News

Increases track inflation and cover additional costs of delivering exams in Welsh The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have announced a third fee increase for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), to cover inflation and translating the exams into Welsh. The SRA…

Reform UK candidate exposed for offensive posts by political X account City law firm CMS says it has taken “prompt and decisive action” against one of its wellbeing ambassadors after a political account on X exposed several of his anti-Islam…

All nine Shoosmiths has recorded a 100% trainee retention rate this spring, with all nine of its March 2025 qualifiers staying on as newly qualified (NQ) solicitors at the firm. The NQs will be based across Shoosmiths’ UK offices, with…

Follows SRA and LSB bosses quitting roles Kathryn Stone OBE, chair of the Bar Standards Board (BSB), will step down from her role later this summer to join the Police, Fire and Rescue Inspectorate. In January 2018, Stone joined the…

US President attacks BigLaw diversity initiatives as ‘discriminatory’ US President Donald Trump has stepped up his attacks on some of the country’s leading law firms with a new executive order targeting what his administration describes as their “discriminatory” summer vacation…

10 to 15 from September 2027 The London office of US law firm Gibson Dunn will increase its trainee numbers by 50%, from 10 to 15. The uplift in TC positions will come into effect in September 2027 as the…

The top legal affairs news stories from this morning and the weekend US law firms’ London expansion drives record number of job moves [Financial Times] (£) Trump confirms retribution campaign against law firms that clash with his agenda [Independent] Judges…

Breached SRA principles Image credit: Wikicommons/big-ashb An ex-BNP Paribas lawyer has been ordered to pay £31,000 after a disciplinary tribunal found he nicknamed colleagues “the Idiot”, “Pol Pot”, “Jabba the Hutt”, and more. Benedict Foster, former head of legal for…

Legal Cheek asks those at the top of the profession for their words of advice ahead of tomorrow’s International Women’s Day Back row (left to right): Annabel Gillham, Aedamar Comiskey, Farmida Bi CBE and Georgia Dawson. Front row (left to…

Standards slipping Law students and lawyers may need to engage more with ethics as part of their training if proposals from the super-regulator move forward. The Legal Services Board’s new consultation paper builds on its research into lawyer conduct, including…