The Watering Hole podcast for in-house lawyers The Watering Hole podcast

In this episode, Alice Stephenson chats with Ben White, Founder of Crafty Counsel, a community and media company designed to provide in-house lawyers with content that matters to them. Crafty Counsel houses over one thousand members who enjoy the benefits of an in-house lawyer community including events, online meet-ups and Crafty insights.

Alice and Ben talk about his journey in law before leaving to become an entrepreneur and build Crafty Counsel from a side hustle to a successful community.

They discuss the need for an in-house lawyer community, how he created the community from an idea and what advice he would give to those wanting to start a business within the legal industry.

In this episode, Alice Stephenson chats with Dan Kayne, founder of O Shaped Lawyer. Founded in 2019, O Shaped Lawyer is a purpose-led initiative that advances what it means to be a well-rounded lawyer in the modern era. Alice and Dan discuss the inspiration behind the O Shaped Lawyer, which started as a small gathering of General Counsels, keen to inspire change within their industry.

Reflecting on this, Dan reveals how when hiring candidates during his time at Network Rail, there were many lawyers with fantastic technical legal skills, but fewer people with the broader people skills needed to engage with their business. Now Dan runs the O Shaped Lawyer full time, where the movement continues to go from strength to strength.

Dan talks about the achievements of the O Shaped Lawyer so far, notably partnering with law firm Browne Jacobson and working with law schools to broaden the skillset of the modern lawyer. The first O Shaped Lawyer module is set to go live with the College of Legal Practice imminently. Alice and Dan discuss how a people-first approach is vital in changing the archaic mindset in parts of the legal industry.

Find out more about the O Shaped Lawyer here: https://www.oshapedlawyer.com/

In this episode, Alice Stephenson chats with Emma Lilley, sole Legal Counsel at SD Worx and founder of In-House Potter. SD Worx is a payroll and workforce management solutions provider.

Both speakers had a struggle at school getting the right grades at their A levels. They discuss how this led them to fall into law by accident and how this time of their life was not the be all and end all of their careers: If anything, it pushed them harder to succeed in whatever career path they wanted. They give advice to those starting out in the legal industry, including their shared belief that young lawyers should have the confidence to break the mould and focus on what makes them happy.

Alice and Emma discuss the role of a sole legal counsel: It’s challenges and what is needed to be a success in that type of role in-house. Emma talks about the importance of having the freedom to make a difference, and how she is using that freedom and confidence to mould her career.

Emma shares her journey setting up the In-House Potter community, where she uses her experience getting into law to educate and encourage lawyers at the start of their careers.

Upon qualification, every solicitor is invited to a London-based admissions ceremony by the Law Society of England and Wales: despite the majority of solicitors being based outside of the city. Emma believes that everyone should have the chance to formally accept their admittance to the role and celebrate their achievements, however, London is not accessible to all. She therefore launched a petition which you can find here: https://www.change.org/p/make-solicitor-admissions-more-accessible

In this episode Alice Stephenson chats with Joanne Glaze, Group Legal Director at Gymshark, a fitness apparel and accessories brand valued at over £1 billion in 2020.

Alice and Joanne talk about the journey getting into law before jumping straight into what it’s like working for a fast growth company such as Gymshark. They discuss the average day for the in-house lawyers, how challenging it can be to get involved early in business decisions and how important it is for companies to take care of their people.

Joanne talks about what it takes to be a good lawyer and how to motivate a team, giving tips and tricks for anyone looking to enter the world of law.

In this episode Alice is joined by Francesca Porter, General Counsel and executive team member at Onfido. Onfido is a fast-growth AI company that digitally proves people’s identities using photo ID and facial biometrics.

Alice and Francesca talk about their journeys into the legal industry, including the influence of their parents from when they were young. Francesca recounts how her career took off in giant HP, and how she came to realise the benefits of working in-house. Francesca pivoted her career to work in scaleup Onfido, where she helps her remote team grow the business.

Francesca talks about what her typical day looks like in a tech scaleup, and how other lawyers should choose the right tech company to work for. The two lawyers discuss what the most rewarding and challenging moments are when working in a fast-paced company, and how there needs to be a shift in perceptions of how professional services are delivered to clients.