The Legal 500 Future Lawyers Podcast The Legal 500

In this episode, Peter is joined by Chris Jorgenson, Director of Institutional Partnerships; Odessa Alm,  Manager of International Student Support; and Jasmine Gratton, an alumnus who passed the February 2021 New York Bar Exam preparing with BARBRI. They discuss the US bar exam prep course and the opportunities the course offers UK law students, lawyers and career changers.

In this episode, I speak with BDB Pitmans' Fiona Fleming, Diversity and Inclusion manager, Nicolas Le Riche, Employment partner and training principal, and Virginia Szepietowski, newly qualified trainee in restructuring and insolvency in the Reading office. We discuss the firm's community feel, the recruitment experience and qualifying into a regional office, and the firm's longstanding firm commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

In this episode, I speak with Culture Shift, a UK-based tech for good developer, which creates reporting software for universities and law firms, among others, on anti-harassment, bullying and discrimination within organisations. I speak with Vimla Appadoo, Head of Experience at Culture Shift, and Chelsea Maher, Head of Marketing, about their work at universities, in the legal industry and the importance of D&I in applicant decisions. We discuss Culture Shift’s research report into D&I within organisations in the UK and its meaning for the legal industry. We also discuss what students should ask about a firm’s D&I, and what to look out for.  

In this episode, recorded in December 2020, Peter is joined by Victoria Cromwell, Director of UK Programmes and the SQE Prep course development project leader, at Barbri, a global legal education provider. They introduce the SQE, discuss its effect on the profession, Barbri’s place at the forefront of its delivery, and the results of a report on the SQE, that Barbri commissioned from Hook Tangaza.  

The second in a double-bill of episodes with the University of Law, we cover the legal employment landscape in 2020, much of which is still applicable in state of the world early in 2021. My guest on this episode is John Watkins, Employability Director at the University of Law. We discuss gaining work experience during the Covid crisis, and cover what kind of experience is needed, how to get it and how to make the most of it. This episode was recorded in September 2020.  

As part of a double-bill of episodes featuring the University of Law, Peter's guest on this episode is Peter Crisp, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Law. The Peters talk about the university’s response to the Covid pandemic and its teaching. They also delve into the SQE and the transition to legal training under the new regime. In this first episode of the new year, it is fitting that we look back at the year that was 2020, which remains pertinent as we unfortunately are in a similar position at the start of 2021. (This episode was recorded in September 2020. )