The Bar Pro Bono Unit has announced that it is undergoing a number of reforms to modernise its service for the 21^st Century and from today (22 October, the first day of Pro Bono Week) has changed its name to ‘Advocate’.

The department for business, innovation and skills has published new assessment plans and standards for legal apprenticeships following ministerial approval. 

As we are just weeks away from the EU referendum, the campaigning on both sides is reaching fever pitch, with one of the most hotly contested areas of debate the economic implications of in or out. 

Over 10 firms have now confirmed how many of their Spring 2015 qualifying cohort will be retained.

The City Consortium, which includes Freshfields and Linklaters, will provide ‘top-up courses’ for future trainees taking the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) to ensure candidates are prepared to commence training contracts within a City practice.  

The big news today, gripping the City and beyond, is the Bank of England announcement that it is raising interest rates from 0.25% to 0.5% - the first rise since 2007, it reverses the emergency rate cuts that were implemented following the EU referendum. For other business stories of note, read on.

Large firms are misusing the apprenticeship levy to fund traditional graduate training, Law Society Council member James Kitching has said in a recent column for the Law Gazette.   

Junior lawyers can now defer compulsory Professional Skills Course modules for 12 months, as the Solicitors Regulation Authority responds to the pandemic and relaxes professional training rules.  

Solicitors in England and Wales celebrate Ramadan, wishing Muslim employees well as they balance fasting with working.

The UK will not be a member of Europe’s planned Unified Patent Court, the government has confirmed in what intellectual property (IP) specialists have described as a blow to the industry.

The government is investigating concerns about the quality and accountability of decisions made by algorithms, including the risk that automated decision-making software used by police forces could emulate human biases such as racial prejudice.

The Law Society has invited law students, trainees, pupils and other junior lawyers to enter its annual Graham Turnbull essay competition, which this year references the Magna Carta and the ramifications if the United Kingdom were to radically alter its human rights protections.

City lawyers have “very poor” knowledge of the Solicitors Regulation Authority Handbook, according to the findings of a leading legal academic.

Commerciality is an important part of being a successful lawyer, but law firms won’t expect you to be a fully formed, business guru when you arrive as trainee – they appreciate it takes years to develop. However, what they will expect is that you have started to gain some understanding of what is required to advise your clients in a business-appropriate way. The best place to start is by keeping up with big business news stories of the day; examples to follow.

Irwin Mitchell's partnership with The College of Law and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has won the education and training initiative of the year prize at this year's British Legal Awards.

The University of Law (ULaw) and international law firm Taylor Wessing have revealed an exclusive partnership, which will see ULaw deliver its postgraduate courses with the firm.

Legal Aid Minister Shailesh Vara has told the All Party Parliamentary Group on Legal and Constitutional Affairs that the planned £220 million legal aid cuts will not reduce the quality of lawyers operating in the field.

The new Bar training rules require that those who commenced training for the Bar from 2020 take a Bar Standards Board (BSB) exam in Professional Ethics if, after their vocational training, they then go on to pupillage.  

Kaplan has been appointed to run the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam, but students, law firms and academics have still received no information on what the assessment will cost.