With CityLawLIVE happening tomorrow, and the LC.N team scurrying around trying to connect would-be City lawyers with actual City lawyers, we’re rounding up our commercial news a day early this week.

Applications are now open for places on the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme, which provides financial support for the Legal Practice Course (LPC), as well as access to work experience opportunities and mentoring.

The pay war between law firms continues this month, with newly qualified lawyer salaries at Ropes & Gray increasing to £147,000, plus bonuses.

The government has announced a 5% budget increase for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and an extra £80 million for the Crown Prosecution Service, but lawyers see the increases as nowhere near sufficient to deal with problems in the justice system.

As reported in the Law Gazette, Director of Public Prosecutions Kier Starmer has vowed that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will become entirely paperless by April 2012.

Professor Nigel Savage, who oversaw the transition of The University of Law to gaining full university status, was awarded an honorary doctorate at the recent University of Law graduation ceremony.

The Legal Education and Training Review could be outdated before it is published, University of Law chief executive Nigel Savage has warned.

New rules come into force on 1 July 2014, ensuring that every member of a chambers’ selection panel must have received training on fair recruitment processes.

Linklaters has launched a tailored training contract for Mandarin speakers whereby candidates are trained in London before moving to practise in China upon qualification.

Lauren Riley - solicitor and former Apprentice contestant - has announced that the app designed by her to streamline the working practices of busy lawyers will be aiming to raise £150,000 of equity funding via Crowd2Fund.

To coincide with Black History Month, the Law Society is holding a series of events at Chancery Lane in celebration of the achievements of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) lawyers.

LawCareersNet is again on the hunt to discover the best law lecturer from institutions across the country. We want to know which law lecturer goes the extra mile to make his/her subject understood and inspires you with fantastic teaching.

US firms Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP and Locke Lord have signed a Letter of Intent to combine their two firms, although the proposal is subject to further negotiations and partner approval.

City firm and veritable fairy godmother Linklaters has launched a new competition called Aspire which allows entrants to select their own prize.

As reported in Legal Week, Norton Rose has joined forces with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity in order to encourage more black and ethnic minority individuals to sign up for its summer vacation scheme.

Full-service firm Howard Kennedy has made the University of Law the exclusive provider of the Legal Practice Course to the firm’s future trainees. 

Manchester Metropolitan University has been given conditional approval to deliver its new Bar course from September 2020 by the Bar Standards Board. 

Clifford Chance and Baker McKenzie are among the top law firms raising funds to support India through its covid-19 crisis.

Clyde & Co is to merge with one of Scotland’s largest firms, Simpson & Marwick.

The Law Society has issued guidance to legal aid solicitors who specialise in criminal law reminding them that they can exercise their discretion when deciding to accept cases if “the work threatens the viability of their firm”.