In what ways will AI impact the legal profession? For many years, there have been growing concerns that the increasing use and development of AI technology would eventually turf out and replace human lawyers. 

The University of Law (ULaw) has agreed a new partnership with leading firm Muckle LLP, which will see ULaw become the exclusive Solicitors Qualifying Exam training provider for the firm’s future trainees from September 2023. 

Spring may have sprung, but that is no reason to neglect your commitment to self-improvement and progressing your legal career. This week’s selection is a real mixed-bag of commercial stories that should serve to pique your interest in the business world.

Research undertaken jointly by the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Law Society, the Bar Council and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has found that members perceive nearly all aspects of judicial office as increasingly appealing.

The World Cup may well be taking a lot of your time and energy at the moment – and fair enough – but spare a thought for concerned pub and bar owners worried that the shortage of CO2 in Europe could mean a lack of beer and food during what is a very lucrative trading period. The horror. For other commercial news of interest, read on.

Philip Hammond delivered his first budget yesterday, and it was a mixed bag to say the least. While the UK’s growth forecast has been upgraded for 2017, it has been downgraded for subsequent years. Self-employed workers face a significant hike in their national insurance payments, but fuel duty has been frozen for another year. An additional £2 billion is to go to social care funding, but the NHS remains woefully underfunded. The BBC has provided a useful summary of these and other key points. For a selection of other big commercial stories that made headlines this week, take a look at these:

For the past 18 months, members of the Crown Prosecution Service, police chiefs, lawyers, the Ministry of Justice, and the HM Prison and Probation Service formed a working party to update guidelines for judges in what’s been labelled a “change in culture”. The guidelines were rolled out from 16 January.  

Following a vote to join the criminal Bar in protest action, more than 100 criminal defence solicitors will stop taking on low-paid work in response to the government’s criminal legal aid reforms.

Law firms and chambers are failing on inclusion as disabled lawyers are significantly underrepresented in the legal profession compared to the wider employed population.

Macfarlanes LLP has announced a partnership with HarveyAI, an OpenAI-backed tool that’s designed specifically to assist with legal work.

Women made up 36% of partner hires in the United Kingdom during Q1 2024, according to Legal Monitor’s latest UK partner hires report. 

Two magic circle firms have broken ranks with their peers to include partners in their gender pay gap reporting.

The Welsh government has proposed a new unified and expanded tribunal system: the Appeal Tribunal for Wales. 

The Association of Women Solicitors has criticised the Solicitors Regulation Authority's decision to abolish the minimum salary for trainee solicitors.

Commerciality and business nous: these are prized skills among lawyers and exactly the kind of thing that firms want their trainees to possess (or at least demonstrate the potential to develop). Start working on this part of your brain by reading this week’s collection of economic and business news.

The University of Law has begun training its second group of solicitor apprentices this January, in partnership with several leading employers.

The Welsh government has proposed a new unified and expanded tribunal system: the Appeal Tribunal for Wales. 

The Law Society’s equality and diversity committee has approved a campaign to bring flexible working policies, for men as well as women, into “the mainstream of employment practices at law firms”, Legal Futures has reported.