With covid-19 dominating the news over the past year, it is important for aspiring lawyers to take a step back from covid-related news and think about what else has been happening. What news is relevant to your target firms and their clients?

So, what other notable stories are in the news this week? Read LCN’s round-up for some updates to keep you in the loop.

The bitter legal battle over the introduction of employment tribunal fees is set to end soon as the verdict on a Supreme Court hearing is considered. 

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) published its annual report on diversity at the Bar last week, which showed that progress was made in 2018 in terms of diversity at the Bar, as well as the disclosure rates of barristers providing data.

The UK’s most senior judge, Baroness Hale, has guest edited a special episode of the BBC’s Today programme, telling listeners that cuts to legal aid funding have caused “serious difficulty” to the justice system.

At LawCareersNetLIVE 2022, we spoke to recruiters and lawyers from DWF Group LLP, Shoosmiths and Clyde & Co LLP about the importance of commercial awareness and how candidates can demonstrate this skill in their applications.

Post-election, probably the biggest related topic in the City is the prospect of a "Brexit" and what that might mean to investors and UK businesses.

Football fans can now watch matches transmitted from overseas by using foreign decoder cards after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that preventing consumers from doing so would be contrary to free trade laws.

Four-day working weeks, football wages, and blue ticks on Instagram and Facebook are among some of the stories we’ve picked out for you in this week’s commercial news round-up. Have a read of our summaries and take a look at our ‘Wrestle with PESTLE’ series for advice and case studies on how you can apply the PESTLE technique to your commercial news analysis. 

In this masterclass sponsored by Arnold & Porter LLP, Osborne Clarke LLP and Shoosmiths, find out what it means to start a career in law as a non-law student, including how to research firms, what to include in your application, and how to make the transition into law. 

Why did Silicon Valley Bank collapse?

Have you been keeping up with the latest commercial news? Data shows that consumers are buying Halloween related items earlier this year and Virgin Trains is set to operate services through the Channel tunnel route by 2030. 

Changes to the Employment Rights Bill will cut costs for businesses by billions, according to a new impact report. Meanwhile, figures show that the UK construction industry is struggling, Labour MPs are calling for the prime minister to rethink changes to hospitality funding and Marks & Spencer experienced disappointing Christmas fashion sales as it continues to feel the fallout from last year’s cyberattack. 

Japan has introduced a new streamlined registration process to make it easier for British firms to access Japan’s legal services market. The changes will save time and money, while bolstering “collaboration” between the legal sectors and “boosting bilateral trade in legal services”.

The Law Society of England and Wales recently launched its new three-year diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategy as part of its wider corporate goals for a more accessible legal profession.

I keep reading about large payoffs for executives departing publicly listed companies. Isn't it about time that such organisations aligned the financial rewards available to their executives more to the performance of the businesses in the same way that the private equity industry does?

As you move into the start of a new academic year, there’s no better time to start building your commercial acumen. This week’s commercial news round-up takes a look at the latest AI developments at Meta, the future of video games, the controversial decision to give the go-ahead to develop Rosebank – the UK’s largest undeveloped oil site – and a mortgage rate update. 

Andrew Caplen, Law Society president, has increase the pressure for a digital Magna Carta, in order to establish global internet rights and particularly to protect legal privilege from surveillance systems.