City firm Herbert Smith Freehills has elected 26 partners worldwide – its biggest partner promotions round since 2012 and four more than 2019 – despite coronavirus concerns.

The UK Diversity Legal Awards celebrates its 11th anniversary this year and continues to “promote the successful work and commendable efforts of individuals and organisations in the legal profession.”

Browne Jacobson LLP, Linklaters LLP and Allen & Overy LLP are among 41 law firms on the 2023 Social Mobility Employer Index, with the legal profession retaining its place as the best-represented sector in the index this year. 

The popularity of podcasts has soared in recent years with more than 19.1 million podcast listeners in the UK as of January 2023, according to cybercrew. Here are the 15 podcasts we think all aspiring lawyers should listen to.

The Social Mobility Foundation has opened applications for its 2014 programmes, including law, which provide young people from less privileged backgrounds with free mentoring, skills development, internships and support with university applications.

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

International firm Norton Rose Fulbright will introduce a new hybrid working policy, allowing staff to work remotely for up to 50% of the time once the pandemic has passed. Linklaters and Taylor Wessing have also introduced agile working strategies. 

As exam season comes to an end and vac schemers prepare for their stints, those who were unable to secure places now have a summer of time to fill. If you haven’t managed to secure a vac scheme (or pupillage) this summer and you’re feeling a little lost, read on for some of my tips! 

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is set to recruit its first solicitor apprentices in September 2025, joining Linklaters LLP and Allen & Overy LLP as the third magic circle law firm to embrace this alternative route. 

Major law firms including Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith, Linklaters, Norton Rose, and Slaughter and May have pledged their support for a new work experience project designed to boost social mobility in the legal profession.

Magic circle rates held especially strong with 94% of newly qualified (NQ) solicitors at Linklaters (47 out of 50) accepting roles, while Allen & Overy revealed that 92% (34 of 37) of trainees are staying on post qualification.

Recent research suggests that nearly half of the top 200 UK law firms have won business directly through social media engagement, though fewer than a quarter of these have so far integrated social media into their marketing strategies.

The Windrush Legal Initiative, a pro bono advice scheme, has been relaunched in an effort to support more victims of the Windrush immigration scandal. 

Nearly 80% of UK employers have a gender pay gap that favours men in 2022-2023.  

BARBRI has announced the innovative funding initiative, BARBRI Bridges, to support and enhance diversity inclusion and wider access to the legal sector.

Welcome to the next topic in this series, where I attempt to make commercial awareness content for non-law students like myself.

Is working from home here to stay?