Your commercial awareness skills will be assessed at each stage of the application process. Not only is it important to be aware of the news and events that are directly impacting the firm you’re applying to, its clients and practice areas; you should also be considering the wider impact on the legal and business worlds. For now, read this week’s commercial news round-up below.

What's on the horizon in employment law?

Rachel Reeves outlined new policies and potential tax rises at the Labour Party Conference, and OpenAI has finalised a secondary share sale. Meanwhile, a new law has banned multi-buy deals for ‘unhealthy’ food and Selfridges has seen a drop in takings due to a reduction in tourist spending.

Grab that ice cream and sit down with LawCareers.Net’s commercial news round-up for a summary of our pick of the news from the past week. What’s on your radar?

As a LawCareers.Net reader, you may have already kicked off your legal career or you may be just beginning your studies. Regardless of where you’re at, learning an effective method of studying is always useful. If you’re already working, you can employ this knowledge to improve your ability to work and learn on the job.

The European Commission is concerned about the introduction of TikTok Lite, the Scottish government is set to scrap environmental plans, new legislation has criminalised the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes and drug shortages are set to continue. Read on to find out more.

Well done to everyone for getting through the second semester. Easter holidays are a time for rest, rejuvenation and spending time with family and friends. However, many students have exams after the holidays and need to also find the time for revision. This blog post aims to give you some tips on how to balance all of this and get the most out of the holidays.

As the UK awaits Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s update in today’s daily briefing on whether there will be any changes to the social distancing measures currently in place, here’s a short round-up of how the outbreak continues to affect the business and legal worlds, among other news.   

I applied for places on a few summer vacation schemes but was unsuccessful. What other work experience can I pursue to boost my CV and future applications?

Is it possible for solicitors to have a good work/life balance? And if I start a family, are there part-time or term-time options? 

LawWorks has announced the shortlist for the 2025 LawWorks and Attorney General’s Student Pro Bono Awards, which celebrate pro bono activities undertaken by law students and law schools across the UK.

The financial crisis: is it right to point the finger at the auditors?

What’s greenwashing and how can organisations navigate green advertising?

In energy news, the UK government has struck a new deal to fund nuclear project Sizewell C and unions have called on the Labour government to create more jobs in the green energy sector. Meanwhile, the Australian government has lifted restrictions on US beef imports and Blackpool’s north pier is up for sale amid a decline in tourism.

What is blockchain technology and what is its relevance to both the legal profession and the mining industry?

Following on from fellow blogger Indiya Kainth’s piece on how working from home might be affecting the individual, I was inspired to write the following piece on how working from home might affect law firms. 

Tomorrow marks International Women’s Day – a day to celebrate and pay homage to the women in your life and give focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. With this in mind, we’ve collected some recent important stories and looked at how they impact women.

What is the commercial role of a bill of lading?

What has been the response to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008?

What is the metaverse? Who can access it? Does it have anything to do with Doctor Strange? What impact will it have on the commercial world? These are all questions you should be considering as companies and sectors around the world start to reveal their visions for the metaverse.