The Legal Cheek Podcast

Legal Cheek
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Legal news, market insight and law careers advice.

  1. 4D AGO

    S6EP7: Practice Area Deep Dive: Dispute Resolution

    As part of the new Practice Area Deep Dive series, this episode of The Legal Cheek Podcast takes a look at the world of dispute resolution. Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott explore what the practice involves, the kinds of work trainees and lawyers can expect to get involved in and the key trends shaping the area, from litigation funding to class actions.

    48 min

  2. FEB 6

    S6EP6: TC interviews: Curveball questions and how to handle them

    When preparing for law firm interviews, most candidates rehearse the classics: Why law? Why this firm? But every so often, you’re thrown a curveball that makes you wonder why you bothered preparing at all. In this episode of The Legal Cheek Podcast, Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott unpack some of the weirdest and wackiest interview questions our listeners have faced, from “What kind of tree would you be?” to “What gets you out of bed in the morning?”

    51 min

  3. JAN 30

    S6EP5 : Five commercial awareness themes for 2026

    What key commercial themes should every aspiring solicitor know about? Legal Cheek’s Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott return to break down some of the major commercial trends shaping the legal and business world in 2026. Whether you’re still drafting applications or preparing for interviews, this episode explores the topics future lawyers need to understand, from geopolitical volatility and the growth of private capital to the evolving hiring landscape of Big Law in the UK.

    44 min

  4. JAN 22

    S6EP4: How legal tech is transforming the way lawyers work

    Legal tech is the buzzword on every firm’s lips — and for good reason. From automated contract drafting to AI-assisted doc review, legal tech is rapidly reshaping how legal work gets done. In this episode, Legal Cheek’s Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott cut through the hype to explore how firms are actually using legal tech, what it means for trainees and junior lawyers, and whether robots are really about to steal your jobs. https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-journal-posts/will-legal-tech-doom-the-billable-hours-model-for-law-firms/ https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/6-reasons-why-future-trainees-need-to-engage-with-legal-tech/ https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/legal-tech-what-aspiring-lawyers-really-need-to-know/

    53 min

  5. JAN 16

    S6EP3: DO YOUR RESEARCH - How to properly research a law firm

    Before you even start writing that next law firm application, you need to do your research! With plenty of vac scheme and training contract deadlines still open, Legal Cheek’s Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott sit down to discuss the importance of law firm research and talk you through the whole gamut of approaches, from just starting out, to navigating firm webpages  and the good old LinkedIn reach-out.

    47 min

  6. JAN 7

    S6EP2: SQE provider pass rates – when will they be published?

    Ever since its introduction in 2021, the SQE has been nostranger to controversy. Originally conceived as a way to simplify the pathway to qualification, one of the SRA’s key pledges was a commitment to disclosing the pass rates of individual course providers. However, this promise has been plagued by delays, with disclosure initially set for ‘late 2023’. Legal Cheek’s Julia Szaniszlo and Tom Connelly sit down to discuss what this means for students, as well as some of the other issues the SQE has faced since its rollout. Read more here: https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/12/data-collection-flaw-leaves-sra-unable-to-publish-sqe-provider-pass-rates/ https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/12/sra-misses-deadline-for-publishing-sqe-provider-pass-rates/ https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/12/student-confidence-in-sqe-takes-a-hit-despite-rising-law-firm-support/

    25 min

  7. 12/22/2025

    S6EP1: Merger Madness: Why are so many law firms joining forces?

    Big Law is no stranger to major mergers -- many of the most prestigious City firms were formed through international tie ups and partnerships. However, in the past month legal headlines have been hit by a wave of major law firm tie-ups with a distinctly transatlantic flavour. In this episode, Legal Cheek’s Julia Szanislo and Ryan Scott sit down to discuss the proposed deals between Ashurst and Perkins Coie, Taylor Wessing and Winston & Strawn, and Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader and what they mean for the legal market and beyond. Read more here:https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/11/ashurst-to-merge-with-perkins-coie-to-create-global-megafirm/ https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/12/taylor-wessing-and-winston-strawn-to-form-new-transatlantic-giant-winston-taylor/ https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/12/hogan-lovells-and-cadwalader-gear-up-for-3-6bn-mega-merger/

    38 min

  8. 08/07/2025

    S5E13: Is soaring NQ pay impacting trainee retention rates?

    The Legal Cheek podcast is BACK! This week we kick off by discussing the recent rises in salaries for newly qualified lawyers. We dig into what this means for the legal industry as well as addressing complaints of "salary bunching" from lawyers further up the food chain. And is this continual rise in NQ pay having an affect of the amount of qualifying trainees that firms keep on? We examine reports that retention rates are dropping and discuss the figures which firms have released so far. Finally, we touch on a student-led petition to reform the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE) which has garnered attention from mainstream media outlets as well as from former home secretary Suella Braverman. Is this an example of Gen Z snowflake culture (as Braverman suggests) or valid criticism of a flawed set of exams? Read more about these stories on Legal Cheek: https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/im-not-a-wet-lettuce-trainee-solicitor-behind-sqe-petition-hits-back-at-bravermans-snowflake-jibe/ https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/07/beyond-nq-whats-the-salary-progression-like-at-your-firm/ https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/clifford-chance-retains-49-of-57-qualifying-trainees/ https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/07/mayer-brown-matches-magic-circle-nq-pay-at-150k/

    41 min
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About

Legal news, market insight and law careers advice.

Information

  • Creator
    Legal Cheek
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Legal Cheek
  • Show Website
    The Legal Cheek Podcast

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