More than a third of law firms in England and Wales are now majority-owned by women, showing continuing progress toward gender equality in the legal profession, the Law Society has said in marking this International Women’s Day.

Half of working mothers in the legal profession are taking on more childcare responsibilities than their partners during the UK’s lockdown, a survey conducted by the team behind the First 100 Years Project reports.

A quarter of women working in the legal profession have had their incomes reduced from pre-coronavirus levels, with one in five working reduced hours, a snap poll has found.

Women made up 36% of partner hires in the United Kingdom during Q1 2024, according to Legal Monitor’s latest UK partner hires report. 

Recently merged Womble Bond Dickinson has taken on five new legal apprentices in its Plymouth office. The apprentices will work in the firm’s corporate and commercial, real estate and dispute resolution teams.

Skye Fenton-Wells explains how Womble Bond Dickinson recruits its future lawyers, what skills they look for and the information you should be including in your applications. Discover how you can be a successful applicant with Skye’s insight.

Corporate and private client firm Withy King, headquartered in Bath, is set to merge with London firm Royds.

The first two apprentices to join Withers have started at the firm’s London office in its real estate and corporate departments.

The private property team have a high profile in both the landed estates and the London residential property market and we have a fantastic opportunity for a CILEX Student to join the team.

The number of firms taking on legal apprentices continues to increase steadily, with Withers LLP and Hill Dickinson both confirming schemes for school leavers.

Freya MacCormack, a disputes associate at Winston & Strawn London LLP, talks about the high level of responsibility available at the firm (including advocacy), the criteria she used to choose firms and the type of work she’s involved with day to day. 

The winners of the 2023 National Accident Helpline’s Future Legal Mind competition have been revealed, with Emily Eastburn-Pentreath taking the title for the postgraduate category and Stephanie Anais becoming the latest undergraduate winner. 

The Windrush Legal Initiative, a pro bono advice scheme, has been relaunched in an effort to support more victims of the Windrush immigration scandal. 

Winckworth Sherwood has been named the leading law firm in the United Kingdom for workplace gender and ethnic diversity by the Black Solicitors Network.

Joanna Clark is keen that prospective trainees know all about the friendly culture and diverse practice that characterise Winckworth Sherwood. Read on to deepen your understanding of this interesting, central London firm.

This month, love is in the air, yet the inevitable deadlines for training contracts and vacation schemes are fast approaching. Junior lawyers and students often manifest a love-hate relationship with the application process for any role. In this article I hope to provide some reassurance that there are several factors that you can control in that process, without sending chocolates and flowers (save those for your actual loved ones!). 

I’ve been enjoying reading ‘Never Eat Alone’ by Keith Ferrazzi. It’s a great book to read if you’re interested in learning how to network and build meaningful relationships in your work and business life.