As we near the end of another week, the global coronavirus pandemic is still dominating the front pages, twitter feeds and even our own LCN news stories.

You’re studying a non-law degree, but you’re keen on becoming a lawyer and want to know what you can be doing to learn more and prepare.

A quarter of a century ago, LawCareers.Net (LCN) was born.

With just a week to go until the general election, the news cycle is dominated by politically linked stories, many of which also have a business/economic slant.

This week’s business pages have been dominated by revelations of which retailers did well over Christmas and which did not. Here are a few headlines to whet your appetite.

It feels like we’ve been saying it a lot recently, but it really has been an unprecedented week in British history, with stories such as the fall of Thomas Cook (see below for more) almost immediately overshadowed by the Supreme Court’s ruling that Boris Johnson’s recent prorogation of Parliament is unlawful.

Most newspaper front pages worldwide are dominated by refugees fleeing Ukraine, fuel prices increasing and finding out who the mega-rich Russians facing sanctions are. But there is alternative news you should also keep up with.

Cameron and Carney were full of literary flourish this week, with metaphors that drew parallels with dashboards and apple barrels.

With the biggest vac scheme deadline of the year looming (31 January), now’s the time to get your head back in the game, commercial-awareness-wise. You may find yourself being quizzed on your knowledge of economic affairs in vac scheme interviews, so it pays to be prepared. Here’s a selection from the past week to get you started.

Much of this week has been spent trying to keep a lid on the bubbling excitement associated with this year’s most momentous social event – no, not the royal wedding on Saturday, but the LCN Training & Recruitment Awards, tonight! Even with the inevitable distractions such an occasion provokes, we have kept our eyes on the prize and have been monitoring the business pages, with you in mind. Read our carefully curated selection of interesting news here.

As UK lockdown restrictions were eased at the start of the week and several businesses reopened their doors to welcome the public back, aspiring lawyers might want to consider the impact that this might have on the UK economy, as well as the legal and business worlds. That said, remember that there is more to commercial awareness than just Brexit and covid-19 – think outside the box to find a story that interests you and is relevant to your chosen firm and its clients.

As the UK continues to grapple with the impact of the violent riots that have taken place across the country over the past week, sparked by misinformation shared online, the National Emergencies Trust shares useful information on how you can donate to those affected. Amid this unrest, financial scandals and legal battles surface – from Coca-Cola’s multi-billion-dollar tax dispute to PRIME Hydration’s alleged contract breach. Meanwhile, find out about P.Louise’s record-breaking TikTok Shop success story and the reason retailers are turning to the app to sell.

Although you would expect the news to be in full-on “silly season” mode, there are still a good number of scintillating business stories to keep an eye on – here are just a few.

Rising inflation, party resignations, state takeovers, Chat GPT and, of course, Eurovision! Use today’s round-up to catch up on what’s been happening across the UK this week.

Commercial awareness is a vital skill for trainee solicitors. 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, as well as how they are impacted by the wider world. This guide rounds up a range of key commercial stories and talking points from 2020.

The big news today, gripping the City and beyond, is the Bank of England announcement that it is raising interest rates from 0.25% to 0.5% - the first rise since 2007, it reverses the emergency rate cuts that were implemented following the EU referendum. For other business stories of note, read on.

Everyone knows that aspiring lawyers are not expected to be ready-made economists, but they should have a solid understanding of how the business world is moving and which stories are impacting the world more broadly.

Earlier this week Rishi Sunak gave a ‘summer statement’, in which he announced several schemes aimed to support the UK’s economic recovery, including training and apprenticeship schemes, stamp duty ‘holiday’, a VAT cut on food, accommodation and attractions, and environmental measures. Whether you are preparing to start university in the autumn, applying for training contracts or embarking on a virtual vacation scheme or training contract, it is crucial that you stay up to date with such changes and consider how they will affect the business and legal world going forward.

This week over 20,000 of the world’s most senior business and political leaders are gathering in the icy climes of Davos for the annual World Economic Forum. With this year’s theme “Creating a shared future in a fractured world”, items on the agenda include financial stability, tax avoidance, gender equality, terrorism and climate change. But that’s not all – there is also this carefully curated selection of business news to keep an eye on.

This week we witnessed Joe Biden’s inauguration at the US Capitol, as he was sworn in as the 46th US president and Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice-president. Read on for this week’s summaries of a selection of news stories from the business and legal worlds.