Oxford Brookes School of Law and The College of Legal Practice have joined forces to offer the law school’s students discounted access to Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) preparation courses, as well as appropriate guidance and information on the new route to qualifying.

The College of Legal Practice has announced an “innovative” conversion course – a Graduate Foundation in Law programme – designed for non-law graduates who are taking the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) route to qualification. 

Norton Rose Fulbright stood out among the submissions for its well-embedded programmes that have made tangible differences to the firm’s recruitment statistics and the way it supports its trainees and employees.

‘Commercial awareness’ is a term you’ve probably heard thrown around a lot by law firm recruiters.

How is commercial awareness from a regulatory perspective applicable to acquisitions?

In his latest commercial awareness case study, LCN's Matt Broadbent looks at some of the latest developments in the UK's arts and culture sector that aspiring lawyers should know about. 

Matt discusses how economic actions have unexpected consequences – here we look at how Donald Trump's sabre rattling over steel and automotive trade with China has resulted in soybean farmers in the Midwest losing their farms.

In this commercial awareness case study, Matt Broadbent shows how a little blue pill can help you understand how the pharmaceuticals industry works. 

What does commercial awareness really mean to your clients and to your supervising partner?

The phrase “despite the impact of covid-19” embodies the overarching theme for M&A deals in 2021 for large international law firms. There has been a complete turnaround where deals, and especially megadeals, are de facto doing better than during pre-covid time. Deals are at a 10 year high in the first quarter of 2021 in the US. 

Subsequent to the Internet 2.0 with the rise of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter, the new revivification of the Internet will be the emergence of the Internet of Value.

Private equity  has been under the limelight during the pandemic and here are some emerging trends that all aspiring lawyers should be aware of. 

The sharp rise of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) sector has created a demand from investors and scrutiny from regulators, especially in the environmental sector. The abbreviation ESG has become ubiquitous recently, therefore it is paramount for aspiring lawyers to follow the rise of the ESG sector.

How can you articulate commercial awareness as a graduate?

The Commercial Bar Association is once again offering financial awards and work experience in 2017, as part of its drive to encourage people from less-privileged backgrounds to consider careers as commercial barristers. 

Leading commercial set 20 Essex Street has become the first barristers’ chambers in the country to adopt Rare’s contextual recruitment system (CRS), an approach to assessing applicants that is designed to be fairer to candidates from diverse and less-privileged backgrounds.

The commercial Bar covers a broad range of practice areas, including banking and financial services, sale of goods and shipping, insolvency, professional negligence and civil fraud, insurance/reinsurance and oil and gas law.

Leading commercial firm DAC Beachcroft has launched an “in-house chambers”, with plans for it to become “the biggest model of its kind” by the end of the year, according to Sahar Farooqi, one of the two barrister partners leading the project.

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