Barristers’ chambers across the UK have implemented pay increases as they battle to attract the top aspiring barristers.

As reported by Alex Aldridge in the Guardian and Neil Rose in Legal Futures, Yorkshire law firm Gordons has launched a legal apprenticeship that will allow school leavers to become qualified lawyers without first having to do a degree.

How will the CMA respond to complaints about unfair practices in relation to cancellations and refunds?

Working as a paralegal before securing a training contract is increasingly the norm for thousands of candidates. It’s even possible to qualify as a solicitor by gaining relevant experience as a paralegal, instead of a formal training contract – a route that could become even more popular with the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam and qualifying work experience.

Applications for 2016 Graduate Diploma in Law scholarships provided by the Inner Temple are now open.

Students have until Friday 2 November to apply for a BPTC scholarship at one of the four Inns of Court.

The Bar Standards Board has announced that the minimum award for pupils, starting in September 2011, will go up to £12,000 per year.

What will the regulations on gender pay gap reporting mean for employers in 2018?

The Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates is unlawful and intended to undermine the fundamental principles of barristers' independence, the High Court has heard as the judicial review of QASA gets underway.

A Bar course is the mandatory vocational stage of training for aspiring barristers before they commence pupillage.

There’s a bit of an oily theme this week, with news of American crude, talks of a merger between two of the industry’s giants, and a spat over mayonnaise (which, incidentally, is full of oil).

What are charter parties?

Sixteen law firms have made LGBT rights charity Stonewall’s top 100 LGBT-inclusive employers list for 2018, with three in the top 10.

Leading South East firm Cripps and London firm Pemberton Greenish will merge on 1 December to create a leading practice focusing on real estate, private wealth and growing businesses. The merged firm will be ranked in the top 70 of UK law firms with revenues of c£45 million and create a firm of 465 people, including 66 partners.

Top earners at Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP and Pinsent Masons LLP have had their remuneration increased to approximately £3.1 million.

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. 

Plans to cut legal aid spending by introducing price competitive tendering have been abandoned, justice secretary Chris Grayling has revealed in an interview in the Times newspaper.