The legal profession is facing a new challenge as leading barristers defy Bar rules by pledging not to prosecute peaceful climate protesters or represent companies involved in fossil fuel projects.  

The winner of the 27^th Bar Mock Trials National Competition final which took place last month is Wilmslow High School in Cheshire.

The Law Society of England and Wales Annual Statistics Report 2015 provides an in-depth breakdown of the numbers, location and gender make-up of training contacts in the 12 months to July 2015.

Herbert Smith Freehills has announced a new internship programme offering graduates with autism a chance to work at the firm for eight weeks.

The regulatory arm of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives is examining whether its processes can be streamlined to help more paralegals make the jump to become chartered legal executives – specialist lawyers capable of setting up their own firms and working independently.

In the wake of recent discussion over whether to implement aptitude tests for postgraduate law courses, the chair of the Bar Standards Board Baroness Deech has said that many who take the BPTC are "wasting their money" because they are "not up to it".

A new MA in Law degree is being offered by the University of Law in partnership with the University of Chester’s Law School. The two institutions announced the collaboration in December, with the MA in Law open to non-law graduates from September 2020.

Bradford law courts to be one of the first in England to be heated with renewable energy. The courts will be connected to the city’s new eco network, after signing a 20-year deal with Bradford Energy Network. The Combined Court Centre and the Magistrates’ Court are set to save 8,000 tonnes of carbon as a result of the new heat network, which is on track to open in 2026.

Close to 60% of women lawyers have experienced inappropriate gender-based comments from male colleagues or know other women who have, according to research by the First 100 Years Project.

CILEX Law School has been approved to deliver the new CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) – a training route that is open to those without a university qualification and has been redesigned to ensure it produces lawyers that have the skills necessary to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the legal market.  

Half of working mothers in the legal profession are taking on more childcare responsibilities than their partners during the UK’s lockdown, a survey conducted by the team behind the First 100 Years Project reports.

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.

Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) exams will be moved online, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has revealed.

Having delayed exams as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, the BSB recently confirmed that assessments for the BPTC (soon to be replaced by a new range of Bar courses), as well as exams for the Bar Transfer Test, will now take place online in August, with resits scheduled for December.

The number of practising solicitors in England and Wales has grown in the last year while the number of registered training contracts has fallen slightly, the Law Society’s annual statistics report has revealed.

Following the government’s pledge to end the cross-examination of domestic abuse victims by their perpetrators in court, a long-overdue and ‘enhanced’ version of the Domestic Abuse Bill recently returned to Parliament.

Mishcon de Reya is bringing a case on behalf of an anonymous group of clients against the government in a bid to ensure that Article 50, which would signal the United Kingdom’s intention to leave the European Union, is not triggered without the appropriate parliamentary process being followed.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) has announced in its Business Plan that it wants over 25% of senior employees to be from ethnic minority backgrounds, by 31 March 2022.

The Legal Education Foundation has established the Justice First Fellowship Scheme to boost careers in social welfare law; in the first round of recruitment, seven training contracts will be available with host organisations in England and Scotland.

It’s the story that just runs and runs; the week was again dominated by what’s been happening in Greece.