Studying Law Around the World

Claudio Klaus
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Education

A podcast with more than 70 hours of conversations with lawyers, professors, and students from over 20 countries. Each episode shows how people study law, build careers across borders, handle setbacks, and find purpose in their work. You will hear clear advice, practical tips, and global insights from different legal systems and top schools. A useful guide for anyone interested in law school experiences, law career advice, legal industry insights, and the views of legal scholars. Selected episodes accredited by the Law Society of Ontario and the Law Society of British Columbia. ISSN 2819 733X

  1. 14h ago

    Rethinking the Billable Hour, the Apply All Dilemma, and AI Curiosity with Amy Grubb

    In this week's episode of Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Amy Grubb. Amy began her career in big law before transitioning into business strategy, entrepreneurship, and eventually legal technology. Today, she works as a Legal Solutions Architect at Spellbook, helping in-house teams integrate AI into their daily workflows. She generously shared the invisible mechanics of navigating modern legal practice and why curiosity is the ultimate career accelerator. What you will learn: The "Apply All" Dilemma: Why features that allow you to instantly accept AI generated contract revisions are incredibly efficient for senior lawyers, but potentially dangerous for juniors who still need to learn the rationale behind those changes.Rethinking the Billable Hour: How the integration of AI is exposing the deep flaws in the billable hour model, and why smaller firms are often much faster at adapting to highly profitable flat fee structures.The Power of Curiosity: Why dedicating just one hour a week to testing new technology is the simplest way to overcome the fear of falling behind in a rapidly changing profession. Why this matters For early career professionals, the pressure to instantly master artificial intelligence can feel overwhelming. Amy's non-traditional career path proves that you do not need to be a software engineer to thrive in legal tech; you just need to be curious. The true challenge for the next generation of lawyers is not learning how to use the tools, but learning how to use them without skipping the fundamental steps required to build professional confidence. By blocking out dedicated time to experiment and refusing to rely blindly on the "apply all" button, you can safely integrate AI into your practice while actually developing your legal expertise. Three takeaways Block the time to experiment. You do not need to master AI overnight. Schedule exactly one hour every Friday afternoon to test a new tool or write a new prompt. The compound effect of that single hour will keep you ahead of the curve.Understand the "Apply All" trap. Efficiency tools are designed for professionals who already know the law. If you are a junior lawyer, force yourself to review the rationale behind every AI generated change before accepting it. You cannot outsource your legal judgment.Lean into the network. The legal tech community is incredibly welcoming. Do not let the fear of sounding foolish stop you from reaching out to colleagues on LinkedIn to ask them exactly how they built a specific workflow or used a new tool. Guest: Amy Grubb, former big law attorney, entrepreneur, and Legal Solutions Architect at Spellbook. She specializes in redesigning how legal work gets done by building AI workflows for in-house teams. Where to listen and how to support the show Search Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show on your platform of choice. Leaving a rating and review is the best way to support the podcast, helping us continue to grow and bring these invisible rules of the legal profession to more junior lawyers around the world. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: ⁠https://studyinglawaroundtheworld.com/

  2. 1d ago

    Owning Your Success, Executive Communication, and the Power of Exposure with Oliver Gleeson

    In this week's episode of Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Oliver Gleeson. Oliver is a former general counsel, COO, and the founder of Salient Map Executive Consultancy. Through his extensive coaching work, he generously shared his insights on how early career professionals can shorten their learning curves, build executive presence, and transition from capable lawyers into trusted leaders. What you will learn The Power of Exposure: Why getting out of your comfort zone and seeking early exposure to mentors, complex files, and different ways of thinking is the absolute fastest way to accelerate your career. Redefining Executive Communication: Why sounding polished is completely secondary to creating clarity. Oliver explains how every email and conversation should be viewed through a "user experience" lens to ensure it actually moves the matter forward. Seeing the Puzzle Box: How to stop operating in a silo. You will learn why understanding the "why" behind your tasks and learning the actual business mechanics of your law firm will dramatically improve your confidence and decision making. Why this mattersMany law firms still rely on an inefficient trial and error training model where juniors are expected to simply absorb executive skills by proximity. If you wait for a formal development plan that may never arrive, your career will inevitably stall. By proactively owning your success, taking the time to understand how your firm generates revenue, and focusing on the strategic purpose behind every single task, you position yourself as a trusted business partner rather than just a high level task executor. Three takeaways Ask for the big picture. If you only understand your isolated piece of a project, your confidence will naturally suffer. Ask your partners where your work fits into the overall strategy. Understanding the full puzzle allows you to make sharper, more independent decisions. Focus on the user experience. Executive communication is not about using complex legal jargon. It is about asking yourself if your message answered the right questions and provided immediate clarity for the recipient. Build a library of lessons. Do not wait to make your own mistakes. Identify leaders at every level of your firm and ask them what one thing they would change if they could go back five years. Use their hindsight to build your own professional roadmap. Guest: Oliver Gleeson, former general counsel, COO, and founder of Salient Map Executive Consultancy. He specializes in coaching early and emerging legal professionals to build executive judgment and leadership skills. Where to listen and how to support the showSearch Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show on your platform of choice. Leaving a rating and review is the best way to support the podcast, helping us continue to grow and bring these invisible rules of the legal profession to more junior lawyers around the world. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit:⁠https://law-learn-link.base44.app/Episodes

  3. 5d ago

    The Master of Laws Project, Strategic Listening, and Global Legal Careers with Yi Song

    On the newest episode of Studying Law Around the World, I had the absolute privilege of sitting down with Yi Song. As a dual-licensed lawyer from China and an incredible educator at Georgetown University Law Center, Yi has spent years analyzing what actually gets international lawyers hired through her brilliant Master of Laws Interviews Project. She generously shared the invisible mechanics of navigating the U.S. job market and thriving as a global professional: What mistake do people make because no one explained this? They lock themselves in a room to perfect their writing samples or practice their English with AI. Yi explains why hiding behind a screen is a massive error. You must step out of isolation, tell your story, and actively build a real community. What is the unspoken rule here? Being the smartest person in the room is not enough. You must learn to read the room. Yi brilliantly points out that a client's ultimate goal is rarely to "win" a drawn out legal fight; it is usually just to resolve a business problem and move forward. What question should a junior lawyer ask but does not know how? How do I stop viewing my career as a simple pass or fail? Yi shares why abandoning a strict dichotomy worldview (where you divide the world purely into those who have jobs and those who do not) is essential. Giving yourself grace and showing genuine empathy to others will always make you a better, more hireable professional. If you are an internationally trained lawyer or simply want to understand the true mechanics of building a global legal career, this conversation will leave you incredibly inspired. Listen to the full episode, "The Master of Laws Project, Strategic Listening, and Global Legal Careers with Yi Song," out now. Where to listen and how to support the show:Search Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show on your platform of choice. Leaving a rating and review is the best way to support the podcast, helping us continue to grow and bring these invisible rules of the legal profession to more junior lawyers around the world. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit:⁠ https://law-learn-link.base44.app/Episodes

    The Master of Laws Project, Strategic Listening, and Global Legal Careers with Yi Song

  4. Jul 22

    The Alignment Doctrine, Tribal Mentorship, and Finding Your Legal Giftings with Norm Bowley

    On the newest episode of Studying Law Around the World, I had the privilege of sitting down with Norm Bowley. With over five decades of experience as a lawyer, educator, and coach, Norm generously shared the invisible mechanics of building a thriving practice instead of just enduring one: What mistake do people make because no one explained this? They spend decades trying to fix their weaknesses instead of abandoning tasks they are only mediocre at. Norm shares his Alignment Doctrine, proving that identifying your unique giftings and actively shedding the rest is the only path to a joyful practice. What is the unspoken rule here? There is a massive difference between a commodity practice and a bespoke practice. Commodity law focuses on volume and efficiency. Bespoke law focuses on complex, tailored expertise where clients do not ask how much you cost; they ask how soon you can get there. What question should a junior lawyer ask but does not know how? Are we building a business or a tribe? Norm explains that true professional growth happens in tribal firm models, where senior partners act as invested mentors who nurture the next generation, rather than just treating them as billable units. If you are ready to stop grinding and start aligning your daily work with your natural strengths, this conversation is essential listening. Listen to the full episode, "The Alignment Doctrine, Tribal Mentorship, and Finding Your Legal Giftings with Norm Bowley," out now. Where to listen and how to support the show:Search Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show on your platform of choice. Leaving a rating and review is the best way to support the podcast, helping us continue to grow and bring these invisible rules of the legal profession to more junior lawyers around the world. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC).For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: ⁠https://law-learn-link.base44.app/Episodes

    The Alignment Doctrine, Tribal Mentorship, and Finding Your Legal Giftings with Norm Bowley

  5. Jul 21

    Bottom Up Policy, Environmental Justice, and the Interdisciplinary Lawyer with Sergio Sánchez

    In this week's episode of Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Sergio Sánchez. Sergio is a lawyer from Mexico City, a Stanford PhD candidate, and a brilliant environmental policy leader working at the intersection of sustainability, climate justice, and community driven solutions. He generously shared his insights on how legal professionals can step outside traditional boundaries to create real, lasting impact. What you will learn Bottom Up Policymaking: Why top down environmental regulations often fail local communities and how to incorporate meaningful consultation early in the development process. Ending Parachute Research: The ethical imperative to share academic findings with local populations, empowering them to negotiate fairer contracts and protect their own resources. The Living Laboratory: How electrifying the educational farm at Stanford University proves that lawyers must collaborate with engineers and scientists to build practical, real world solutions. Why this mattersFor junior lawyers interested in sustainability, the career path is not always clearly defined by traditional law firms. Sergio proves that environmental law is not just about administrative permitting; it is fundamentally about human lives. By moving away from abstract legal theory and embracing an interdisciplinary mindset, you can build a career that actively bridges the gap between high level policy and practical community needs. Advocacy requires stepping out of the office and working alongside the people who will actually live with the consequences of your legal and policy decisions. Three takeaways Avoid the top down trap. Do not wait until a project is finished to ask for community feedback. True advocacy requires engaging with stakeholders during the planning and construction phases to ensure their specific daily needs are met. Translate knowledge into action. Whether you are doing academic research or legal analysis, your work must be accessible. Give communities the concrete data they need to negotiate better terms, just as Sergio did by helping local groups in Colombia understand the true value of their carbon storing peatlands. Embrace interdisciplinary work. You cannot solve global climate issues with the law alone. Stay curious and be entirely willing to collaborate with experts across different scientific and technical fields to build solutions that actually function in the real world. Guest: Sergio Sánchez, Mexican lawyer, environmental advocate, and Stanford PhD candidate. He is deeply dedicated to making the global energy transition more just, equitable, and community centered. Where to listen and how to support the showSearch Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show on your platform of choice. Leaving a rating and review is the best way to support the podcast, helping us continue to grow and bring these invisible rules of the legal profession to more junior lawyers around the world. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: ⁠https://law-learn-link.base44.app/Episodes

    Bottom Up Policy, Environmental Justice, and the Interdisciplinary Lawyer with Sergio Sánchez

  6. Jul 16

    Building Your Ship, Authentic Relationships, and the Science of Luck with Dr. Tina Seelig

    In this week's episode of Studying Law Around the World Podcast, I sat down with Dr. Tina Seelig. Dr. Seelig is a neuroscientist, a renowned educator at Stanford University, and the Executive Director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars. As the author of What I Wish I Knew About Luck, she generously shared her groundbreaking framework for turning unpredictable career winds into intentional luck. What you will learn The Anatomy of Luck: Why you must distinguish between fortune, which is out of your control, and luck, which you can actively catch by building your ship, recruiting your crew, and hoisting your sail. Flaring and Focusing: How to balance the need for deep, specialized legal focus with "flaring," the deliberate practice of exploring new ideas, meeting new people, and testing different paths. The Keys to the Building: Why accepting a job offer is not just taking on a set of assigned tasks. It is taking the keys to the entire building so you can solve bigger problems and help your colleagues succeed. Why this matters Law schools train us to analyze precedent and eliminate risk, which often pushes young lawyers to lock themselves into strict, hyper specialized career tracks from day one. Dr. Seelig proves that this approach can blind you to incredible opportunities. By shifting your mindset away from transactional networking and focusing on genuine generosity, you can build a reliable crew that supports you through the unpredictable pivots of a modern legal career. Three takeaways Send a sincere thank you. The shortest distance between you and a positive outcome is showing genuine appreciation. Never miss the opportunity to thank the mentors and colleagues who support your journey; a simple note yields boundless returns. Treat uncertainty as a gift. Do not panic if your career does not follow a perfect script. Use the uncertainty as a chance to experiment, walk into new rooms, and discover passions you never knew you had. Define your core values. Your core values act as the ballast of your ship. They keep you steady in turbulent waters and protect you from ethical missteps when the pressure of practice is high. Guest: Dr. Tina Seelig, neuroscientist, Stanford University professor, and author. She is a global expert on creativity, innovation, and teaching professionals how to actively build their own luck. Where to listen and how to support the show Search Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show on your platform of choice. Leaving a rating and review is the best way to support the podcast, helping us continue to grow and bring these invisible rules of the legal profession to more junior lawyers around the world. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit:⁠ https://law-learn-link.base44.app/Episodes

    Building Your Ship, Authentic Relationships, and the Science of Luck with Dr. Tina Seelig

  7. Jul 14

    Building AI Skills, Holding Space, and the Value of the Struggle with Larissa Meredith-Flister

    In this week's episode of Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Larissa Meredith-Flister. Larissa is a solicitor qualified in England, Wales, and Canada, with an LLM from the University of Cambridge and a deep background in economics. She has practiced complex litigation in London and now focuses on competition law and digital markets. She generously shared her insights on how to ethically integrate modern technology into legal practice while maintaining the crucial human elements of our work. What you will learn Holding Space: Why the ability to listen and make clients feel truly heard is just as vital as your legal strategy, whether you are dealing with municipal bylaws or the victims of an international disaster. Creating AI Skills: How to stop treating AI like a simple chatbot and start building specific, source verified instructions to eliminate repetitive tasks and legal hallucinations from your workflow. The Value of the Struggle: Why the intellectual friction of digging through case law and reading full decisions is absolutely essential for developing the legal judgment that technology cannot replace. Why this mattersWhat is the unspoken rule of modern legal practice? Technology can accelerate your output, but it cannot replicate your critical thinking or your professional accountability. Larissa highlights a crucial tension. While AI tools can provide instant answers, relying on them blindly creates a false sense of confidence. To truly succeed, lawyers must step out of their comfort zones, build diverse networks of people who challenge their perspectives, and accept that the "struggle" of complex problem solving is exactly what builds world class legal judgment. Three takeaways Build specific workflows. Do not just accept frustrating, repetitive mistakes from generative tools. Take the time to actively train the tool by creating strict parameters, such as demanding mandatory source verification and exact paragraph citations for every claim. Embrace the intellectual struggle. Do not let instant answers rob you of your training. The hours spent reading full cases, connecting disparate concepts, and wrestling with complex legal theories are necessary to develop the strategic judgment that clients actually pay for. Show up for people unconditionally. Build bridges with individuals who think differently than you do. Offering genuine help and friendship without expecting anything in return is the most reliable way to build a resilient, global career. Guest: Larissa Meredith-Flister, Solicitor in England, Wales, and Canada. Larissa specializes in competition law, complex litigation, and the ethical integration of artificial intelligence in digital markets. Where to listen and how to support the showSearch Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show on your platform of choice. Leaving a rating and review is the best way to support the podcast, helping us continue to grow and bring these invisible rules of the legal profession to more junior lawyers around the world. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit:⁠ https://law-learn-link.base44.app/Episodes

    Building AI Skills, Holding Space, and the Value of the Struggle with Larissa Meredith-Flister

  8. Jul 9

    Solving Legal Debt, Elevating Human Judgment, and the Future of Law with Sebastian Padina

    This week on Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Sebastian Padina. Sebastian is the founder of Hauswerk Law and a fractional General Counsel who brings a rare and brilliant mix of legal depth, AI engineering, and product management to his practice. He generously shared a completely refreshing and optimistic perspective on how modern tools and innovative business models are reshaping the way we deliver legal services. What you will learn Managing Legal Debt: How founders accumulate "legal debt" by skipping essential early legal steps to move fast, and how pragmatic legal counsel can prevent those skipped steps from turning into expensive crises later. The Premium on Human Judgment: Why artificial intelligence will successfully automate routine "road work," making your human judgment, empathy, and ability to uncover a client's true problem your most valuable professional assets. The Mini Partner Mindset: How modern law firms are completely rethinking training. Sebastian explains why new service models allow junior lawyers to act as "mini partners" from day one, developing real world advisory skills rather than hiding in the back room. Why this mattersFor junior lawyers, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence can sometimes feel intimidating. Sebastian proves that this technology is actually an incredible gift. Instead of spending your first few years doing repetitive tasks, you now have the opportunity to step into a strategic advisory role immediately. By understanding the commercial realities of tech companies and moving away from the traditional billable hour toward subscription based models, you can position yourself as a proactive business partner who delivers true clarity and value. Three takeaways Focus on the real risks. Startups do not want theoretical legal essays; they need pragmatic solutions. Learn to identify which risks are genuine threats to a specific business and which ones are just noise. Directing your client's resources to what actually matters builds deep trust. Judgment is your true product. Artificial intelligence can draft a standard agreement, but it cannot read a room. Your greatest professional advantage is your ability to ask the right questions, understand the emotional context of a founder, and provide human accountability. Embrace the advisory role early. The days of washing rice for five years before rolling sushi are over. Use modern tech tools to handle the routine administrative work so you can start developing your strategic judgment and business acumen from the very beginning of your career. Guest: Sebastian Padina, Founder of Hauswerk Law and Fractional General Counsel. Sebastian blends legal expertise with a tech forward mindset to deliver flexible, fixed fee legal support to startups and growth stage teams. Where to listen and how to support the showSearch Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show on your platform of choice. Leaving a rating and review is the best way to support the podcast, helping us continue to grow and bring these invisible rules of the legal profession to more junior lawyers around the world. Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: ⁠https://law-learn-link.base44.app/Episodes

    Solving Legal Debt, Elevating Human Judgment, and the Future of Law with Sebastian Padina
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About

A podcast with more than 70 hours of conversations with lawyers, professors, and students from over 20 countries. Each episode shows how people study law, build careers across borders, handle setbacks, and find purpose in their work. You will hear clear advice, practical tips, and global insights from different legal systems and top schools. A useful guide for anyone interested in law school experiences, law career advice, legal industry insights, and the views of legal scholars. Selected episodes accredited by the Law Society of Ontario and the Law Society of British Columbia. ISSN 2819 733X

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