The government should not abandon access to physical courts in its drive to digitise the justice system because of the impact it would have on the poorest in society, leading judges and academics have warned.

Co-operative Legal Services has announced that it will apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority to become an alternative business structure on 3 January 2012.

A midlands firm, Talbots Law, has recruited nearly 100 staff to expand its business.

Leading regional firm Coffin Mew has completed its merger with Charles Lucas & Marshall. 

The aftershocks of Carillion’s collapse are still being felt a month on, not least by its former employees. Magic circle firm Clifford Chance has taken on Carillion’s in-house legal team, saving the jobs of around 60 specialist paralegals. 

Operation Early Dawn has been reintroduced to ease prison overcrowding in the north of England, following the sentencing of rioters who engaged in violent unrest across parts of the UK earlier this month. 

Twenty law firms and organisations have now been granted alternative business structure status, which allows legal services providers to be owned and/or managed by non-lawyers and operate in conjunction with other services.

The Co-operative Group's announcement of its intentions to create 3,000 jobs in the legal sector is the latest and clearest sign that alternative business structures are set to have a big impact on the legal profession.

City law firms are considering an additional requirement that candidates will need to gain some “City-specific” training on top of passing the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) when the new ‘super exam’ comes into effect.

The majority of courses are delivered in two stages. 

The Law Society of England and Wales updated its official guidance on diversity and inclusion language, encouraging the use of alternatives to ‘Dear Sirs’ at the start of legal correspondence – a greeting often used when a recipient’s name is unknown. This use is widely regarded as antiquated, originating from a time when the profession was predominantly male. The Law Society stated: “This gendered greeting perpetuates the assumption that the recipients of correspondence are by default men”.

Every crown court in England and Wales will be funded to hear more cases next year after the government lifted the cap on court sitting days. 

Who owns art – is it artists? Galleries? Governments? What happens when art is sold? What do governments do when an important piece of national heritage is ruined?

Will the final implementation of the Companies Act 2006 mean the law is now clearer and more accessible?

The Law Society of England and Wales has opened applications for its 2026 Diversity Access Scheme, which aims to promote social mobility and increase diversity within the legal profession by supporting individuals who face social, educational, financial or personal challenges to qualifying as a solicitor.

In recent years the four Inns of Court have dished out millions of pounds in awards.

I’d always wanted to pursue a career in the law, despite initially choosing to study English at university. After a year, I changed paths to study a law degree, even though it meant I had to complete my first year again.