Herbert Smith Freehills has launched its first ever Community Engagement Awards, designed to showcase the best social projects led by students in India. 

While acknowledging calls for greater flexibility in the provision of legal training, the Law Society has insisted that the rigorous standards of the current system must be maintained in its response to the latest discussion paper from the Legal Education and Training Review.

Social mobility charity The Aspiring Solicitors Foundation has announced the addition of partners and associates from leading law firms to its board of trustees and new advisory board.

National firm Irwin Mitchell LLP has significantly expanded its presence in the North East following the acquisition of family practice Silk Family Law, meaning it now has one of the largest family teams in the UK.

Bradford law courts to be one of the first in England to be heated with renewable energy. The courts will be connected to the city’s new eco network, after signing a 20-year deal with Bradford Energy Network. The Combined Court Centre and the Magistrates’ Court are set to save 8,000 tonnes of carbon as a result of the new heat network, which is on track to open in 2026.

Cardiff Employment Law Pro Bono Advice Clinic has been relaunched following its closure in 2014, taking the number of advice centres in the LawWorks network to 200.

City firm HFW has announced a new gender equality strategy, vowing that at least 40% of senior lateral hires over the next three years will go to women, after missing its 2020 gender targets.

A partner vote looks set to be the next stage in a potential merger between Clyde & Co LLP and BLM, following the completion of detailed discussions and due diligence last week. 

International firm Clifford Chance has announced the winners of its third annual 'intelligent aid' competition, prizes for which crucially include vac scheme places with the firm.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the London branch of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, President Nick Hanning called for the legal professions to work together to implement the recommendations of the Legal Education and Training Review.

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.  

Should an employee get sacked for sending offensive tweets?

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. 

The Law Society of England and Wales has embraced the UK’s adoption of the new Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer. This is a milestone in the legal world globally as it signifies the first international treaty with a focus on the safety of lawyers, which was adopted by the Council of Europe in response to increasing reports of attacks on the legal profession.

Stronger Together is a network designed to “promote racial diversity, inclusion and equality” in Leeds’ professional services sector, while identifying ways to create a more diverse and inclusive sector in the city.

The government’s promise of £15 million of new funding for the criminal justice system will boost the fees of high-earning QCs but fail to address the problems faced by struggling junior barristers, the Law Society has warned.

Research undertaken jointly by the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Law Society, the Bar Council and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has found that members perceive nearly all aspects of judicial office as increasingly appealing.

In moves to offer greater flexibility to students, The University of Law will launch a four-year, part-time law degree from September, while The City law School has unveiled an online LLM In International Business Law for distance learners.

The SRA has released its Training for Tomorrow policy paper, which among other things promises "radical" reforms to the current education and training system and an end to the "one-size-fits-all" approach to solicitors' qualification.