International firm Pinsent Masons has expanded its training relationship with the University of Law to include programmes for its paralegals and legal apprentices.

More flexible and innovative ways to qualify as a barrister could be enabled by the introduction of a professional statement defining what a newly-qualified barrister should be able to do from "day one", the Bar Standards Board has said.

A new skills and training initiative for the legal profession has made over 100 paralegal apprenticeships available across nine law firms in the Greater Manchester area.

An event aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, with the tag line "Now you're out, let us help you get in", is being held on 4 December 2012.

Recently merged Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) has been granted approval to provide legal services in Hong Kong and Singapore, further cementing its status as a leading international firm.

While the vast majority of firms that run vacation schemes have a 31 January application deadline, many choose to ask for the submission of applications both in advance of, and after, that date.

In effect, the GDL replaces the law degree. Its content focuses on the seven foundations of legal knowledge that represent the basic knowledge requirements for the LPC. 

The Ministry of Justice has been allocated an extra £30 million, not to address the legal aid crisis, but to prepare for the possibility of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

International law firm DAC Beachcroft is the latest to move permanently away from compulsory office attendance, but national firm Duncan Lewis has bucked the trend of organisations downsizing office space by relocating to central London.

Future lawyers with a taste for insurance law should take note: a major new force in the specialist insurance law sector is coming on the scene after a merger between two insurance heavyweights.

Taking the total of authorised ABSs to five, this week has seen a number of ABS announcements from the SRA, including the first ABS in Wales and an application for a licence from an Italian firm.

Hillyer McKeown, along with two other law firms, is offering a legal apprenticeship scheme to those who are seeking an alternative route to qualification as a solicitor without going to university.

Withers & Rogers, based in London, has launched a new graduate recruitment programme.

Corporate law firm Travers Smith is partnering with a LGBT charity to develop a mentoring programme designed to empower a new, diverse generation of lawyers. 

The backlog of crown court cases has increased by 3% on the previous quarter to 66,547, according to new figures published by the Ministry of Justice.

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has announced that it is working with Rare, the specialist diversity recruitment company, to establish a scholarship for exceptional black and minority ethnic (BAME) students.

Virtual events taking place across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will celebrate the legal profession’s pro bono efforts as Pro Bono Week enters its 19th year.

The UK will not be a member of Europe’s planned Unified Patent Court, the government has confirmed in what intellectual property (IP) specialists have described as a blow to the industry.

The SRA has completed its first year or authorising and regulating alternative business structures.

According to reports in The Lawyer and RollonFriday, the Law Central Applications Board will be replacing staggered LPC and GDL application dates with a single (as yet unknown) deadline.