With England’s lockdown restrictions set to be eased as planned on 12 April next week, and with some of us experiencing typical Spring days followed by snow, it’s safe to say it’s been another whirlwind of a week. Here’s your weekly reminder to set some time aside to develop your commercial awareness so you’re ready to ace future applications and interviews.

With the second semester approaching, it's the time to reflect. I’ve been thinking about my current position and how I can learn from my mistakes in order to excel in the second half of the academic year.

If you want a paralegal career that includes a side order of glamour, there are plenty of roles to fit that bill, including in film, fashion and professional football. Let’s look closer at a few of the exciting industries in which paralegals play an important role.

Jeremy Hunt considers scrapping the non-domiciled tax status and property sales are forecast to rise. Plus, BBC Verify has raised concerns about how car insurance quotes vary between areas and crypto firm Gemini has agreed to return $1.1 billion to customers following a settlement with the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). Find out more in this week’s commercial news round-up.

After working hard on your exams, you deserve a break. While it’s important to rest, you can also use this time to get ahead in your legal career.

Top up your commercial awareness with this week’s commercial news round-up.

What are the confidentiality issues in the recent dispute between the Beckhams and the News of the World?

Commercial awareness is a vital skill for aspiring lawyers and being commercially aware allows you to think of new ideas and see things from a business perspective when reading news.

Why are energy companies going bust and what are the wider implications?

It's Neurodiversity Celebration Week! A week that “challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences”, according to the Law Society.

Starting a training contract is about having an open mind. The reason behind completing four to six different seats is to gain exposure to each of the different departments.

The UN General Assembly headlined the news this week, as did Theresa May's peace talks with her own foreign secreatry Boris Johnson. In the meantime she has an even more serious issue to consider on which we’ll provide a starting point for your further reading below, as well as a round-up of the week’s other commercial stories.

We are delighted to bring you details of those firms and individuals nominated for the 15th annual LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards.

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’.

How will the advertising slump affect the way lawyers advise their media clients?

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.

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. 

The Bar Council, the body that represents around 18,000 barristers in England and Wales, has several committees; one of which is the Young Barristers’ Committee.

Will we be working until we're 100?

As UK lockdown restrictions were eased at the start of the week and several businesses reopened their doors to welcome the public back, aspiring lawyers might want to consider the impact that this might have on the UK economy, as well as the legal and business worlds. That said, remember that there is more to commercial awareness than just Brexit and covid-19 – think outside the box to find a story that interests you and is relevant to your chosen firm and its clients.