Associate Sophie Freelove offers her insights into Vinson & Elkins’ training contract, the early responsibility trainees are exposed to, the variety of work on offer and the firm’s excellent culture. Find out more in this Meet the Lawyer. 

The King’s Counsel Appointments (KCA) have announced the names of 96 new silks – King’s Counsel (KCs). Despite the nine solicitors who applied this year, all successful applicants were barristers, reflecting the long-standing pattern that the KC cohort is overwhelmingly drawn from the Bar. Since solicitors first became eligible for KC status in 1995, only 66 have been appointed out of 231 applicants.

What key reforms will be introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023?

International firm Norton Rose Fulbright is set to significantly expand its Newcastle legal support hub. 

The Solicitors’ Charity, an organisation that supports the wellbeing of solicitors and their dependents, won Charity Collaboration of the Year at the Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) Annual Awards 2025 for its long-running partnership with mental health charity LawCare.

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.  

For young legal professionals entering an increasingly competitive and digital-first industry, building a 'personal brand' isn’t about self-promotion for the sake of it, it’s about visibility, credibility, and creating opportunities that might not otherwise come your way.

Baker & McKenzie and Hogan Lovells are the first two firms to plan to integrate a new contextual recruitment tool in their online application systems, in time for the 2015-16 graduate recruitment season.

The government has given ground to striking barristers with an offer of £15 million to address the crisis in the criminal justice system.

Applications are now open for places on the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme, which provides financial support for the Legal Practice Course (LPC), as well as access to work experience opportunities and mentoring.

Both undergraduate and postgraduate students considering a career at the Bar are now able to get involved with the Bar Council, benefitting from a number of its services and helping to support its work on access to justice.

LPC and BPTC students keen to boost their CVs might be interested in a new competition being run by the Sentencing Council, the first prize of which is a law firm work placement or mini-pupillage.

An innovative online barristers’ business offering a “reimagined” Bar without physical chambers has received £10 million in private equity investment.

As the Institute of Legal Executives and Manchester Metropolitan University partner up to offer a new qualifying LLB in legal practice, find out what other law schools and universities have been getting up to.

The UK’s legal technology sector attracted a record £188.8 million in investment last year, representing a 35% jump on the previous year, according to LawtechUK’s second Investment Snapshot.

The introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) should be delayed, according to leading law academics, because continuing uncertainty around the new system is making it impossible for students to make informed decisions about the choices available to them.

Taylor Wessing’s UK arm and international firm Winston & Strawn LLP have confirmed that they’re currently in merger discussions. If finalised, the merger could create the latest transatlantic force with over 1,300 lawyers and revenues of around $1.63 billion – placing this new firm within the top 40 in the Global 200.

Subsequent to the Internet 2.0 with the rise of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter, the new revivification of the Internet will be the emergence of the Internet of Value.