Chambers Student Podcast: Recent Episodes
Chambers Student
The Chambers Student research team is committed to giving students the best insights and analysis on the legal profession. Our podcast series explores the legal profession theme-by-theme, via the experiences of experts. Read all our content, for free, at chambersstudent.co.uk
In this Memo podcast special, we outline the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the crypto exchange FTX, highlight the key findings from its bankruptcy filing, and reflect on what impact this may have on crypto market regulation.
Chambers Student’s Chelsey Stanborough talks to Taylor Wessing’s graduate recruitment team and recent vacation schemers about getting the most out of a vacation scheme at the firm. Chelsey interviews Ami Disdale (Early Talent Advisor at Taylor Wessing) about what to expect during the vacation scheme, lessons learned from the pandemic, and there diversity and inclusivity in recruiting methods. Chelsey also spoke to vacation schemers Nicole Baldev, Rochelle Ampomah and Funmilade Falegan about their experiences during the vacation scheme and got their nuggets of wisdom to pass on!
Chambers Student's Jamie Sharp talks with lawyers at Slaughter & May about how the firm's training contract sets trainees on the path to becoming multi-specialists! Jamie interviews associate Michael Craig and trainee Julia Routledge about their experience of the training contract, and finance partner Claire Cooke about what a career as a multi-specialist lawyer looks like after qualifying.
Chambers Student's Jamie Sharp talks with lawyers at Slaughter & May about how the firm's training contract sets trainees on the path to becoming multi-specialists! Jamie interviews associate Michael Craig and trainee Julia Routledge about their experience of the training contract, and finance partner Claire Cooke about what a career as a multi-specialist lawyer looks like after qualifying.
Chambers Student interviews Travers Smith partners Genna Marten, Polly Richard and Michael Raymond about three of the firm's key practices: M&A, disputes and asset management. From ESG to pension funds, we discuss stand-out matters from the past year, and how Travers is looking to expand its operations in the face of economic turbulence.
This podcast was recorded and edited by Taiwo Oshodi.
Chambers Student interviews Travers Smith partners Genna Marten, Polly Richard and Michael Raymond about three of the firm's key practices: M&A, disputes and asset management. From ESG to pension funds, we discuss stand-out matters from the past year, and how Travers is looking to expand its operations in the face of economic turbulence.
This podcast was recorded and edited by Taiwo Oshodi.
In this episode, we caught up with a first-year trainee at Freeths to find out how they are using ULaw's array of employability services and tools to enhance their career. We cover useful resources to get you started when you're looking for a job, as well as ULaw's employment promise to those who study with them.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
In this episode, we caught up with a first-year trainee at Freeths to find out how they are using ULaw's array of employability services and tools to enhance their career. We cover useful resources to get you started when you're looking for a job, as well as ULaw's employment promise to those who study with them.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
Chambers Student interviews Siobhan Ali, the founder and editor-in-chief of the St Andrews Law Review.
The St Andrews Law Review is run by a team of students from universities across the country. Their articles provide the legal angle on news stories - recent topics include human rights violations and issues around the world, regulation of social media platforms, and artifical intelligence.
"We're always looking for writers," Siobhan tells us. Tune in to find out how you can get involved and find out more here: https://www.standrewslawreview.com/
Edited by Taiwo Oshodi
“Prisoners are among the most vulnerable to abuse, and that’s where we step in."
Cuts to legal aid have left prisoners among the most vulnerable to human rights violations stemming from overpopulation, limited access to healthcare, poor living conditions, and prejudice. Plugging the gap between legal aid and prisoners’ rights is the Intervene Project, a legal charity providing free representation to prisoners who don’t qualify for legal aid.
In this episode, Chambers Student interviews the manager at the Intervene Project, Evie Smith, about what the charity is doing to defend prisoners’ basic human rights, and the challenges it faces as its caseload doubles in just six months.
The Intervene Project was established by Kesar & Co in 2013 and offers aspiring solicitors and barristers the opportunity to volunteer as a caseworker or researcher.
Learn more: https://www.interveneproject.org/
Interview conducted by: Sal Morton Edited by: James Rocha-Sharp
Chambers Student’s Rhia Lyon catches up with two BPP students to get their reflections on SQE1. They share their experience of the exam and prep course, plus some top tips for those taking it in future.
You can also read our Q&A with the Dean of BPP Law School here.
Rhia Lyon sits down with senior construction associate Laura Lintott of Trowers & Hamlins to discuss construction law. Tune in to find out more about the ins and outs of this fascinating and often underrated practice area!
How useful is it to speak a second language for your career in law? Rhia Lyon interviews three multilingual trainees at White & Case. Tune in to find out how they use their language skills and how this is helping them to shape a career on the global stage. Don't worry if you’re not a polygot: we'll also be hearing about how the firm helps trainees to develop a second language.
Interviewees: • Anmar Al Ghadhanfari, Arabic, English • Hanna Hedayati: Persian, Swedish, English • Yajur Kapoor: English. Having language lessons ahead and during his overseas seat in Geneva
Are you interested in human rights law? Rhia Lyon interviews Clive Baldwin of Human Rights Watch, an international organisation that investigates and reports on human rights abuses all over the world. Tune in to find out about the company's valuable work, and how to get more experience in this area of the law.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
We talk to four Addleshaw Goddard juniors in Leeds, Liverpool, London, Glasgow and Dubai about the ins and outs of being a trainee at a national firm with global opportunities, covering social life, working across offices, international placements, and more.
Sal Morton interviews Nazaneen Ahmadi in Leeds, Jessica Chapman in Liverpool, Alec Newton in Dubai and Michael Gray in Edinburgh.
What makes a law firm sustainable? Sal Morton speaks to Rachel Smith, Joe Wren and Jonathan Gilmour at Travers Smith about how law firms can do their bit for the environment internally, locally and even internationally. From Meat Free Mondays to carbon trading, we hear about the ways in which Travers is using its position in the market to spark change.
Insurance is the practice of hedging against financial risk; the practice and its fallout require a lot of legal work. In this podcast we speak to trainees Ellie McCarthy and Tania Forichon about their experiences of insurance at Clyde & Co, which has a leading practice in this area, offering no fewer than 31 insurance seats across its London and Manchester offices.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
The world is changing faster than ever, and a new generation of lawyers will need to combine both technical expertise and emotional intelligence to find their feet in the rapidly-evolving landscape. According to the O Shaped Lawyer movement, the “smarts and hearts” of lawyers are key to the profession moving into the future. With that in mind, the group has designed a framework to equip the lawyers of tomorrow with skills that can't be found in textbooks.
We caught up with RVU Head of Legal and The O Shaped Lawyer committee member Natalie Salunke to find out whether the future really is O-shaped.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
In this podcast we speak to members of the restructuring team at Sidley Austin, an international law firm with a leading practice in this area. We discuss what working as a restructuring lawyer involves; how students can build the necessary skills for a career in this field; and how recent events including Covid-19 and Brexit have affected the practice.
Sponsored by Sidley Austin
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
We speak to Dr S Chelvan of 33 Bedford Row, a barrister and activist who works with queer refugees seeking asylum in the UK. Chelvan is a member of the LGBT government advisory panel and created a model as a determining tool for queer refugees.
Our interview was conducted on 5th March 2021.
Publications mentioned:
- Chelvan's thesis: At the end of the rainbow : where next for the queer refugee? - https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.784565
- The Queer Outside in Law, Chapter 4 - 'The DSSH Model and the Voice of the Silenced: Aderonke Apata', S Chelvan (eds Peter Dunne and Senthoran Raj) https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030488291
- Justice and the Politics of Difference by Iris Marion Young
- Chelvan's article on the International Child Abductor's Charter Supreme Court judgment: https://www.33bedfordrow.co.uk/insights/articles/international-child-abductors-charter-or-a-pathway-to-freedom
- Update on Chelvan's Strasbourg cases: https://www.33bedfordrow.co.uk/insights/news/who-is-my-father-strasbourg-court-uk-government
Organisations mentioned: UK Black Pride, African Rainbow Family
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
We speak to BamLegal CEO and founder Catherine Bamford about the rise of legal tech, and how it can help junior lawyers and trainees starting out in their careers. We also discuss the likelihood of legal tech replacing human lawyers (spoiler alert: not likely), and learn about some of the most promising legal tech tools.
BamLegal's purpose is to improve the delivery of legal services for all. This mission includes helping law firms, inhouse legal departments, lawyers, clients, the 80% plus of people and small businesses who cannot afford legal services, and the next generation of law students and legal engineers entering the legal world.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
This week we interview Jolyon Maugham QC, the founder and director of the Good Law Project, which has earned fame via its work challenging government process and accountability, in particular on Brexit and the proroguing of Parliament case, and now on the government's response to the pandemic. We interview him about his career and the mission of the Good Law Project.
Topics discussed: Becoming a barrister The working of the Good Law Project Government scrutiny and accountability
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
Topics discussed:
- What environment committees at law firms do and can do to shape firm policy and approach to the environment
- Trends in how law firms are responding to broader environmental concerns within their own businesses and operations
- The ways in which lawyers can use their expertise to further environmental causes in their day-to-day work
Everything shared in this podcast is Rachel's own personal opinion and does not necessarily represent the opinion of Bird & Bird.
Relevant links
- https://www.twobirds.com/en/our-lawyers/r/rachel-welch-phillips
- https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/legal-practice-areas/environment
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
In this episode we interview Dr Anna Elmirzayeva who runs the MSc legal technology course at the University of Law. She shares her expertise on the pace of change in legal tech and how education providers should prepare students for it.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
In this episode we caught up with Edie Bowles, co-founder of the UK's first law firm dedicated to animal protection, Advocates for Animals. We discuss:
- How widespread the practice of animal protection law is
- Current issues in the practice
- The impact of commercial activities
- What animal protection law looks like on an international basis (and how English law compares)
- The future of animal protection law
- Advice for students who are looking to get into this area
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
Rachel Welch-Phillips is an associate in Bird & Bird’s international aviation group. Rachel founded Bird & Bird’s BAME network, Embrace, while she was a second-year trainee at the firm, and her superb work on this front saw her win the Future Leader Chambers Diversity & Inclusion award in the category of minority lawyers in private practice. We caught up with Rachel to discuss the current state of racial and ethnic diversity in the legal industry, as well as some of the recent issues that have impacted this area of D&I.
Topics discussed:
- The legal industry’s response to Black Lives Matter
- The legacy of Black History Month
- The origins and use of the term ‘BAME’
- The vast benefits of an intersectional approach to diversity and inclusion
Relevant links:
- https://www.twobirds.com/en/community/corporate-responsibility/diversity-and-inclusion/embrace
- https://www.twobirds.com/en/our-lawyers/r/rachel-welch-phillips
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
We spoke to the good people at Travers Smith about the firm's renowned pro bono practice and partnerships with various organisations to help make the world a better place. Our discussion covered the legal aid crisis, how firms can avoid corporate colonialism and much more.
JUSTICE is a human rights organisation working to strengthen the justice system in the UK. Travers Smith is the Corporate partner for JUSTICE's expert working party investigation into the over representation of BAME youth in the criminal youth justice system (YJS). The working party has examined the causes of BAME disproportionality in the YJS and will shortly publish its report of practical recommendations aimed at reducing that disproportionality and ensuring that children are not needlessly criminalised.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
In part two, we chat to six people at the world's largest law firm about the importance of vacation schemes and commercial awareness.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
We chat to six people at the world's largest law firm about how to prepare for interviews, and what to do (and not to do) when you're sat in front of a firm.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
We speak to lawyers at this international firm about what's hot in the litigation world, and how you can maximise your chances of becoming a litigator.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm
We speak to five members of the Taylor Wessing team about the effects of Covid-19 on legal practice, trainee life during lockdown, virtual vacation schemes and more.
This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm