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International Edition

Want to make it at the Bar but neither posh or white? Try the X-Factor approach

The Bar Council has set up a website for those interested in a career at the Bar. The press release puts it in these terms: "The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, along with the four Inns of Court, has today launched a new careers website to provide a range of accessible information to school and university students. 'Become a barrister' (www.become-a-barrister.com) is a new portal for anyone interested in a career at the Bar and includes a series of films and case studies aimed at demystifying entry to the profession."
4 minute read

International Edition

Bar Standards Board pushes back introduction of BPTC aptitude test

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has confirmed a new timetable for the introduction of an aptitude test for the Bar Vocational Training Course (BPTC). The body's current pilot scheme is set to conclude in October this year, with the BSB subsequently submitting its findings to the Legal Services Board for approval two months later.
2 minute read

International Edition

Law student who failed LPC loses bid for £100k damages from OXILP

A former law student who sued the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice (OXILP) after failing her Legal Practice Course (LPC) has seen her damages claim rejected in the High Court. Maria Abramova, who attended OXILP during the 2004-05 academic year, claimed tutors had not prepared her adequately for the LPC exam and sued the learning institution - part of Oxford Brookes University - for £100,000.
2 minute read

International Edition

Top UK law firms to target more universities in diversity push

A raft of the UK's leading law firms are set to increase the number of universities they target for graduate recruitment in a bid to attract a wider pool of students. Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hogan Lovells and Bird & Bird are all planning to up the number of universities they visit during the next recruitment round, starting in September.
4 minute read

International Edition

Bakers latest to sign on to College of Law's tailored fast-track LPC

Baker & McKenzie has become the first firm outside of the magic circle to switch to a fast-track Legal Practice Course (LPC) with the College of Law. The international firm has announced that it is set to switch to the condensed course from next summer, with the first set of trainees due to start the seven-month course in July 2012. From then on, the course will run twice a year to accommodate both the March and the September intakes.
2 minute read

International Edition

Greenberg Traurig's City arm plans first trainee intake for autumn 2011

Greenberg Traurig Maher (GTM) is set to take on trainee lawyers in the City, with the US firm aiming to boost its profile among UK undergraduates. The firm, which launched in London in June 2009, will take on its first trainee intake in autumn 2011 and is intending to run annual intakes from then on. In the short term, GTM hopes to attract two trainees each year and will be targeting both law and non-law graduates.
2 minute read

International Edition

BPP offers new staggered payment options for postgrad law courses

BPP Law School has unveiled plans to offer its students more flexible ways to pay for their postgraduate law courses. From this September, law students enrolling with BPP will be offered new payment options for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Bar Vocational Training Course (BPTC). Part-time students on both courses, who currently pay their annual tuition fees in four installments, will now be able to pay in eight installments.
2 minute read

International Edition

Trainee retention at UK's top 30 law firms up 10% against last year

Trainee retention rates at the UK's 30 largest law firms have risen across the majority of practices, with the average rate across the group nearly 10% higher than in March 2010. Average retention across the UK top 30 firms stands at 84% when considering the number of job offers against the number of qualifying trainees. This figure drops marginally to 83% when taking into account rejected job offers. This compares with an average retention of just 75% this time last year, when job offers were affected by the prolonged economic downturn.
2 minute read

International Edition

The first step towards a diverse judiciary: access to legal education

In an interview last year Lady Hale was asked what could be done to improve judicial diversity, and how to encourage more women on to the bench. She replied that "the most obvious barrier to the progression of women in the judiciary is that high judicial office has been reserved to those with successful careers as barristers. The Bar is the least family friendly profession in the world... the proportion of senior women at the Bar is still relatively low." Hale suggested that removing barriers to women within the profession and also encouraging more solicitors to sit on the bench could achieve more diversity. The inevitable question is how this is to be achieved.
5 minute read

International Edition

Freshfields appoints partner quartet as mentors for new trainee intake

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed four new partners as mentors for its 2011 London trainee intake. Dispute resolution partner Nigel Rawding and antitrust partner Andrea Gomes da Silva will mentor the February intake, with corporate partner Tim Wilmot and structured finance partner Flora McLean set to look after the August intake.
2 minute read

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