The Law Codex Podcast

Law firms are often divided into practice areas, each focusing on different types of law or sectors. In our latest episode, we speak with Simranjeet Kaur Mann about a range of different practice areas, typical trainee tasks and how understanding these areas can benefit students/graduates when choosing which firms to apply to.

The O Shaped Lawyer is an initiative set up by that aims to improve the legal sector for everyone involved by producing well-rounded lawyers, through highlighting the importance of soft skills that have traditionally been ignored in favour of technical skills. We speak with Neil Campbell, Managing Legal Counsel at NatWest Group and member of the O Shaped Working Group about ‘How to be an O Shaped Lawyer’.

Have you ever read a LittleLaw commercial awareness digest or thought about sitting the New York Bar Exam? If you have, then don’t miss out on our latest podcast episode, where we Interview Idin on these topics.\r\n

The Law Codex has partnered with Herbert Smith Freehills to provide an exclusive insight into the life of a trainee at this international commercial law firm. In this podcast episode, we speak with trainee Nicolas Schuscheim about his journey from student to HSF trainee, the culture of the firm, and the work he has completed so far in his training contract.

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In the latest episode of The Law Codex podcast, we speak with the musical duet James and Jamie about their new “Here to Stay” EP, their journey in music, and even their experience playing in front of hundreds of people at their grandparents golden wedding anniversary. Outside of music, James is a trainee solicitor at Burness Paull and Jamie is a gas, oil and heating engineer. You can find their music here: https://open.spotify.com/album/5waJTUprpFmKGsuEqbLHol?si=JquAlxObT-GXXn5Zi1MrZA

In this episode of our “Young Innovators” series, we speak with Queen Mary University of London Law student Declan McLoughlin. Declan is a Future Trainee Solicitor at Linklaters, who founded Channels - a social mobility charity dedicated to delivering bespoke careers education to social mobility cold sports across the United Kingdom. We discuss Declan’s work with Channels, the other organisations that provide support for socially mobile individuals, and more!

We speak with Lord Duncan of Springbank about how the EU can reform to become more democratic and attentive to the needs of citizens, whether the Scottish Parliament’s electronic voting system should be adopted in the House of Commons, and more. Lord Duncan  is a former Member of the European Parliament as one of six Scottish MEPs. In addition, Lord Duncan served as the Head of the Scottish Parliament’s EU Office in Brussels, with the remit of his role being to manage the relationship between the Scottish Parliament and the institutions of the EU. This, combined with him being the only minister to have served in the Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Wales Offices, provides Lord Duncan with extensive experience within various levels and areas of government.

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In this episode, we speak with Harry Clark about commercial awareness as a concept and how to answer vacation scheme and training contract application questions which are testing your commercial awareness. Harry is a trainee solicitor at Baker McKenzie, having started his first seat in September. With his More From Law podcast, Harry has uploaded podcast episodes that contain valuable advice for students on areas like commercial awareness, training contract applications, and networking.

In this episode of our “Young Innovators” series, we speak with Aishwrya Mohan, a student at the University of Southampton. Aishwarya is the founder of “All Things Legal” - a legal media platform dedicated to supporting aspiring commercial solicitors. We discuss the work Aishwarya has done with All Things Legal, the challenge of balancing university work with extracurricular projects, advice for those who would like to start a blog, and more!

In this episode, we speak with Lord Norton of Louth about the history, traditions, and potential reform of the House of Lords. Lord Norton has been described as our 'greatest living expert on Parliament' and a 'World authority on constitutional issues'. Lord Norton has been a Professor of Government since 1986, he has served as the Convenor of Campaign for an Effective Second Chamber, and previously sat on the constitution committee in the House of Lords.

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In this episode, we speak with Robert Hanna about the art of podcasting. We cover the process of writing a pitch for potential guests, which platform/software to record the podcast on, different methods of conducting the interview (written questions, “off the fly,” or a combination of the two), and more! Robert is the Founder and Managing Director of Kissoon Carr, a legal recruitment firm which works with a range of law firms around the world. In addition to legal recruitment, Robert hosts the extremely successful “Legally Speaking Podcast,” where he has spoken with high-profile guests in a whole host of sectors.

In this episode, we speak with Chris Daw QC about his advocacy of the legalisation of drugs and the closing down of prisons, which are pertinent features of  his book “Justice on Trial.” Chris is a renown criminal defence barrister, with over twenty-five years of experience, and was made a Queen’s Counsel in 2013. Shortly after releasing his book it became an Amazon Best seller, suggesting significant public appetite for a new approach to how we deal with crime in the United Kingdom.

We speak with Darren Broad, founder of Thelegalboost, in the second episode of our “Young Innovators” series. Darren is a law student at the University of Law and a supervisor at Lush Cosmetics, also having worked in a number of their Canadian offices. We discuss Thelegalboost, a mentoring service for students interested in pursuing a career in the legal industry, which has paired over 50 mentees with a mentor. Also, we delve into Darren’s work with BoostBlogs, which is a blog twinned with Thelegalboost.

In this episode, we speak with Amelia Mah about the CMS Academy scheme, CMS’ culture and practise area strengths, and top tips she has for those applying for any of the firms schemes or opportunities.  Amelia holds a breadth of experience within CMS. She has served as a Brand Ambassador for the firm, participated in the CMS Academy scheme, and now is a Future Trainee Solicitor at CMS.

In this episode; we speak with John Scott QC about his role in leading the review into the use of COVID-19 powers by Police Scotland, The Human Rights Act 1998, a British Bill of Rights, and other exciting topics relating to human rights in the United Kingdom. John is a leading solicitor advocate and human rights lawyer in Scotland. He serves as the President of the Society of Solicitors Advocates, he has defended clients in both the High Court of Justiciary as well as the in Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (one of his Supreme Court cases featured in the Channel 4 documentary “The Murder Trial”), and he was also awarded Silk of the Year in 2018.

We speak with Nathan Corr, founder of the Aberdeen University Legal Tech Society, in the first episode of our “Young Innovators” series. Nathan is a Future Trainee Solicitor at Addleshaw Goddard; he has a breadth of experience through his participation in a number of university societies, law firm work experience placements, and volunteering schemes. We discuss Nathan’s motivations for founding a legal tech society at his university, his vision for the society’s future, advice he has for anyone interested in legal tech, and more!

The application process for law firms' schemes and opportunities can be intimidating and stressful. In this episode, I speak with Jake Schogger about his advice for people who are going through this process. Jake is the founder of the "City Career Series," which are a series of extremely useful handbooks for anyone interested in commercial law, business, or any of the other financially-related professions. Make sure to check them out at www.citycareerseries.com.