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

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.

In this special episode we are joined by Sylvain Magdinier, Senior Vice-President, Legal and Compliance, at Integreon, a leading Alternative Legal Services Provider (ALSP).  We explore how ALSP businesses developed, the types of work they do, the use of technology in the work, and the roles and career paths available – highlighting the skill-sets which can help you to succeed in these businesses.
In this special episode we are joined by Sylvain Magdinier, Senior Vice-President, Legal and Compliance, at Integreon, a leading Alternative Legal Services Provider (ALSP).  We explore how ALSP businesses developed, the types of work they do, the use of technology in the work, and the roles and career paths available – highlighting the skill-sets which can help you to succeed in these businesses.  In this episode, Sylvain summarises how ALSP businesses evolved, arising from deregulation in the England & Wales legal services market allowing different types of legal service provision, coupled with a client-led drive for greater efficiency and value delivery.  Sylvain talks about the wide range of services which ALSPs can offer, ranging from provision of expert staffing to projects where legal teams need to analyse or manage high volumes of documents for litigation or transactions, regulatory-driven reporting requirements, or consultancy services.  The episode also looks at the different career paths to gaining a role in an ASLP, including the route which Sylvain took via private practice law firms and in-house roles.  We explore the skills which will help you to progress in an ALSP, the possible career paths, and how technology is constantly evolving the ways in which these businesses are working with their clients (both law firms and in-house teams).  The discussion highlights too the importance of trying different roles to gain practical experience of how businesses like an ALSP can offer interesting and challenging pathways which are at the leading edge of how the legal sector is changing. 
Actions and resources for listeners: ·        Check this webpage for the Chambers guide to ALSPs – read two of the articles and think what are three main trends you see in this part of the legal services market? ·        Look at two of the different services offered by Integreon as a ALSP: and for each of the two areas make a list of the skills you think will be important in providing that service. ·        Where do your skills match?  After reading this article, consider how your own skill-set and interests fit into a ALSP and the opportunities there.

In this podcast Jonny Hurst (Head of Outreach and Law Marketing at BPP) and Kerry Jarred talk about SQE pass rates, how they are published, and the things students should consider when deciding on the type of SQE training which would suit them best.  
 
Some useful resources, supporting this podcast are:
 
https://sqe.sra.org.uk/exam-arrangements/sqe-reports
 
https://www.youtube.com/@SQETV
 
https://www.bpp.com/courses/law/postgraduate/sqe-courses 

Academic Francine Ryan guides listeners through a virtual reality court room which is being developed by the Open University. 
The Open University provides a unique place to learn with students dispersed around the UK and internationally.  This has spurred academics to be specialists in online legal education.  In this episode Solicitor and Senior Lecturer Francine Ryan describes a new virtual court room being developed to help train students.  She also raises a broader discussion on the use of legal tech for litigants in person, technology equity and the ethical questions that come into play through technology. 
We always encourage listeners to undertake practical actions after listening to the episode.  -       Try using different large language models of AI e.g. Chat GPT.  Put a legal question in and see what the quality of the answer is.  -       Look at the virtual reality court room at https://www5.open.ac.uk/scholarship-and-innovation/scilab/blog/virtual-reality-courtroom-project -       Look at the free courses and content that is produced by the Open University https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ Useful resources  -       Studying law at the Open University https://www.open.ac.uk/courses/choose/ppclaw?ps_kw=the%20open%20university%20law&cid=sem-9237400975&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-P-rBhBEEiwAQEXhH89bQ9lPIakzJ2QT3wE6SVMQv_wdjcW-BfHrYGAGFVEXSzYrzxkReBoCDF0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds -       ChatGPT https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt