SJ Berwin has admitted fault for allowing a summer student to work until 5am, reports The Lawyer. A female student on SJ Berwin's two-week vacation scheme recently worked until the early hours of the morning after being asked to help another female colleague on a document for an international arbitration. A graduate recruitment partner at the firm admitted that while the student willingly stayed, the firm had got it wrong on this occasion.

Assisted dying poll shows support for change in law

A survey in the UK of more than 2,000 people shows three in four people think terminally ill adults should have access to medical help to die, reports The Guardian. Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said the results show that the public supports a change in the law for assisted suicide which currently remains a criminal offence in England and Wales, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Firm says SDT action "totally unjustified"

UK firm Davenport Lyons (DL) has criticised the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal's (SDT) decision to fine and ban from practice two partners that sent "intimidating letters", reports The Lawyer. Partner David Gore and former partner Brian Miller were banned from practice for three months after being found guilty of sending aggressive letters, demanding compensation and costs, to individuals accused of illegal file sharing. DL said the action was "totally unjustified" and the partners plan to appeal the ruling.

Reed Smith raids DLA Piper partners

Four DLA Piper partners will move to Reed Smith in a move to bulk up its capital markets, M&A and corporate and securities practices. Yvan-Claude Pierre, William Haddad and Daniel Goldberg have joined Reed Smith's New York office while Garth Osterman, who was previously a partner at the firm, will be based in its San Francisco office. Global managing partner Greg Jordan said the group would "significantly bolster" Reed Smith's capital markets presence and capability.