Clifford Chance has announced its new seven member partnership council which plans to adopt a much tougher stance on partner performance, reports legalweek.com. The newly elected council, which originally had 12 members, will serve a term of three years.

Attorney-General Patricia Scotland has called for the creation of initiatives which will engage youths of "non-traditional backgrounds" with the law, reports The Lawyer. Scotland also advocated for "positive actions" to promote justice, and slammed claims by Conservatives that the UK is a "broken" nation.

US firm Greenberg Traurig agreed to refund $3.2 million ($3.5 million) to a suburb in Chicago after state prosecutors charged a former partner with inflating legal bills, reports law.com. It is speculated that only around 10 per cent of the fees charged were legitimate.

CMS Cameron McKenna has invented a scheme to end awkward silences during client lunches, reports The Lawyer. The device, known as Reflect, will provide lawyers with information about the client, as well as potential topics of conversation, suitable products they can promote, and the latest news about their clients.

Lord Justice Dyson has been officially named as the last judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court, reports The Lawyer. Dyson's appointment puts an end to months of speculation as to who might snare the position. Until his appointment was officially sanctioned by the Queen, speculation had been rife that Dyson had been rejected by the selection panel.