Trainee pay also up Macfarlanes has become the latest law firm to raise junior lawyer salaries in the City. Legal Cheek can reveal that the firm has bumped newly qualified (NQ) rates from £140,000 to £150,000, a £10,000 rise of…
NQ questions firm’s demand to repay professional skills course costs In the latest of our popular Career Conundrums series, a soon-to-be NQ questions their firm’s bid to claw back the cost of their professional skills course after confirming they’ll leave…
92% Reed Smith’s London office Reed Smith has recorded a 92% autumn trainee retention score, keeping on 11 of its 12 qualifying trainees. All 11 newly qualified solicitors have accepted permanent roles across the firm’s London office. The rookies will…
Merger goes live The tie-up between Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft officially went live today, creating a new billion-dollar BigLaw giant. News of the potential deal first broke late last year, with partners at both firms giving it…
From September The University of Law is bringing SQE prep to Lancaster University this September as part of a new partnership. The deal means aspiring lawyers will be able to study ULaw’s LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2) full-time, in person, at…
No rizz Keir Stereotypes are rarely fair or accurate. However, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the stereotype of a barrister (charismatic, well-spoken, intelligent beyond compare) is an accurate one. For professionals who spend their lives advocating before judges and…
10 to 14 Children as young as 10 should no longer be hauled into the criminal justice system, the Bar Council has said, calling for the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales to be lifted to 14. The…
Now innovation advisor Credit: Microsoft A former PA at Shoosmiths has won a brand new car after building an AI agent that improved how the firm serves one of its longest-standing clients, without ever having written a line of code….
PEP holds above £1m as firm leans into tech National law firm Shoosmiths has posted record profits of £80 million for the 2025/26 financial year, with profit per equity partner (PEP) topping the £1 million mark for the second year…
The £2 billion giant is officially here The major international tie-up Ashurst Perkins Coie is now live, after being announced late last November. The combined firm, now known as Ashurst Perkins Coie, is home to over 3,000 lawyers across 52…