

The long road, from starting your legal studies to becoming a fully qualified solicitor or barrister, can feel lonely. For me, one of the most difficult aspects of starting my journey into law was knowing what I was getting myself into! 

In September 2020, 10 new barristers from across England and Wales joined #IAmTheBar – the Bar Council’s award-winning social mobility campaign, which is now in its third year – as social mobility advocates.

In September, many students start their new venture into university to study all kinds of different subjects. Preparation before starting a course can help you hit the ground running. I don't just mean buying stationary (although that can most definitely help motivation) but also preparing for the course itself.

Vacation schemes are now getting closer as the summer months approach. Soon, excited students will be finding out if they’ve secured a place on the coveted scheme!

European law firm Fieldfisher has launched a two-week legal work experience programme aimed at candidates who are from underrepresented backgrounds in the legal profession. 

TLT LLP has introduced a new diversity access programme, Beyond, aiming to eliminate barriers to entry into the legal profession for aspiring lawyers from ethnic minority backgrounds and improve diversity in early careers.

Diversity, equal opportunity and the end of the ‘old boys network’ remain a long way off in the legal profession, a study by the Sutton Trust and PRIME showing that three quarters of judges and 71% of Queen’s Counsel (QC) barristers were privately educated has revealed. 

By using AI, am I breaching client confidentiality?

The nights have drawn darker, the candles are lit and many pumpkin-spiced lattes will be drunk during this season. Importantly, the autumn/winter application cycle for training contracts and vacation schemes is now in full swing.

What is the impact of economic sanctions being placed on Russia on clients in the United States, European Union and Japan?

Subsequent to the Internet 2.0 with the rise of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter, the new revivification of the Internet will be the emergence of the Internet of Value.

The Solicitor’s Qualifying Exam (SQE) has essentially revolutionised the way you qualify as a solicitor.