Grant Shapps has been appointed as the new defence secretary following Ben Wallace’s resignation, the date for Donald Trump’s trial has been set and there may still be hope for value retailer Wilko. Plus, what effect have this summer’s sporting protests had long term? All this and more in this week’s commercial news round-up.   

The shortlist of nominees for the 2018 LawWorks and Attorney General’s Student Pro Bono Awards has been announced.

To outsource or not to outsource? That is the (commercial) question

Being a paralegal is often seen as a steppingstone to a career in the legal profession. But for many, it’s a fulfilling career in itself. Here are three points of view shared by career paralegals from The Family Law Company who all work with legally aided clients.

UK holidaymakers are facing steep price hikes for summer getaways, while Royal Mail is cutting Saturday second-class deliveries as part of a major overhaul. Meanwhile, Britain’s pubs are closing at a rate of one per day amid mounting financial pressures and biodiesel distributor Greenergy is shutting down one of Britian’s biggest plants. Read on for the full scoop of this week’s top commercial news stories!

The interview process can vary across law firms, depending on their size, culture or jurisdiction. One thing they all have in common is that they will all ask you specific questions relating to your competency.

As part of a work experience programme I'm participating in, I was requested to attend court to support a litigant in person as their McKenzie friend. This sparked a series of questions that resulted in this article.

UK economic growth slows but beats expectations, Rolls-Royce eyes nuclear-powered AI dominance and Russia takes actions against WhatsApp and Telegram. Meanwhile, fake Labubu dolls spark safety warnings across the UK. Catch up on the latest headlines in this week’s commercial news round-up.

The EU has set out plans to impose trade countermeasures on the US and a first-of-its-kind partnership deal has been announced between BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team and Viagogo. John Lewis has seen a rise in profits but has decided not to bring back the staff bonus, and Spotify has reported a record-high year for music industry payments. Read on to find out more!

What are the legal challenges and opportunities surrounding the development of drones?

The commercial world moves at such a rapid pace and keeping on top of developments can often feel impossible. We’ve summarised four recent stories into bitesize chunks to make this more achievable. In the first round-up of March, Rachel Reeves is expected to make major cuts in her spring statement and Apple faces an unprecedented dispute with the UK government. Meanwhile, trade unions celebrate the Employment Rights Bill and a new study shows that there’s an increasing number of ‘digital nomads’.

History graduate William Moore offers an insight into his journey in securing an associate role at Shoosmiths, as well as his area of expertise – data privacy.

What's on the horizon in employment law?

This blog post will debate whether companies have a legal obligation to reduce their emissions in line with domestic agreements as well as broader climate agreements such as the Paris Agreement. I will talk about a recent legal case involving the multinational oil and gas company Shell.

Volunteering pro bono has almost as many benefits for students as it does for members of the public in need of legal advice. Read our student guide to pro bono work to discover how it can propel your legal career.

In this post, I will share what type of work experience is available for first years (and also non-law students). I hope this is helpful for you to gain some experience during the summer holidays! 

How do you gain the upper hand in trans-national litigation?

This blog will give a brief summary of how poverty is a major issue in relation to capital punishment in the US.