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.

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.

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.

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.  

A team of first-year undergraduates from the University of Manchester have won Norton Rose Fulbright and McLaren Mercedes’ ‘great partnership challenge’, which gives contestants a chance to win a week’s work experience at Norton Rose Fulbright and a trip to the McLaren Technology Centre.

Manchester Law School, part of Manchester Metropolitan University, has accepted the first students onto its alternative training route.

Eleven interns have started their six-week paid internship at the Law Society of England and Wales, as it continues to participate in the #10000BlackInterns initiative. 

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.

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. 

DAC Beachcroft LLP, Hill Dickinson LLP, Mishcon de Reya LLP and Pinsent Masons LLP have each been named as one of the UK’s top 10 family-friendly employers. 

A large proportion (53%) of future barristers are Oxbridge graduates, according to new research by Chambers and Partners, which also found that only 11% of pupils come from non-Russell Group universities. 

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. 

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.