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.

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.

For the first time, juries will be allowed to hear cases remotely in England and Wales due to the rising backlog of trials. 

As well as postponing pay rises and bonuses, City firm Norton Rose Fulbright has asked staff to agree to a reduced work week and lower salaries in a bid to “safeguard jobs as far as possible”.

The Legal Action Group has established a commission to examine the consequences of cuts to the legal aid budget and suggest solutions to ensure access to justice for all members of the public.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been urged to revaluate its conclusions of a review it made of the in-house sector, with the regulator being criticised for “understating” the severity and risks faced by general counsel.  

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) let down disabled candidates in the way that it conducted Summer 2020’s Bar course exams, in which breaks were prohibited and technical problems saw a quarter of candidates unable to complete their exams, an independent review has found.

The SRA has announced an investigation into the role and conduct of solicitors involved in the legal proceedings following the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April 1989, in which 96 football fans were crushed to death.

International firm Herbert Smith Freehills LLP published an anthology of thoughts and experiences shared by Black colleagues across the firm and leading external commentators to mark Black History Month this October.

Quotas are needed to address the overwhelming and continuing male dominance of legal, political, media and arts roles, the Fawcett Society has said.

Despite reports that the government has postponed gender pay gap reporting for 2019/20 due to the coronavirus outbreak, UK firm Irwin Mitchell shared its recent data which shows that its gender pay gap has shrunk.

Another week, another bumper crop of commercial news to consider. If your ultimate plan is to succeed as a legal professional, an interest in the business world – and the world generally – is a must. As everyone digests the news that the Bank of England is again leaving interest rates where they are (with the Guardian reporting that some analysts have called Mark Carney an “unreliable boyfriend” due to his habit of changing his mind), here is a selection of other stories for your edification.

The Ministry of Justice tried to stop the publication of research that expressed crown court judges’ misgivings about the number of people representing themselves in criminal cases due to cuts to legal aid.

It’s a tale of many takeovers this week, as you’ll see from below. Read on to discover more about the machinations related to buying and selling companies – as well as news that TSB is in an IT-related pickle.

DWF has been named one of The Times Top 50 Employers For Women for the second consecutive year.

With just four weeks to go, the levels of furious electioneering continue to rocket upwards. While the big political story today may be Labour’s leaked manifesto, it is the prospect of Brexit and all that means in terms of business and consumer confidence that most concerns UK businesses. Read on for this past week’s related stories and more.

City firm HFW has announced a new gender equality strategy, vowing that at least 40% of senior lateral hires over the next three years will go to women, after missing its 2020 gender targets.