Irwin Mitchell's most recent intake of trainees has been drawn into two of the firm's social responsibility initiatives as part of their induction.

News-wise, there is a lot to absorb this week, including some big financial losses being reported, as well as bad news for both the “flash crash” trader and the Co-op’s Fairtrade suppliers.

The Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme is now accepting applications for its 2018 round of scholarships until Sunday 8 April.

An innovative partnership between leading law firms, barristers’ chambers and the University of Manchester is developing the field of lawtech with plans to introduce a new, specialist qualification that sets the skills standard for lawyers working with legal technology.

The City Consortium, which includes Freshfields and Linklaters, will provide ‘top-up courses’ for future trainees taking the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) to ensure candidates are prepared to commence training contracts within a City practice.  

Thomas Egger is set to continue its legal apprenticeship programme with a new hire after its first apprentice successfully progressed to the role of trainee legal executive.

Is it true that the most valuable asset of many businesses is their brand? If so, how are such brands protected?

More than a third of law firms in England and Wales are now majority-owned by women, showing continuing progress toward gender equality in the legal profession, the Law Society has said in marking this International Women’s Day.

The Law Society has announced the awards on offer as part of its Diversity Access Scheme, which this year includes two guaranteed training contracts.

The new edition of The Training Contract & Pupillage Handbook was published this week and copies are winging their way to university campuses nationwide as we write.

Google Ventures has backed Lawhive in a £9.5 million funding round, taking a stake in the British legal technology start-up developing an ‘AI paralegal’.

According to reports in The Lawyer, the Law Society has warned the owner of Solicitors from Hell to remove the website from the Internet or face High Court action.

Rare has confirmed that Ashurst and Herbert Smith Freehills are the latest two firms to sign up to its contextual recruitment system, which allows recruiters to identify outstanding candidates regardless of their background.

City lawyers could be hit with job losses and stagnant or declining pay amid the harsh consequences of the financial year, according to The Times.  

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has finalised its most recent set of reforms, which is designed to provide solicitors and firms with a flexible approach to how they operate and provide their services to the public.

Magic circle firm Clifford Chance launched its Racial Justice Award in October, following the killing of George Floyd and the increased awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement that followed.

Simmons & Simmons has earned the title of most gay-friendly law firm in the United Kingdom for the second year in a row.

The Law Society has criticised the Bar Standards Board's plans to allow barristers with less than three years' experience to accept work directly from the public, without supervision.

The requirement that prospective solicitors gain two years’ practising experience in order to qualify will remain when the Solicitors Qualifying Examination comes into force, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed. 

Legal apprenticeship specialist Damar Training and legal education provider BARBRI have announced a new technology partnership that embeds BARBRI’s learning technology into Damar’s solicitor apprenticeship programmes.