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

It seems like the UK has taken a U-turn as the government announced new restrictions earlier this week in a bid to tackle the pandemic. As the world continues to grapple with the virus, keeping up to date with its impact on the business and legal worlds is increasingly important. You can read summaries of some of this week’s top stories here.

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. 

Senior law lecturer Joe Sekhon of Portsmouth Business School has won £30,000 to set up an IP clinic for students to gain free advice from law students.

The winners of National Accident Helpline’s Future Legal Mind competition have been announced as Syed Adil from the University of Aberdeen and Matthew Johnson from Oxford Brookes University.

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 shining lights of the student pro bono scene were celebrated on 26 April at the annual LawWorks & Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards. Held at the House of Commons, the awards are designed to recognise the exceptional work being done by students and their law schools around the UK in the provision of free legal advice and support.

Students aged 15-18 competed in the final of the 23rd annual Bar National Mock Trial Competition on Saturday 22 March at Cardiff Crown Court.

The winner of the LawCareers.Net and LittleLaw essay competition has been announced as Kendal Boyd for her essay on “What is the most important thing to you when choosing your future law firm?”.