A legal apprenticeship is a route to becoming a lawyer that combines a paid job at a law firm with studying for formal qualifications, paid for by the government and your employer. It’s an alternative to the traditional route of going to university and training to be a lawyer afterwards.

On 1 and 2 November 2023, world and market leaders gathered in the historic Bletchley Park, home of the code-breaking heroes of the Second World War, to discuss a new existential threat.

A legal apprenticeship is a route to becoming a lawyer that combines a paid job at a law firm with studying for formal qualifications, paid for by the government and your employer. It is an alternative to the traditional route of going to university and training to be a lawyer afterwards.

There are a few things worth mentioning as a reminder that starting a legal career is competitive and expensive.

This article aims to cover an important starting point for developing your internal commercial awareness: namely, the differences in how lawyers assist clients with transactional work and litigation.

One of the crucial skills that all lawyers – aspiring and qualified – must have is good commercial awareness. While you aren’t expected to know everything about the law, you are expected to understand commercial issues that effect law firms as businesses and their clients. When you are reading the news, select a few stories that really interest you and follow them as they progress – this is one way that you can develop your commercial awareness and impress recruiters during your application and interview. Read LCN’s summaries of some of the week’s biggest stories to get you started.

After a long and gruelling three years of endless case law, reading and caffeine, my degree is slowly coming to an end, and (although I missed the first year of my ‘university experience’ due to covid-19) part of me believes there’s so much more I could’ve and should’ve done.

How can you articulate commercial awareness as a graduate?

Is the Financial Services Authority (FSA) moving towards a more active enforcement policy in the financial sector?

Assessment centres play a big part in many firms’ application processes and for a lot of students this is the most daunting stage. I know that it was for me! The nerves caused by them can only be heightened by the uncertainty of having to complete them virtually, which may be your first experience using video conferencing platforms for this reason. While I completed my assessment centres in person, I later completed a virtual vacation scheme, so I know how nerve-wracking these virtual scenarios can be. Here are some bits of advice to help make your experience of assessment centres the best it can be.

Ping. The noise of your email inbox notifying you about a specific training contract application that’s just opened. It looks interesting, so you read about the firm and its opportunities and decide you’ll make an application.

What impact has the Dubai debt problem had on the UK economy as a whole and the work of UK law firms?

Where to begin… this week has seen the UK government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court, there’s been a cabinet reshuffle, Westminster voted against a ceasefire in Gaza, inflation has fallen and McDonald’s is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Find out more in the commercial news round-up. 

This week’s commercial news round-up takes a look at the possible impact of the potential TikTok ban in the US, considers the importance of nature on the economy, reports Suez Canal traffic statistics and provides an update to the Cardiff City Football Club saga, following the death of Argentinian striker Emiliano Sala in 2019. 

B Corps are not a new phenomenon. Some of our favourite brands have had B Corp certification for years – does Ben and Jerrys ring a bell?

Deciding to enter a career in law can be daunting to say the least, but it doesn’t have to be. Choosing the right place to begin your career is crucial and your legal education matters. Here are five reasons why The University of Law’s Solicitors Qualifying Exam employment promise will set you up in your legal career.

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.

The shifting focus of universities around generative AI continues to develop and, where many still view generative AI as a threat, there are some who see it as an opportunity.

Law fairs offer an important opportunity to meet firms face to face or virtually.

How do you (tax) rate your pizza?