It’s worth mentioning that a legal career is competitive and expensive.

Happy Thursday!

It’s time for the LawCareers.Net commercial news round-up. 

The University of Law in Hong Kong has welcomed its first official cohort as students at the campus begin their part-time and full-time GDL courses.

Back in 2013, the naturalist David Attenborough called for action on climate change, arguing that “we have a finite environment – the planet. Anyone who thinks that you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist.” Fast forward to 2018 United Nations’ panel on climate change has said that the world has only 12 years left to prevent ecological catastrophe.

Walker Morris, a distinctive and independent top 100 UK law firm, has introduced a new sabbatical scheme for lawyers.

The first ever UK Commercial Awareness Competition has been won by a team of students from Queen Mary University of London.

The latest round of partner promotions at City firms indicates some progress toward greater gender equality at the top, with women making up a higher number of newly promoted partners than in previous years.

The UK legal services sector saw turnover fall by 16% in May from £3.92 billion (April 2022) to £3.28 billion in May, according to Office of National Statistics data. 

The government has opposed calls from lawyers in the House of Lords to scale back the powers of the Legal Services Board, claiming instead that the current system is fit for purpose.

Are we becoming a cashless society?

The GDL is only the first stepping stone on the way to becoming a lawyer for non-law graduates. 

Greater commerciality and business sense - that’s what recruiters want from their recruits and are what they’ll be assessing right now as they prepare to make training contract offers.

I’m a first-year student – what’s a vacation scheme and when should I apply?

We look at AI’s impact on Hollywood and the music industry this week. Plus, are mortgage rates on the way down and will the government act on calls to remove VAT from period pants? Find out more in this week’s commercial news round-up. 

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has launched a three-month public consultation, seeking input on proposed changes to revise the definition of academic legal training. 

AI describes the ability of a computer system to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, including those relating to perception, recognition, decision making and learning. Given this substantial potential, it's key for legal professionals to understand the factors that influence how AI can impact the legal field.