Research published at the end of last year suggests that a working-class accent could damage your chances of finding a training contract.

Simmons & Simmons has earned the title of most gay-friendly law firm in the United Kingdom for the second year in a row.

The Lawyer reports that City firm Macfarlanes has widened the scope of its flexible working strategy in an effort to get more women into senior positions.

As the Lawyer reports, flexible working has come under scrutiny at Ashurst as part of a long-term project to improve the firm's working environment.

The Junior Lawyers Division has expressed concern that the proposed cuts to legal aid will make a career as a legal aid lawyer a viable option only for those with the financial backing to support themselves.

In the wake of reports of increasing elitism in the legal profession, magic circle firms Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Slaughter and May have backed a website designed to boost social mobility.

According to reports in The Lawyer, a new Legal Services Board (LSB) proposal to monitor social mobility in the legal profession will see lawyers asked a range of questions about their socio-economic background, religion, disability and caring responsibilities.

The Bar Council has launched a new website Become-a-barrister.com which aims to promote social mobility in the profession and dispel the myth that the career is only open to those from privileged backgrounds.

The window for applications to the Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme has opened, closing on Thursday 31 March.

To mark 100 years of International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Law Society is holding a roundtable discussion followed by a networking event.

As reported in Legal Week, Norton Rose has joined forces with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity in order to encourage more black and ethnic minority individuals to sign up for its summer vacation scheme.

City Law School has joined the Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme, aimed at improving social mobility in the legal profession.

The Law Society's annual statistical report reveals that the number of training contracts available in the year ending 31 July 2010 fell by 16.1%.

Addleshaw Goddard, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Hogan Lovells have made it into the Times' Top 50 Employers for Women list.

On 8 June 170 guests from 72 law firms attended the eighth annual LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards (the TARAs).

The Law Society invites people to join the legal profession march at this year's Pride London parade on Saturday 2 July.

Controversial plans to improve access to the legal profession by forcing law firms and chambers to publish internal diversity and social mobility data on their websites have been approved by the Legal Services Board.

In a recent speech to the Financial Services Lawyers Association, Nick Clegg said that the legal profession must radically improve diversity.

The outstanding achievements of professionals across the legal sector have been celebrated by the Law Society.

The Queen has granted ILEX the Royal Charter - recognition of it being a body that works in the public interest, and that demonstrates pre-eminence, stability and permanence in its field.