International law firm White & Case LLP has become one of the latest firms to announce its autumn trainee retention rate of 86%, having kept 19 out of its 22 newly qualified solicitors (NQs). This closely aligned with the firm’s 87% trainee retention figure in spring 2025 and its five-year average of 83%.

The Ministry of Justice’s approach to cutting legal aid has been criticised by one of its own consultants.

Both undergraduate and postgraduate students considering a career at the Bar are now able to get involved with the Bar Council, benefitting from a number of its services and helping to support its work on access to justice.

The body representing barristers has urged the next government to reverse funding cuts which have left the justice system “on its knees”, in a manifesto highlighting hundreds of court closures and the growing number of people having to represent themselves in court despite having no legal training.

The National College of Legal Training has announced that it will not recruit intakes for the GDL or LPC in 2013-14 because of a decrease in applications for the courses.

Members of the Criminal Bar Association are due to vote on whether to replace the current fortnightly strikes with uninterrupted ones as of 5 September.  

An event aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, with the tag line "Now you're out, let us help you get in", is being held on 4 December 2012.

The BLD Foundation (BLD) recently held a reception at the House of Commons to raise awareness of the need to increase diversity in, and access to, the legal profession.

As the UK braces itself for the hottest day on record and new Prime Minister Boris Johnson sweats it out during his first days at 10 Downing Street, stay cool and read our collection of commercial news stories.

Magic circle firm Allen & Overy is set to launch a solicitor apprenticeship scheme for school leavers, through which it hopes to attract a “socio-economically diverse pool of high-achieving pupils”.

Axiom Ince has been shut down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) following allegations of financial misappropriation – a closure that could end up being the most expensive SRA intervention in history.

Following a successful launch in 2016, the mentoring scheme run jointly by Browne Jacobson and the law school at Manchester Metropolitan University has been expanded in 2017 to take on a total of 17 undergrad law students.

The first two apprentices to join Withers have started at the firm’s London office in its real estate and corporate departments.

In contrast to The Guardian's recent league table revealing Cambridge University to be the UK's top law faculty, a Legal Week poll of 3,700 university law students has put Oxford University ahead of its rival.

The University of Law has been ranked as having the joint-highest levels of overall student satisfaction of all the higher education institutions in the country in the National Student Survey 2016.

A new data law committee formed by the City of London Law Society (CLLS) will offer the government the expertise of specialists at City law firms to ensure that data can continue to flow freely in between the United Kingdom and European Union in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Herbert Smith Freehills, Wragge & Co and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives have released a documentary celebrating diversity in the legal profession in conjunction with the online careers advice hub, www.CareerPlayer.com.

You may well be in the midst of a training contract application frenzy, but don’t panic; one of the best things you can do to help your chances (other than NOT submitting your applications at 11.45pm on 31 July) is hone your commercial awareness skills. Here are a few news stories that you should probably know a bit about.

The big news from this week has to be Sports Direct founder (and all-round nice guy) Mike Ashley snatching up troubled department store House of Fraser mere minutes after it announced its collapse into administration last Friday morning.