Law fair season is upon us, and as LCN lurches from uni to uni, you should be focusing on developing your commercial awareness as a way of impressing the recruiters that you meet.

The best commercial lawyers have their fingers firmly on the pulse of the business world. If that is the role to which you aspire, starting to get a grip now on the business and economic news of the day is essential, but it can be hard to know where to start. Look no further.

With the holidays almost upon us, it will soon be time for a well-earned break from all that gives people the blues (ie, the news) – at least for a couple of days! But before then, let’s briefly run through some of this week’s big business stories in our continuing quest to help you develop your commercial awareness. 

With the excesses of Easter behind you, it’s time to really commit to the task ahead: developing your commercial awareness and thus significantly improving your chances on the recruitment frontline. Start here with this week’s curated group of topical news stories.

The post-New Year fog may not have quite lifted yet, but one startling fact should serve to wake you up – deemed ‘Fat cat Thursday’, by lunchtime today the chief executives of top British companies will have made more money than the average UK worker will earn in the entire year. A depressing state of affairs, by anyone’s standards. For more financial and business news that you should be alert to, read on.

Today’s the day – and if you haven’t already, get out there and vote! The implications of the outcome of the election on all areas of our lives is major. For news other than the election, read on.

You may well be in the midst of a training contract application frenzy, but don’t panic; one of the best things you can do to help your chances (other than NOT submitting your applications at 11.45pm on 31 July) is hone your commercial awareness skills. Here are a few news stories that you should probably know a bit about.

With just four weeks to go, the levels of furious electioneering continue to rocket upwards. While the big political story today may be Labour’s leaked manifesto, it is the prospect of Brexit and all that means in terms of business and consumer confidence that most concerns UK businesses. Read on for this past week’s related stories and more.

Commerciality is an important part of being a successful lawyer, but law firms won’t expect you to be a fully formed, business guru when you arrive as trainee – they appreciate it takes years to develop. However, what they will expect is that you have started to gain some understanding of what is required to advise your clients in a business-appropriate way. The best place to start is by keeping up with big business news stories of the day; examples to follow.

As we lurch into July, the pressing matter of training contract applications may be foremost in your minds. It is worth considering that part of making a convincing application – and more importantly, being a convincing candidate at interview – is the development of your commercial awareness. To help, you need look no further than this selection of recent business news stories.

With just one week to go until the general election, the majority of headlines are understandably focused on all things political.

As national elections of all varieties continue to dominate headlines, there is still space for those all-important economic stories. In fact, more often than not, the political and business worlds are inextricably linked. For a variety of both, read on.

This round-up is big on banks; they seem to have featured heavily in the past week’s news cycle. For tales of their varying woes, plus much more, read on.

Like the autumn term at university, the news is moving fast. Here is this week’s rundown of the commercial stories you really need to know.

With less than a week to go until the biggest training contract application deadline of the year – 31 July – you may be head down, furiously working away on your applications. Take a brief pause to read this week’s selection of business and economic news – there’s every chance that you’ll be asked about some current news stories in an interview, so it’s worth keeping on top of what’s going on.

We are supposed to be in the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”, but the business world is anything but mellow as it confronts a host of issues stemming from the country’s economic problems, as well as the prospect of Brexit. This report brings you up to speed on some of the week’s important commercial news as you continue to hone the wider business knowledge that you will need as a lawyer.

The consequences of the general election earlier this month could monumentally change the country’s economic course as set by politicians before the poll, despite the fact that the same government looks set to return to power (albeit only with the help of its friends in the Democratic Unionist Party). However, this week’s headlines also report some gloomy fallout from another national vote – that of last year’s referendum on EU membership. 

The big news today, gripping the City and beyond, is the Bank of England announcement that it is raising interest rates from 0.25% to 0.5% - the first rise since 2007, it reverses the emergency rate cuts that were implemented following the EU referendum. For other business stories of note, read on.

Autumn tends to bring with it a renewed sense of vigour and the chance for a fresh start – make one of your autumn resolutions a commitment to honing your commercial awareness skills in a bid to impress future employers. Where to start? Look no further than this selection from the past week.

With Brexit talks now firmly underway, and a pact between the government and the DUP in place, the business of analysing what it all means for the United Kingdom’s future is everywhere. Continue to keep an eye on the big political and business news in advance of your interviews, as you’ll likely need to have an opinion on what’s been going on. For a sample of the biggest news from the past week, read on.