If your university runs on a similar timetable to mine, you are currently in a bit of a lull if you have chosen exam-assessed units. Substantive teaching had all but finished by the Easter holidays, and now we have had the final few conclusion and revision sessions, it is up to us to prepare ourselves for the upcoming exam season.

City firm Herbert Smith Freehills has elected 26 partners worldwide – its biggest partner promotions round since 2012 and four more than 2019 – despite coronavirus concerns.

Over the past few months, two large energy companies have gone bust: Avro Energy and Green. Most people however, are unaware of this.

Barristers have spoken out about the bullying they are subjected to by some judges, breaking an old “taboo” by speaking publicly about judicial inappropriate behaviour.

Does it matter if I wait until the deadline to submit my training contract application?

As well as this week’s news round-up, you can also watch our latest webinar (live or via our YouTube), which will provide insight from a law firm partner at Squire Patton Boggs, a future Travers Smith trainee solicitor and a graduate recruitment officer from Baker McKenzie. For now, here’s the latest commercial news update from LCN.

The Law Society of England and Wales has expressed its support for the House of Commons Justice Committee’s call for urgent reform, following its recent report, which stated that the county court needs “urgent attention”.

Happy Thursday!

It’s time for the LawCareers.Net commercial news round-up. 

As the US presidential election continues, with only a few states left to count their votes, and England enters a month-long national lockdown to curb the spread of covid-19 and prevent further deaths, it’s safe to say that it’s been a turbulent week. During a period like this, staying up to date with the latest news can sometimes feel overwhelming. That’s why every week LawCareers.Net puts together a round-up of some of the week’s most interesting commercial news stories to help you get back up to speed.

Backlogs in the criminal courts remain at record levels, with 379,437 cases outstanding in the magistrates’ courts and 80,203 in the crown court – including more than 21,002 cases open for over a year. 

Civil court users have described remote hearings taking place during the pandemic as “fragmented” and called for improvements.

How strong is your business mind? Can you read a news story and isolate the political, economic, sociological, technological, legal and environmental impact a piece of news will have?

Have a go at doing this with this week’s commercial news round-up.

One of the crucial skills that all lawyers – aspiring and qualified – must have is good commercial awareness. While you aren’t expected to know everything about the law, you are expected to understand commercial issues that effect law firms as businesses and their clients. When you are reading the news, select a few stories that really interest you and follow them as they progress – this is one way that you can develop your commercial awareness and impress recruiters during your application and interview. Read LCN’s summaries of some of the week’s biggest stories to get you started.

The Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) has outlined the serious impact that coronavirus is having on junior lawyers, including Legal Practice Course (LPC) students, solicitor apprentices and trainee solicitors - adding to pressure that has forced the solicitors' regulator to respond.

In September, I wrote a blog detailing my expectations for the third year of my undergraduate law degree.  As I’m returning to university tomorrow, I thought it’d be beneficial to see how my expectations lived up to reality and outline my updated expectations for the second half of the year. 

LawCareers.Net is pleased to announce the nominees for the first Student Law Society Awards, sponsored by DWF LLP.

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has warned the government that work as a criminal legal aid lawyer no longer represents a viable career path, due to a desperate resource crisis in the sector that “threatens the stability of the entire system” at the cost of justice to the consumer.