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.

According to the new report by Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC), “45% of the Young Bar reported a negative impact on their financial situation, higher still at 60% for those working in crime – as court work ceased in 2020, their earnings plummeted.”

The Legal Services Board has published an interactive map and two reports aimed at understanding and tackling the barriers that individuals face when pursuing a legal career, regardless of background and circumstance. 

In this guide we outline some of the key issues facing the UK legal profession, as well as headline-grabbing cases and mergers – are you in the know?

A report on the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) solicitors by The Law Society identified that BAME solicitors earn 25% less on average than their white counterparts.

Close to 60% of women lawyers have experienced inappropriate gender-based comments from male colleagues or know other women who have, according to research by the First 100 Years Project.

The Legal Services Board reaffirmed its commitment to build a more inclusive workplace for lawyers alongside eight legal services regulators and two disciplinary tribunals.

Sam Townend KC, the new chair of the Bar Council, has called the “need for significant investment” in the criminal and family justice systems “urgent”. 

A total of 738 legal professionals sought support from LawCare in 2020, rising 9% on 2019’s figure, according to the mental health charity’s 2020 Impact Report.

Online legal tools for women to protect themselves from domestic abuse and a chatbot designed to help people with special educational needs access legal advice are among the eight Legal Access Challenge finalists.

Legal mental health charity LawCare is running a Christmas fundraising appeal, the Big Give Christmas Challenge, which will see all donations made to the charity via the Big Give website doubled. 

The legal mental health charity LawCare has reported has reported that calls to its helpline have increased by 11% on last year.

An “overdose of testosterone” is driving talented women barristers to leave the Bar, leading barrister Lord Pannick QC has warned.

Solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers should reserve a proportion of training contracts and pupillages for candidates with disabilities in order to counterbalance the discrimination against disabilities pervading the legal profession, according to a new report.

The support charity LawCare has recently published its review of 2013, revealing that almost one in five lawyers complaining of stress are being bullied in the workplace.

Professional support charity LawCare has released its annual statistics from 2015, revealing that it received just over 900 calls to its helpline, made by 496 individuals.

This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week (21 – 27 March). It’s a week to celebrate neurodivergent people, their abilities, skills and contributions they make to society and businesses.