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While alternative business structures are gaining all the headlines right now, something perhaps even more fundamental is going on this year: the Legal Education and Training Review. Many know it’s happening, but I suspect few quite understand how radically it could reshape the foundation of becoming a lawyer. I don’t think I did until last week, when I attended the first of a series of five seminars being run by the Legal Services Board, this one in association with the Legal Services Institute.

There could be several benefits from using an aptitude test to exclude law students who are most likely to fail the legal practice course (LPC), according to a report for the Law Society. However, it said linking a test to the likelihood of gaining a training contract would be “more difficult” to justify.

Our regular round-up of developments you need to know about includes a call for advice on voluntary quality schemes, the opening up of the legal market in Korea, the College of Law’s fast-track LPC, the continuing fight over the scope of legal professional privilege, CQS hitting 200 firms and much more.

Doing a law degree was great. Not because of the law, I should say, but because the 10 or so hours a week of formal studying left lots of time for other, somewhat more fulfilling activities. It would be wrong to say I got nothing from my degree – and compared to the soul-destroying Law Society Finals it was an absolute riot – and so I have been unsure how to react to the debate about the College of Law’s new two-year law degree, following BPP’s lead.

This week’s round-up of other relevant news and comment on the web takes in reaction to our story on an aptitude test for LPC students, Professor Richard Susskind’s thoughts ahead of an updated version of his book coming out, fears of big financial pressures on law firms, a survey that shows solicitors think too much of their own reputation, and much more.