As we approach the big training contract deadline this weekend, now is the perfect time to sharpen your commercial acumen. Have a flick through some of the biggest news from this week to find out whether cannabis will become part of our future and if the UK economy will bounce back.

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.

This week has seen preparations take place for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, with Commissioner of Transport for London Andy Byford stating that it will be the largest organisational challenge TfL has faced since the 2012 Olympics. Meanwhile, four ‘magic circle’ firms have been accused of greenwashing in an open letter signed by over 150 prominent lawyers, and the SRA confirms the replacement of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund.

Before we go any further, here are a couple of longer articles to sink your teeth into. The first is all about what might be featuring in the global economy in 2016, while the second is an insider’s view of the mysterious Bank of England – both worth your time. As are the following news stories.

Rishi Sunak’s U-turn on net-zero pledges, "an act of weakness” or a necessary adjustment to prevent “bankrupting the British people”? You decide. More on this in our first story, plus we’ll be covering the future of Uber, police suspensions, shares in tech giant Toshiba and Katy Perry.  

The best commercial lawyers have their fingers firmly on the pulse of the business world. If that is the role to which you aspire, starting to get a grip now on the business and economic news of the day is essential, but it can be hard to know where to start. Look no further.

Exciting developments are unfolding across the globe! In the UK, the government has given Gatwick Airport a tentative go-ahead for its £2.2 billion second runway project, while in Singapore, DBS Bank plans to cut 4,000 temporary roles due to AI integration. Elsewhere, Instagram is considering launching Reels as a standalone app and Sky has accused Amazon of failing to prevent piracy on its Fire TV Sticks, costing Sky millions in lost revenue. Stay tuned for more details on these stories and their potential impact!

Commerciality and business nous: these are prized skills among lawyers and exactly the kind of thing that firms want their trainees to possess (or at least demonstrate the potential to develop). Start working on this part of your brain by reading this week’s collection of economic and business news.

Rachel Reeves outlined new policies and potential tax rises at the Labour Party Conference, and OpenAI has finalised a secondary share sale. Meanwhile, a new law has banned multi-buy deals for ‘unhealthy’ food and Selfridges has seen a drop in takings due to a reduction in tourist spending.

Commerciality remains top of many recruiters’ list of ideal traits for their future trainees – where better to develop that skill than with a small collection of topical business news stories, designed to help you to start thinking like a lawyer.

This week has been yet another week full of remarkable headlines. From the explosive release of the Casey report, which revealed some worrying truths about London’s police force, to Google’s late entry into the AI chatbot space, this week’s round-up isn’t one to miss.

The big news this week is yesterday’s budget – the BBC provides a useful outline of the key points, which include the removal of stamp duty for first-time buyers on properties up to £300,000; £1.5 billion to be devoted to addressing universal credit concerns; and new measures to crackdown on tech giants which route their profits through low-tax countries (otherwise known as the “Google tax”).

It’s nearly Friday! Time to grab a cuppa and reflect on what’s been happening this week.

As it starts to feel like summer is just round the corner, it is easy to be tempted by the allure of outside drinking and BBQs, and lose focus on the task at hand – namely, honing your commercial awareness so as to be able to present yourself as a credible candidate to the law firms that you hope to join. 

Sadiq Khan has kicked off Thursday with predictions that centre on a “lost decade” of lower employment and reduced investment that would result from a hard Brexit. Specifically, a study commissioned by the mayor estimates the loss of half a million UK jobs and nearly £50 billion in investment by 2030. For more big business news, try these on for size.

It’s a week until the general election and the party leaders are rallying their troops for the final battle. Could we see a new prime minister in Number 10 by the end of next week?

The EU has set out plans to impose trade countermeasures on the US and a first-of-its-kind partnership deal has been announced between BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team and Viagogo. John Lewis has seen a rise in profits but has decided not to bring back the staff bonus, and Spotify has reported a record-high year for music industry payments. Read on to find out more!

You know that feeling when you get lost in a supermarket as a kid? Navigating your route into the legal profession might make you feel the same way: confused, scared and overwhelmed. To make your experience less daunting, this guide explains how you can use LawCareers.Net and its many benefits to improve your chances of securing your dream role in 

In this article, I'll be examining some of the things future lawyers should look out for. Keeping up with these elements will up your legal game no matter what stage you're at and will, no doubt, get you wherever you want to go.

You may well be in the midst of a training contract application frenzy, but don’t panic; one of the best things you can do to help your chances is hone your commercial awareness skills.