If you want to succeed as a lawyer, it’s important that you develop your commercial awareness.
The Principle is your live commercial awareness hub. We’ll help you stay on top of the latest news and give you expert insights into commercial issues.
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The University of Law comes to Nottingham
The University of Law (ULaw) has announced plans to open a new campus in Nottingham. The campus, located at One Royal Standard Place, will officially open for teaching in September 2019.
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Spotlight on: Sir Martin Moore-Bick
With extensive legal experience and over 20 years as a judge, Sir Martin Moore-Bick has earned praise and respect from both his legal peers and the highest echelons of government. Now, at the age of 71, he has been tasked to discover the truth in the independent public inquiry investigating the Grenfell Tower fire.
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Cobbles, ceilidhs and commercial law: life as a DLA Piper trainee in Edinburgh
You could be forgiven for thinking that to do a training contract, you have to move to London and work in a City office. In fact, firms have offices all over the country, with many regional hubs hosting legal scenes that thrive in their own right. We spoke to Eilis McDonald, a trainee at DLA Piper’s Edinburgh office, about life in the Scottish capital.
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Lawyers, fit your own oxygen masks first
The legal profession can be emotionally taxing, which can exacerbate existing mental-health conditions in lawyers, as well as provoking work-related episodes of poor mental health. The Legal Professions Wellbeing Taskforce met in May to discuss how lawyers can develop emotional competence—to be good at their jobs, but more importantly, to maintain their own mental health.
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The life of a trainee solicitor: Glasgow edition
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Bird & Bird: a truly unique training contract
As a trainee at an international law firm, you’ll be exposed to a wealth of work with high-profile clients—a great opportunity early on in your career! We spoke to Adeena Wells at Bird & Bird to find out more about the training contract at the firm.
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Martin Luther King and Enoch Powell: 50 years on
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King and Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech: both touchstone moments in the history of Western race relations. So how has legislation in the past half-century bridged gaps and righted wrongs? And what still needs to be done?
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Knocking down the barriers
Do you want to study law but feel it’s not a world that represents you? Don’t despair! There are numerous schemes, societies and initiatives to help those groups that are underrepresented in the legal profession.
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Training as a solicitor in Manchester: TLT
We spoke to Michael El Gawly, a third seat trainee in the Manchester office of TLT, to find out why he decided to apply to train at TLT and what the application process was like.
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Representing the Grenfell victims
As The Grenfell Tower Inquiry continues to hear evidence, we take a look at the various organisations and legal campaign groups that are keeping the spotlight on the victims.
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The fallout from Windrush
The Windrush saga has shone a light on the nature of citizenship, and the implications for housing, employments, legal contracts and much more. So what are the requirements, and are there any other groups that could fall through the cracks?
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The life of a trainee solicitor: London edition
London is the long-standing legal hub of the UK, with ample opportunities depending on your interests. We spoke to Nayomi Skinner, a current trainee solicitor at Addleshaw Goddard, to get the lowdown on training in the capital.
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The life of a trainee solicitor: Bristol edition
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Getting to grips with areas of law: the Macfarlanes perspective
There’s a wealth of practice areas out there for qualified lawyers, and you will likely experience some on your training contract, but it’s hard to get a real sense of exactly what each one involves. Ahead of Macfarlanes’ Practice Area Open Day, where you will have the opportunity to speak to each of their practice areas, we spoke to six lawyers at the firm. We gained an insight into their day-to-day responsibilities and found out a bit more about what life is like at Macfarlanes.
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The history of transgender rights in the UK
The battle over gender rights and identity has taken on huge significance in the past few years. But our understanding of transgender issues has a long and complex history, which is helping shape the present legal landscape.
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"People are at the heart of everything that we do" : diversity and inclusion at RPC
In order for diversity and inclusion to be successful at law firms, it's essential for those firms to introduce their own initiatives and schemes. RPC has been doing just that. We spoke to Ellinor Davey, people & projects manager, as well as Emma Maksimovic, engagement and inclusion manager, to find out more.
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Minding the gap
There is now a legal obligation for businesses to publish data on their gender pay gaps, including high-profile law firms paying their (mainly male) partners infamously high salaries. So how are they measuring up?
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“Our ultimate aim is to be the LGBT+ employer of choice in the legal sector.
For anyone who defines as LGBT+, entering a corporate workplace may seem daunting. Thanks to the internal efforts of a lot of top employers, it needn’t be. Toby Horner is co-chair of the Arcus LGBT+ network at Clifford Chance. Here, he talks through the importance of having such a network, and provides details of some of the events hosted by Arcus.
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For better, for worse: a deep dive into historic international mergers
M&A is a dominant practice area in law, and for good reason. When companies with international influence decide on—or are forced into—a merger, there are many legal ramifications. We examine some recent and historic mergers, as well as those that went wrong.
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Are UN resolutions legally enforceable?
The United Nations was set up in 1945 to maintain world peace and security, and to foster global co-operation. So how are UN resolutions formulated—and why, particularly in relation to Israel-Palestine, are they proving so difficult to enforce?
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Tariffs: a legal perspective
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#JurysOut: the law versus public opinion
Alongside traditional courtroom cases, many public figures who get into legal trouble find themselves facing the court of public opinion. What are the implications for the course of justice?
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Media law: home and abroad
What is the future of media regulation in the UK, and how does it compare to other counties? We look at the differences and similarities.
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You're hired! How lawyers make better entrepreneurs
The new season of the Apprentice is in full swing—and at the moment, there are two lawyers on the show. Matthew Kay, director of Vario for Pinsent Masons, weighs in on the entrepreneurial skills that lawyers develop over the course of their careers, and how they can be both lawyers and entrepreneurs.