The Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT), which all aspiring barristers must pass to gain a place on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), is to have its pass mark raised to exclude students who would be unlikely to pass the course or secure pupillage.

This week’s selection of headline-grabbing business news runs the spectrum from large-scale infrastructure projects to tumbling profits at household brand names and on to pension rule changes. For more detail, read on.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced that it will trial running the first part of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) – SQE1 – in Welsh.  

The small window of time between the football-related jubilation of Tuesday night and the football-related anxiety of Saturday afternoon is the perfect opportunity to distract yourself with some of this week’s biggest business stories. Here is our collection for this week.

Clyde & Co is to merge with one of Scotland’s largest firms, Simpson & Marwick.

As national elections of all varieties continue to dominate headlines, there is still space for those all-important economic stories. In fact, more often than not, the political and business worlds are inextricably linked. For a variety of both, read on.

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

Private wealth and real estate firm Boodle Hatfield LLP has reported a fee income of £32.5 million for the 2022/23 financial year, rising from £30.7 million the previous year.  

To reduce the impact of the barrister strikes, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab plans to challenge barristers’ complete ownership over crown court trials.

Why commercial awareness? Why not! Start here with our carefully selected compilation of thought-provoking and conversation-starting business news.

As of 1 July, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has put into force some changes to its education and training regulations.

Irwin Mitchell's most recent intake of trainees has been drawn into two of the firm's social responsibility initiatives as part of their induction.

For the second year running, Shoosmiths has grabbed the top spot in the Black Solicitors Network's annual diversity league table.

The unthinkable happened this week; KFC ran out of chicken! With the doors of most of its branches firmly shut, thousands of disgruntled consumers had to take their fried poultry habits elsewhere. 

Ministry of Justice findings have revealed that court backlogs reached a record high of 74,651 cases at the end of 2024, with an 11% increase in backlogs between December 2023 and 2024 alone.

As we lurch into July, the pressing matter of training contract applications may be foremost in your minds. It is worth considering that part of making a convincing application – and more importantly, being a convincing candidate at interview – is the development of your commercial awareness. To help, you need look no further than this selection of recent business news stories.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has announced that it will reconsider the scope of its proposed training reforms, which could have seen the traditional training contract - or “period of workplace training” - abolished.

A majority of the public would support a ban on long-term unpaid internships and measures to stop internships being given out informally, such as to the children of employees, a study by the Social Mobility Commission suggests. 

With Brexit talks now firmly underway, and a pact between the government and the DUP in place, the business of analysing what it all means for the United Kingdom’s future is everywhere. Continue to keep an eye on the big political and business news in advance of your interviews, as you’ll likely need to have an opinion on what’s been going on. For a sample of the biggest news from the past week, read on.

With the excesses of Easter behind you, it’s time to really commit to the task ahead: developing your commercial awareness and thus significantly improving your chances on the recruitment frontline. Start here with this week’s curated group of topical news stories.