On 19 December the UK government revealed plans to increase criminal legal aid rates for solicitors by a further 12% to improve access to justice. An initial 6% rise will follow a consultation in early 2025, with a further 6% committed by the end of parliament. This will result in a total boost of £92 million.

The SRA's annual equality report has this year shown a small improvement in the diversity of its own employees.

City law firm Vinson & Elkins RLLP has announced the implementation of a new policy requiring its employees to work from the office for at least four days each week. 

Liz Truss has become the first woman to hold the post of lord chancellor in the thousand-year history of the role, after replacing the sacked Michael Gove as justice secretary in Theresa May’s new cabinet. 

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.

How have recent developments, such as in Merricks, changed the future landscape of opt-out collective proceedings?

Is continuing financial support for 'zombie' companies good or bad for the economy?

Has the tide begun to turn on offshoring?

How does the example of the Sainsbury’s takeover of Argos demonstrate the two different types of UK M&A deal and the importance of lawyers being commercially savvy?

Birmingham law firm Shakespeare Martineau LLP is supporting British Muslim charity Mercy Mission UK to launch a mentoring scheme, offering work experience placements to Muslim youth. 

The Bar Standards Board will host a debate on the different options for training and qualifying as a barrister set out in its Future Bar Training Consultation. 

Hiring activity in the legal industry fell in 2023, with figures returning to levels similar to those seen pre-pandemic. 

Radical changes to firms’ approach to flexible working, improvements to parental leave and new mentoring and sponsorship programmes should be made top priorities to improve gender equality in the legal profession, according to women on the frontline.

When the weather closes in, and all you want to do is hunker down, what better way to spend those long, dark winter days and nights than boning up on your commercial awareness?

The King’s Counsel Appointments (KCA) have announced the names of 96 new silks – King’s Counsel (KCs). Despite the nine solicitors who applied this year, all successful applicants were barristers, reflecting the long-standing pattern that the KC cohort is overwhelmingly drawn from the Bar. Since solicitors first became eligible for KC status in 1995, only 66 have been appointed out of 231 applicants.

With one day to go until GDPR kicks in, you would be forgiven for never wanting to see that particular 4-letter acronym again. However, for a succinct explanation of why it’s important to understand what it all means – particularly to you, as law students and future legal professionals. For other news of interest, read on.

Stephenson Harwood LLP has launched global fertility and pregnancy loss policies for its employees. All partners and global employees can benefit from the policy which aims to emotionally support people through their parenthood journey.