The body representing junior lawyers has called for greater scrutiny of decisions made by the legal profession’s ‘super regulator’ after the Solicitors Qualifying Exam was approved amid widespread criticism.

Research conducted by academics at the Universities of Cardiff and Bristol show that the vast majority of work done by paid McKenzie Friends is delivered outside the courtroom, rather than actively representing their clients in court.

Osborne Clarke LLP has achieved a 19% increase in global revenues with the firm planning to pay bonuses of at least £2,500 to UK staff.

Clyde & Co has announced that it has offered jobs to 100% of its trainees, across all of its international offices, with a 100% acceptance rate in the United Kingdom (and a 98% global acceptance rate).

The London Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Business and Law has been awarded funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England to set up a mentoring programme for law undergraduates from under-represented backgrounds.

The Law Society has launched its new Access to Justice campaign, aiming to “defend the rule of law in an environment where legal advice is becoming more expensive and difficult to obtain”.

The Bar Council has responded to the Bar Standards Board’s new policy statement on pupillage, work-based learning and qualification.

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives recently held its annual graduation ceremony, with new CILEx members celebrating their new status as qualified lawyers.

International legal business DWF Group Plc has opened its fourth office in Germany through the recruitment of the entire Düsseldorf office of Marccus Partners.

A clear divide in working hours among trainee and junior lawyers at UK law firms has been revealed in new research, with US-headquartered firms continuing to top the table for longest average days.

Law firm Kingsley Napley LLP is the first legal employer to sign the Menopause Workplace Pledge, which is run by the Wellbeing of Women charity.

The gender pay gap for partners and employees at Freshfields has reduced to 57.2% according to figures published at the end of March 2020.

A report commissioned by the Bar Standards Board has concluded that access to justice would be damaged if the Bar's 'cab rank' rule is abolished.

The justice secretary, Chris Grayling, has agreed to meet criminal legal aid lawyers to discuss the government's widely opposed plans for legal aid in person, after pressure to do so by the Law Society.

Magic circle firm Clifford Chance has attacked proposals by the Labour Party to create a broad financial transaction tax (FTT) by extending stamp duty – a policy also known as the ‘Robin Hood tax’. 

The University of Law is guaranteeing places on Solicitors Qualifying Exam training courses to students at the University of Southampton, the University of Surrey, the University of Leicester and Birkbeck, University of London after reaching an agreement with the other universities.

City law firms Travers Smith LLP and Ashurst LLP have both revealed increases to the salaries of their newly qualified (NQ) solicitors. 

With the biggest vac scheme deadline of the year looming (31 January), now’s the time to get your head back in the game, commercial-awareness-wise. You may find yourself being quizzed on your knowledge of economic affairs in vac scheme interviews, so it pays to be prepared. Here’s a selection from the past week to get you started.

Legal aid lawyers have been called a “dying breed” after research by the Junior Lawyers Division found that only 4% of young lawyers are interested in working in legal aid.