In this week's round-up, find out about the Meta layoffs, Barclays' payment protection insurance (PPI) breach, Vodafone’s sale of its mobile-phone masts business, housing prices and a look into law firms’ future employment plans. 

For many aspiring lawyers the pull of the City can be too much to ignore; bright lights, glass frontage buildings, City views. For others, the idea of packing oneself onto a crammed tube as a bookend to each day is unappealing. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to round up of some of the country’s most impressive buildings and spaces that host law firm offices.

Foot Anstey has confirmed that it will launch an in-house school leaver academy from September 2014.

In February 2022, Ofgem, Britain's energy regulator, announced a 54% rise in the energy price cap from 1 April 2022. The cap is reviewed twice a year.

News stories are flashing up all over the country stating that Britain’s mortgage rates are sky-high and that the young people of today are never going to be able to afford to buy a house. But what are the implications of the high mortgage rates?

The University of Law has launched its newest scholarship, available to one student from a low-income household and known as the Baroness Sayeeda Warsi Set for Success scholarship.

Happy new year! Have you been keeping up with the commercial news over the holidays? The government has proposed changes to copyright law, which has been met with protest from the British music industry. Meanwhile, Lidl revealed a 7% boost in sales in the lead up to Christmas, Nationwide reported that house prices increased by 4.7% over 2024 and the single bus fare cap is set to rise by £1 next week. 

The government has opposed calls from lawyers in the House of Lords to scale back the powers of the Legal Services Board, claiming instead that the current system is fit for purpose.

ITV has announced the launch of its new legal apprenticeship scheme. The broadcaster has partnered with CILEx Law School and City Law School to deliver the programme, which it says is the first in-house legal apprenticeship to be announced under the government’s Trailblazer scheme. 

New research has revealed that City law firms are hiring at a rapid rate, with a 14% annual rise in vacancies recorded in the capital.

A well-established set in Lincoln’s Inn, Hardwicke Chambers, is set to change its name to Gatehouse Chambers because the “history did not sit comfortably with our values”, said Brie Stevens-Hoare QC, joint head of chambers.

Metro Bank has become one of the first in-house legal teams in the financial services sector to support aspiring solicitors through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination on their way to qualification.

The Bar Council has released research showing that for employed barristers, some of the key factors behind the decision to go in house include financial security, a good work/life balance, pension arrangements, and an interesting and diverse range of work.

In this week’s round-up, we take a look at Airbnb’s new anti-party tech, UK inflation, the demand for digital banking and the drop in house prices. 

Eight UK law firms have set ambitious net-zero goals as a part of the Net Zero Law Initiative, designed by Net Zero Now. Over the next five years, firms will aim to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 30% – an important step towards reducing the legal sector’s emissions and reaching net zero by 2050.

Do you have any advice for a successful video interview or virtual assessment centre?

Let’s break down the top stories that made headlines in 2023 and consider what you should look out for in 2024.

The role of general counsel (GC) has become an increasingly popular appointment at top law firms, mirroring its rise among commercial companies. GCs are in-house lawyers at large companies tasked with overseeing legal issues and advice across their organisations.

In May 2023, 18-year-old Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, better known online as ‘Mizzy’, shot to fame after filming himself walking into people’s houses, stealing a woman’s dog, riding a bike around a supermarket and doing similar ‘pranks’.

UK inflation has risen, house prices have fallen, train ticket machines are charging customers significantly more than online retailers and Apple has taken Samsung’s place at the top of the smartphone market. Find out more in this week’s commercial news round-up.