In a week in which MPs prepare themselves to vote again on the Brexit deal at the start of next month, and the Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled after a guest’s death, there have been plenty of noteworthy news stories to keep abreast of. For in-depth analysis of the latest legal and commercial issues, we would always recommend signing up to Lexology. 

International law firm Trowers & Hamlins has announced that all 13 of its trainees who are set to qualify in March will be kept on as newly-qualified solicitors.

Experience, whether legal or not, is invaluable Ugo Ebhogiaye, an associate at Trowers & Hamlins LLP, tells us. Learn about Ugo’s time as a paralegal, her remote placement in Oman during the pandemic and what her role as chair of the firm’s Race Ethnicity and Heritage Network involves.

Head of early talent Rachel Chapman shares the most common ways candidates let themselves down, what you need to know about Trowers & Hamlins LLP and all the ways the firm prioritises diversity and inclusion. 

We’re pleased to offer our first ever solicitor apprenticeship programme across our four offices in the UK – Birmingham, Exeter, London and Manchester. Not only will you be able to find a more accessible path into law, you’ll be earning while you learn in a top 50 firm.

With piracy on the rise, what is the role of shipping lawyers in combating the problems it causes?

What is the story behind patents in the real world?

As reported in Legal Futures, a best practice code aimed at preventing the biased granting of internships and improving social mobility for underprivileged students has received backing from the Legal Serves Board, Law Society and Bar Council.

Addleshaw Goddard, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Hogan Lovells have made it into the Times' Top 50 Employers for Women list.

Gordons LLP, based in Yorkshire, has welcomed three new apprentices to train with the firm.

While you may be breathing a sigh of relief that the biggest vacation scheme deadline of the year has now passed, there is no time to rest on your laurels when it comes to improving your commercial awareness – if you get invited to interview, you need to have a few aces up your sleeve. The best place to start is by keeping an eye on the big business stories of the day – a task that we are only too happy to help with.

How does litigation work in practice?

Commercial awareness is a vital skill for all lawyers. For candidates applying for vacation schemes and training contracts, becoming commercially aware involves building an understanding of how law firms and their clients work as businesses, and how the wider world impacts them. This guide rounds up a range of commercial stories and talking points from 2022.