Reimagine Law Frances Ridout (QMUL), Kerry Jarred (Jarred Consulting), Simon Reichwald (My Kind Of Future), Nigel Spencer (QMUL)

In this special episode we are joined by Barry Matthews, Group Deputy General Counsel at the Pennon Group Plc, and Holly Moore, Legal Advisor in the in-house legal team at broadcaster ITV. We explore how you can develop a career path as an in-house lawyer, how the role differs from other types of legal practice, the opportunities such pathways offer, the skills which help you to succeed as an in-house lawyer, and how the role is changing.
 
In this episode, Barry and Holly explain how they each developed their career paths to in-house legal roles and what attracted them to this area of legal practice.  For Barry, this was a route via private practice in a City law firm, whilst Holly gained an in-house solicitor apprentice role and went directly into in-house practice.  Areas discussed include the diversity of the roles and opportunities, and the closeness of the in-house legal role to the commercial business you are advising.
 
Holly speaks about the fast-moving, and varied work at ITV from commercial negotiations to drafting and brand protection work.  Also Holly discusses how the in-house role gives a great “helicopter view” of the business as her role rotated through different departments during training.  Barry also emphasises the variety of his in-house work at a senior level, ranging from the legal and commercial strategy work to collaborating with academic partner organisations on societal issues such as water supply resilience.  Both guests talk about skills such as agility, project management and relationship building as being key to success – and how they see in-house legal functions developing in the future.
 
Actions and resources for listeners:
·         Check this webpage to find out some differences between working as an  in-house lawyer and in private practice.
On this list of “10 Business Skills every in-house lawyer should master”, where are you already strong, and which 1 skill could you work more to develop? 

In this special episode we are joined by Mark Karnowski and Tom Evans, who hold senior roles in delivering Legal Project Management services for international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, and Robert Dudley, Head of Employability & Engagement at The BARBRI Group. We explore the expanding career opportunities in “Legal Project Management”, the skills needed, and why this is a fast-growing area in both law firms and the in-house legal teams of their clients. 
In this episode, Mark and Tom speak about what “Legal Project Management” (or “LPM”) is, and how the need for firms to deliver this LPM service arose from the greater client demand for efficiency and pricing certainty after the Financial Crash in 2007-09.  Mark and Tom explain how this is a fast-growing area of practice, relevant to different practice areas, from Banking and Corporate to Litigation.  Our guests explain how you can build a career in LPM from different career backgrounds ranging from being a lawyer, to accountancy or management consultancy, and the graduate programmes in law firms in “Legal Operations” which offer you the chance to develop a career in LPM.  The differences between LPM roles in law firms and in-house legal teams are also discussed. 
The episode then considers the skill-sets which are important for LPM, highlighting core capabilities such as organisation, project management and attention to detail.  Also, our guests emphasise the need for high levels of emotional intelligence, managing and negotiating with one’s busy stakeholders, adaptability as projects you are managing evolve and change, and a need for resilience and being able to manage tight deadlines. Actions and resources for listeners: ·         Check this webpage and read one of the “how we are helping out clients” stories – what skills would the legal project managers need to deliver really well on this project? ·         See this summary of the importance of legal project management to in-house legal teams.  How do you own skills match with those highlighted there?
 
 

This episode explores working life in the hybrid world, it’s effect on the skills apprentices and trainees need to develop and the impact on employers, staffing and legal issues.  Kerry Jarred is joined by Imogen Reseigh, a managing associate and trainee supervisor in the Employment and Pensions team at Trowers & Hamlins; and Elisha Wilson a trainee solicitor at Trowers, in her third seat and currently sitting with Imogen in the Employment & Pensions team.
ACAS: working from home and hybrid working https://www.acas.org.uk/working-from-home-and-hybrid-working
 
Flexible and agile working  
https://www.trowers.com/services/employment-and-pensions/flexible-and-agile-working 
 
Webinar: Future of Agile Working – the Productivity Paradox
https://www.trowers.com/insights/2023/september/webinarfuture-of-agile-working-the-productivity-paradox 

This podcast explores the SQE regime and the impact it is having on diversity in the legal profession.  We have recently seen another SQE 1 intake sit their exam, Kerry Jarred talks with Chris White (Founder of the leading legal diversity platform "Aspiring Solicitors ) and Jonny Hurst (Head of Outreach and the Law Marketing lead at BPP) about what are the stats telling us about the success rates so far.
 Useful links:
SRA | SQE training options | Solicitors Regulation Authority
Choosing the Best SQE Training Provider for You | AllAboutLaw
SQE Courses | Courses | BPPMore useful links:
AS page - https://www.aspiringsolicitors.co.uk/ 
BPP SQE page - https://www.bpp.com/courses/law/postgraduate/sqe-courses 
Jonny’s SQE TV channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx-g2hySyXx3oUjpHxkuyaA

Are you interested in becoming a barrister? This episode discusses how to get there, the data around it and has other useful tips on what to read.
Becoming a barrister can feel overwhelming and difficult.  This episode aims to de-mystify the process and gives an important steer for how you can find out more information.   
Fran welcomes Kian Goodall and Caroline Entwistle from the Bar Council (the regulatory body for the Bar) and pupil barrister Savannah Sevenzo. 
They unpack details of the new Pupillage Gateway Report and generally explain how applying for pupillage works. 
We always encourage listeners to undertake practical actions after listening to the episode.  -       Look on the Bar Council website under the tab ‘Becoming a Barrister’. -       Go to a court and sit in the public gallery. -       Read the Pupillage Gateway Report for 2024 (link below). 
Useful resources  -       The Pupillage Gateway Report https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/resource/pupillage-gateway-report-2024.html  -       The Pupillage Fair 2024 https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/training-events/calendar/pupillage-fair-2024.html -       The Pegasus Access Scheme https://www.innertemple.org.uk/becoming-a-barrister/how-to-get-involved/pass/ -       Chambers and Partners list of mini-pupillages  https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/the-bar/mini-pupillage-vacancies  

Zaneta Sedilekova is a lawyer and director of climate and biodiversity risk consultancy firm Planet Law Lab.  Ryan (Ra) James is a trailblazer at the intersection of cross-cultural wisdom & worldview and modern business. He draws upon the profound insights of his personal journey, travelling and working in over fifty-five countries on six continents with indigenous mentors and cultures, infusing the most innovative leaders and businesses with a remarkably rich tapestry of interconnected and eloquent thought to inspire insight, curiosity, innovation and resilience whilst shaping a new paradigm for sustainable, future-ready enterprises. 
Zaneta and Ryan have partnered to create (re)purpose law – a five-week online course designed to enable lawyers to understand the current ecological crises, including climate change and biodiversity loss, from a systems perspective, looking at the role of law from economic, societal, behavioural, psychological and evolutionary angles. Zaneta and Ryan also look at law through the lens of often forgotten Indigenous paradigms to offer an alternative way of finding our purpose as lawyers in addressing the current ecological crisis.
Ryan and Zaneta challenge some established concepts in our legal frames of thinking. What does ownership really mean and, when we have possession of property, does that really give us the right (literally, and legally) to destroy as well as enjoy the benefits from it? Or to exclude others from it? We explore in the discussion how we can approach some legal and cultural concepts differently, using a kinship-centric, Indigenous worldview: a worldview that challenges the more anthropo-centric construction of cultural (and legal) systems and “rights” – asking us to adopt a humbler perspective where we have responsibility for what we “own”, hand on, and our legacy from generation to generation. The episode looks at how law and legal systems might embrace more of the Indigenous knowledge-systems from an ally-ship perspective: ranging from our concepts of criminal justice and the court process to a songwriter’s IP or land law.  How can we look at these afresh?  Also, what role can lawyers play in the future to ensure that such perspectives are fully integrated with legal practice so that we can be better stewards of the planet we live in? 
Actions and resources for listeners: ●        See the “(re)purpose law” course syllabus.  Zaneta and Ryan are offering the course to the first 10 students who want to sign up for 500 GBP. You can email them directly to take advantage of this generous offer - zaneta-ryan@repurposelaw.com. ●        For adventurous listeners, to understand different worldviews, we recommend looking into Restoring the KinshipWorldview by Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows), with a video on the topic here.