National Accident Helpline has announced 10 aspiring lawyers as finalists in its annual award scheme, Future Legal Mind Award 2021.

Online legal tools for women to protect themselves from domestic abuse and a chatbot designed to help people with special educational needs access legal advice are among the eight Legal Access Challenge finalists.

The consequences of the general election earlier this month could monumentally change the country’s economic course as set by politicians before the poll, despite the fact that the same government looks set to return to power (albeit only with the help of its friends in the Democratic Unionist Party). However, this week’s headlines also report some gloomy fallout from another national vote – that of last year’s referendum on EU membership. 

A UN envoy appointed to report on extreme poverty and human rights in the UK has criticised the government’s cuts to legal aid, which have deprived poor and disabled people of their rights.

This weekly round-up is designed to help you develop your commercial awareness by being informed about the issues affecting the world of law and business. Let’s get started.

Manchester-based firm Browne Jacobson has extended its mentoring scheme with Manchester Metropolitan University’s law school, which aims to improve access to careers in the legal profession for students from less-privileged backgrounds. 

The Legal Services Board will stop any proposals to limit law school places following the findings of the Legal Education and Training Review by issuing strict guidelines so that regulators only implement the LETR recommendations that it approves.

The digital court reform programme is designed to transform the UK’s justice system and how it operates.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett has authorised 65 retired judges, half of whom are in their 70s, to oversee cases in an attempt to reduce the backlog of 63,000 cases. 

Ryanair’s bouncing cheques aside, this week’s commercial news round-up is largely American focused: from Trump’s continued trade war with China to the stock market milestone. And in case you were missing your Brexit update, the Law Society has warned of a £3 billion loss from the legal sector if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Step this way for your weekly dose of business news.

Elite law firms could be pressured to return to a full five days in the office as larger fee-paying clients crack the whip on their own staff.  

It’s a big week for LawCareers.Net as we head off to Manchester for LawCareersNetLIVE. As we’re fully immersing ourselves in event organisation mode, this week’s round-up is a short one. But don’t worry, we’re still covering all the top stories.  

Slightly off piste, but we thought this was too good not to share. This article from the Guardian has excellent networking tips, especially for those of us not naturally inclined to forcing our way into conversations and being charming, all while balancing a plate and drink aloft.

Barristers from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely than their white counterparts to have complaints raised against them by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), according to a study by the regulator. 

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has published a consultation with proposed regulatory measures to strengthen ethical standards in the legal sector.

The limited information published about the recent Solicitors Qualifying Exam stage one pilot means that it is “impossible” to tell whether the new ‘super exam’ will work as intended, the Association of Law Teachers has warned.

BPP University has announced a partnership with Future Finance that will offer BPP undergraduate and postgraduate students competitively placed loans to finance their studies while at the institution.

I am a second-year law student currently serving a two-year driving disqualification for drink-driving. Could this conviction prevent me from becoming a corporate lawyer?

The search to find this year’s Future Legal Mind has gained momentum as the deadline for aspiring lawyers across the UK to put themselves forward for the award draws closer.