The Memo - Chambers Student's Blog
Like much of what we do at Chambers Student, our Commercial Awareness Memo is designed to give law students a better understanding of the legal market. Through comprehensive analysis and commentary on current events, we help students make sense of what's going on behind the headlines, by taking a closer look the role lawyers (and the law) play in these kinds of stories.
How to get the most out of the Memo:
Below, the Chambers Student team pick out the cases that have sparked our interest, from the UK government's controversial Rwanda plan, to doping in sport and Wagatha Christie, and take a look through a commercial and legal lens - a crucial skill for those navigating the path from law student to lawyer.
In this easy to digest format, we present all the information law students should be aware of, from how these stories connect to the legal space, to the effect they have on it. By offering commercial awareness in real time, our articles will ultimately help you understand how the legal market works, and where you might fit in.
New this week:
2nd December - Barclays receives a £40m fine for "reckless" activity during the '08 financial crisis
2nd December - Pro-Brexit views not protected against workplace discrimination
November's top stories:
25th - Another transatlantic merger: HSF to merge with US firm Kramer Levin
25th - Man's will written on back of food boxes is valid, High Court rules
18th - Apple facing legal action over iCloud prices
11th - The largest class action in English legal history makes it to the High Court
11th - EU seeks to recover Tunisia migration funds amidst claims of human rights violations
11th - Sentencing review could lead to overhaul of UK prison system
4th - The latest on assisted dying in the UK
October's top stories:
28th - Disney World and infinite arbitration
28th - Caught between East and West: Will Moldova achieve its EU and NATO dreams?
September's top stories:
16th - Priced out of prison: The SDS40 scheme and the prison crisis
16th - Lèse-majesté and human rights law: the unique case of Thailand
9th - What's in store for the UK's economy with Labour in power?
August's top stories:
26th - Google loses US antitrust lawsuit over illegal online search monopoly
26th - Pro-fox hunting group argues that hunters should be a protected minority
19th - What is joint enterprise and why is the CCJS arguing for reform?
19th - Ex-Twitter employee wins unfair dismissal case
12th - Revolut has finally been granted its banking licence. What now?
5th - Cyberattacks on the rise across the shipping industry
July's top stories:
29th - It's Oil Over: Just Stop Oil protestors sentenced for public nuisance
29th - The latest competition class action to hit the headlines: a royal pain for Royal Mail?
15th - What changes might Labour make to employment law?
8th - US Supreme Court rules that Trump has partial immunity from prosecution
8th - Promises to reduce outstanding court cases deemed unfeasible
1st - Record labels sue AI start-ups over copyright infringement
June's top stories:
24th - Supreme Court rules in favour of environmental activists over oil well plans
17th - Small retailers take on Amazon in class action suit
17th - This Means War! Are the Magic Circle feeling the pressure from US 'invaders'?
10th - McDonald's loses EU trademark for chicken Big Macs
10th - Unfinished business and lost laws: What happens before a general election?
3rd - Daily Telegraph up for sale after UK law prohibits foreign state ownership of newspapers
3rd - Influencer Grace Beverley breaks UK advertising rules
3rd - WikiLeaks founder wins the right to appeal extradition to the US
3rd - ChatGPT accused of imitating Scarlett Johansson's voice for its chatbot
May's top stories:
20th - The Fortnite Fortune: How the game got in trouble for its 'misleading' marketing practices
20th - Netflix's Baby Reindeer and the case for defamation
20th - Barrister who dozed off during inquest cleared of professional misconduct
13th - The Enhanced Games: the drug-fuelled 'Olympics' causing a sporting and scientific storm
13th - Black cab drivers launch legal action against Uber
6th - Two men face criminal charges over felling of Sycamore Gap tree
April's top stories:
29th - Is the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill a genius plan or will it all go up in smoke?
29th - Sexually explicit deepfakes to become a criminal offence in the UK
22nd - How did AI contribute to the viral Willy Wonka experience?
15th - Swiss women achieve landmark win in human rights climate dispute
15th - Assisted dying in the UK: Scotland to lead the way?
15th - Hate Crime and Public Order Act introduced in Scotland
2nd - First person convicted of cyberflashing in England
March's top stories:
18th - Update: Post Office Horizon bill introduced by ministers
18th - Nationwide and Virgin Money: the biggest UK banking deal since 2008?
18th - Spain passes amnesty law for Catalan separatists
12th - Apple fined £1.5 billion by EU for breaking competition law
12th - Roman Polanski defamation trial kicks off in Paris
4th - Personal injury claim thrown out after Irish woman pictured throwing Christmas Tree
February's top stories:
19th - Unravelling Bitcoin’s identity: The Strange Case of Dr. Wright and Mr. Nakamoto
19th - Thailand plans to overturn progressive cannabis laws
12th - HMRC fails to prosecute any company over tax evasion in six years
5th - Brexit and the UK’s environmental standards
5th - Pregnant woman’s firearms sentence quashed in ‘landmark’ UK ruling
5th - Germany eases citizenship requirements for foreign nationals
January's top stories:
29th - Three Provisional IRA victims in England can sue Gerry Adams in personal capacity, judge rules
22nd - The latest from the Post Office Inquiry
22nd - Judicial review hearing granted over XL bully ban
22nd - Taiwan to join the International Criminal Court?
22nd - Shipping and global trade disrupted amidst Houthi Red Sea attacks
15th - The fight for Nature’s Rights: Should legal rights be given to animals, species and places?
15th - Critics say sexual harassment protections in the UK TV & Film industry in need of reform
15th - US proposes law to regulate AI copying voice and likeness
December's top stories:
19th - Wilko collapse: What happens when a company goes under?
19th - Generative AI & the legal industry
11th - Celebrating Sandra Day O’Connor: The US Supreme Court’s first serving woman
11th - What happened with David Walliams and why you need to know about it: torts, data, and GDPR
11th - King Charles’ Estate raking in bona vacantia
4th - Allen & Overy held to ransom: Law firms & cyber security threats
4th - Understanding the controversy behind the Parthenon marbles
4th - Axiom Ince trainees left in the dark over firm’s collapse
4th - Everton’s point deduction and its impact on English football
From the Archive:
18th April 2023 - Longer read: The Bar Council of India widens foreign access to India’s legal market
18th April 2023 - The Barclays Premier League and tax
27th March 2023 - Longer read: Gary Lineker vs the BBC: What can go into an employment contract?
27th March 2023 - The middle finger and the law
6th March 2023 - What legal hurdles face publishers looking to edit old books?
13th February 2023 - Student group claim against UK universities
16th January 2023 - Lifting the lid on doping and performance-enhancing drug use in sport
20th December 2022 - An inside look at what FTX’s collapse means for crypto law
21st October 2022 - Keep it on the QC?