The Law Society has responded to the concerns raised in the legal education and training review, reinforcing its commitment to the traditional route to qualification while simultaneously acknowledging that the LETR should lead to the opening of alternative ways into the profession.

Women are outperforming men in relation to some judicial appointments up to and including the High Court, statistics published by the Judicial Appointments Commission have revealed.

The Law Society has called on the country's solicitors to promote diversity and equality in the legal profession by marching at the World Pride Parade, which takes place in London on Saturday 7 July 2012.

Lucy Scott-Moncrieff was inaugurated as the new president of the Law Society at its annual general meeting on 5 July.

New research has revealed that privately educated lawyers still make up the majority of legal professionals at the country's top 20 law firms.

Insurance super firm Plexus Law has launched its own apprenticeship, which incorporates a government-backed scheme, with the first intake set to start in September 2013.

The SRA will be making unannounced visits to 100 "randomly selected" law firms in order to assess their compliance with diversity reporting requirements, it was announced at the Law Society Firms Diversity Forum meeting in September.

Leading law firms Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Shearman & Sterling have joined the legal client list of Rare, the specialist graduate diversity recruitment company.

Hogan Lovells has unveiled the details of its diversity plan, which includes an emphasis on retaining and advancing the careers of women lawyers to ensure greater gender equality among its partners.

While acknowledging calls for greater flexibility in the provision of legal training, the Law Society has insisted that the rigorous standards of the current system must be maintained in its response to the latest discussion paper from the Legal Education and Training Review.

The Bar Council and Bar Standards Boards have jointly published the second Bar Barometer, an annual report on statistical trends within the Bar.

Kaplan Law School and Field Fisher Waterhouse have joined together to launch a scheme that will help students from under-represented backgrounds get ahead.

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

The government has opposed calls from lawyers in the House of Lords to scale back the powers of the Legal Services Board, claiming instead that the current system is fit for purpose.

A report by the Law Society has argued that law firms are improving on diversity matters, though further progress is still required.

The Bar Standards Board has ordered an external review of its professional conduct complaints processes after discovering that black and minority ethnic barristers were overrepresented in the complaints system.

Applications have opened for the Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme, which helps exceptional students with their LPC fees.

The number of applications for Queen's Counsel status submitted by female barristers has dropped by a third this year.

The new Level Four Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services is now open for registration.

The cost of taking the Bar Professional Training Course has been increased by almost every course provider this year.