Conversations in Law: Recent Episodes
conversationsinlaw
Welcome to the much anticipated second season of Accutrainee’s podcast, ‘Conversations in Law’. We hope that these podcasts will give you an insight into the exciting world of Accutrainee and support your knowledge bank. Stay tuned for roundtable debates, deep dive into key areas of law and an engaging array of interviews with esteemed members of the broader Accutrainee family!
In this episode, Accutrainee's training principal Meera Ferguson interviews Samuel Omotayo, an Accutrainee Scholar who recently qualified through Accutrainee's scholarship programme.
Meera talks with Henry Raine, former equity Partner of Herbert Smith Freehills, GC of Wonga.com and recently retired Managing Director of IBM Promontory.
Henry has forty years’ experience advising Boards and CEOs on legal, regulatory and financial issues, as well as reputation management and strategy. Throughout his career Henry has been heavily involved in recruiting both at junior and partner level.
In this episode, Accutrainee's training principal Meera Ferguson interviews Jasmine McGregor, an Accutrainee Scholar going through her second seat of Qualifying Work Experience. Jasmine talks about her experience as a trainee solicitor and as an Accutrainee Scholar.
In this episode of Conversations in Law, join some of the Accutrainee head office team as we delve into the significance of mental health awareness week, taking place from the 15th to the 21st of May 2023. We speak about the progress that has been made in our industry in recent years, as well as the difference between sympathy and empathy, and individually beneficial mindfulness techniques.
We hope that this week gives you an opportunity to focus on your own mental health and work/life balance.
In the second half of our "Secrets of my Success" panel conversation, Accutrainee Director of Operations, Meera Ferguson, discusses pathways into the legal profession and ways to make yourself stand out as a junior lawyer. Featuring Amy Cunningham (Associate, Boutique Law), Jessica Bannerman Arnold (Legal Counsel, Christie's), Maria Doran (Associate CMS) & Oliver Knight (Legal Counsel, Shard Capital).
In the first part of our "Secrets of my Success" panel conversation, Accutrainee Director of Operations, Meera Ferguson, discusses pathways and advice for those entering the legal industry with a group of industry leading experts. Featuring Gareth Jones (Head of Legal for Uber Boat & Thames Clipper), Mark Donald (Managing Director at Brotherton Capital), Robin Fisher (General Counsel at EMEA Randstad) & Veronika Koroleva (Partner at Gunnercooke LLP).
A key feather in the cap of any 21st Century Lawyer is the ability to network. Networking not only opens up potential job opportunities and experience but also for the established lawyer, networking is a way to reach new clients.
In this episode Hobz is joined by networking expert Giles Thompson, the Head of Growth at legal tech company Avvoka. His experience both as an Associate at Kirkland & Ellis and working for a more 'traditional' business has allowed him to perfect networking in law. Giles shares some tips on how to network more effectively and discusses how networking has changed since the outbreak of COVID and the start of lockdown.
In this episode, Hobz is joined by Tara Sherbrooke, GC of YouGov, about her career in house and the factors that she considered before moving from Private Practice.
Tara discusses her decision to pursue a career in law after a degree in Cellular and Molecular Pathology and her decision to leave the Private Practice world of Osborne Clarke to follow the in-house route. Tara gives a fascinating insight into the factors that influence these decisions and shares some tips on how to make the correct decision for ourselves.
With the change in how legal services are provided, as non-law firms look at offering legal services, Law Firms need to adapt how they operate and at the core of this drastic change lies Innovation.
To get to the bottom of how law firms are changing and where the future of legal services lie we talk to Jeremy Coleman, Head of Innovation at Norton Rose Fulbright about his role in and thoughts on the future of legal services.
For more information on this episode and any other episode please visit the Accutrainee website
Jeremy Coleman began his career working for a number of start-up companies with a focus on technology. From there he decided to pursue a career in law ending up as a trainee for Norton Rose Fulbright before moving into the process and technology role at their Newcastle Hub. From there he has been appointed their Head of Innovation for the EMEA region.
The private practice career: the path from trainee to associate to partner, is widely trodden by lawyers, aspiring or current. However, the in-house route is rarely showcased or covered at career fairs, online etc. In this episode Hobz talks to one solicitor who has chosen to 'stray' from the known path and forge a successful career as an in-house lawyer.
Ehsan Haque began his career as a trainee solicitor at Slaughter and May. This was followed very quickly by a career in the financial sector. Ehsan went from Abbey National Treasury Services to Deutsche Bank, RBS, Nomura, Citadel, Credit Suisse, Lendingblock, CIBC Capital Markets, Alphaswap and he is currently the Global Head of Legal and Compliance at the equity firm Hamilton Capital Holdings.
Hobz and Ehsan discuss his decision to pursue an in-house career, his current life compared to his life in private practice, the benefits of in-house working and the position he now finds himself in as a client to law firms.
Diversity and Inclusion is a particularly 'hot' topic in any industry but with recent scrutiny of law firms, it is important to know what law firms are doing and why effective Diversity and Inclusion policies are important. To help with this discussion I talk to Dr Catherine McGregor about her experiences working with law firms on diversity and inclusion and how a diverse workspace can benefit firms.
I hope you enjoy this episode.
For more information about Accutrainee and their Scholarship Program please visit their website: www.accutrainee.com
Dr Catherine McGregor started out her career as a university lecturer but since then has started the Chambers Women in Law initiative and whilst editor of GC Magazine she produced a number in insightful reports into diversity and inclusion in the in house legal profession. Currently, she is an independent advisor to law firms and legal departments with a key focus on analysing the practical steps in creating diversity and inclusion initiatives – but, as if that wasn’t enough, Catherine is also an Ambassador for Global Leaders in Law and has recently published the book: Business Thinking in Practice for In-house Counsel. It looks at essential human-centred business skills and how these are impacting and changing how legal departments work. Her book is available from publishers: Globe Law and Business as well as Amazon and Waterstones.
In the first episode of Accutrainee's Conversations in Law podcast, Hobz De Caux talks with their Director of Operations, Kevin O'Shea, about what it means to be a lawyer in the 21st Century.
This discussion raises interesting points concerning how the expectations of legal services have changed over the years and that now a lawyer is expected not only to provide legal advice but also provide sound business expertise. This need for commercial awareness is high up on the list of skills that law firms expect of applicants and Kevin O'Shea provides some useful insight into how those skills can be gained and showcased.
The conversation then turns to the rise of legal technology and whether proficiency in computing is an expected standard for legal recruits or whether an individual showcasing the necessary skills would stand out from the crowd.
For more information on these topics, please check the Accutrainee Blog and watch out for new podcasts covering topics such as: the SQE, Legal Technology and Commercial Awareness.