The controversial draft Brexit deal agreed by UK and EU negotiators, if implemented, would allow UK lawyers to continue to operate in the EU throughout the transition period that runs until 2020, while one of the aims of a post-Brexit trade deal would be to make such “appropriate arrangements on professional qualifications” permanent.

A poll taken of 500 second and third-year law students in the UK has found that 80% believe applying for London-based firms is fundamental.  

The ability of international firms with UK offices to recruit from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) is crucial if London is to remain a leading global centre for legal services, the Law Society has told the independent government advisory body, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).

Key findings from the Law Society’s strategic workforce planning report include that the legal services market needs to adapt to changes such as deregulation of the profession, commercial pressures and the increasing adoption of technology.

According to research by legal software company Clio, 54% of UK law firms expect fixed-fee billing to increase over the next 12 months.

City law firm Addleshaw Goddard is set to move to the heart of London’s square mile having signed a 15-year lease on a new office opposite the Bank of England. 

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has published a consultation with proposed regulatory measures to strengthen ethical standards in the legal sector.

The government’s promise of £15 million of new funding for the criminal justice system will boost the fees of high-earning QCs but fail to address the problems faced by struggling junior barristers, the Law Society has warned.

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Tens of thousands of lawyers nationwide took part in walks to raise vital funding for free legal services this month, culminating in the London Legal Walk 2018 in which 12,000 people participated.

The Legal Services Board will stop any proposals to limit law school places following the findings of the Legal Education and Training Review by issuing strict guidelines so that regulators only implement the LETR recommendations that it approves.

Mid-tier law firms Simmons & Simmons LLP, RPC and Shoosmiths have launched new policies to reward lawyers for billing higher hours, with bonuses of up to 40% of base salary on offer. 

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that iProbono, an initiative which connects lawyers with civil society organisations, is the winner of a Big Society Award.

Cooley LLP, a leading technology and life sciences US law firm, has announced the launch of its UK practice.

Recent research suggests that nearly half of the top 200 UK law firms have won business directly through social media engagement, though fewer than a quarter of these have so far integrated social media into their marketing strategies.

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Birketts LLP, a full-service law firm with office locations across the East of England, London and the South East, eyes plans to develop its international practice by using its City office as a “springboard”. 

Allen & Overy LLP has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot named Harvey to complete various tasks and save time “at all levels”. 

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.