100% Legal

In this episode, we’re joined by Ruaridh Brown and Jonathan Royal to explore what it’s like to train at a leading global law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer . Together, we delve into the variety of opportunities available to trainees, the kind of work they typically get involved in, and the support systems in place throughout their training journey. We also discuss the transition from studyin...

With April here, a lot of our listeners will be thinking about planning out their application processes and which firms to apply to in the coming months and hiring cycle. In this case, Travers Smith is here to discuss 'Room Sharing' within their company and the effect it has on you as a trainee within the firm. Alongside this, our guests today impart wisdom on how to pick what firm to ap...

Join Justine in another episode of the 100% Legal Podcast, where she is joined by Charlotte Morgan of Herbert Smith Freehills Graduate Recruitment Team to lay down what you need to know before you send in your application for the firm. They discuss everything from nerves, what you should include and upcoming deadlines - so please enjoy! The deadline for HSF Summer and Spring Scheme Applications is...

In this month's episode of the 100% Podcast, Justine is joined by Doctor Mira T Sundara Rajan who gives her perspective on how Copyright Law can be developed considering Artificial Intelligence, and what AI means for us as humanity in both the legal and cultural sense.  Doctor Sundara Rajan is the Canada Research Chair in Intellectual Property Law, a tenured associate professor at the Univers...

Join your new host, Justine, for this brand new episode of the 100% Legal Podcast, joined by special guest Jamie Allison. Jamie graduated from his DPLP at Aberdeen last year, and shares with us some advice for those just starting in their Legal journey up to applications for Vacation Schemes and the DPLP. Enjoy!

Welcome back to the 100% Legal Podcast. Today we have an exciting episode made in collaboration with our sponsor Travers Smith. Today Jakub is joined by Hugh Hutchison, an alumni of the University of Aberdeen, who is a Partner at Travers Smith.  Hugh will talk about his journey from Aberdeen to a Silver Circle law firm in London. Join us as we discuss a myriad of topics, from his role as a Partner...

In honour of International Women’s Day, join Jakub and Anabia for a powerful and inspiring episode featuring the Lord Advocate. As the highest legal officer in Scotland, the Lord Advocate brings a unique perspective, sharing her experience and discussing her work. We discuss a myriad of topics, which provide an inspiring conversation on International Women’s Day.  The conversation also touches upo...

Megha and Christy are joined by Louise Johnson who is a Legal Issues Worker at Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA). Louise talks to us about the work that SWA carry out to protect women and children who have experienced domestic abuse and how they campaign for change at a national level. We talk about the different forms of domestic abuse and the impact that the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 had on pr...

Megha is joined by Lubna Shuja, the President of the Law Society of England and Wales. Lubna is the first Asian, first Muslim and seventh female to become President. We talk about Lubna’s legal journey and the barriers she overcame to get to her position today and why diversity is so important in the legal world. Lubna shares her views on how law firms can create a more diverse and inclusive works...

Megha is joined by Dr Jean Wilkie who is the DPLP Director and Professor Susan Stokeld who is the Director of Education at the University of Aberdeen. They talk about the structure of the DPLP, the assessment criteria and how admission to the programme works. Dr Wilkie and Professor Stokeld also emphasise that securing a trainee contract is not a prerequisite for getting a place on the DPLP and th...

Megha and Melina are joined by Claire Mitchell KC. Claire shares her legal journey into how she was called to the Bar and how she persevered through many rejections and hurdles on the way. Claire talks about her caseload and why Public Law interests her. She shares her top tips for advocacy and the structure she follows when speaking in Court. Claire also shares insight on her ‘Taking Silk’ experi...

Megha is joined by Rahma and Nicola who are future trainees of Brodies and CMS respectively. They talk about their application processes and interviews and how they stayed motivated throughout. They give us some great tips on how to make applications stand out and give us some insight into what exactly these firms are looking for. They also share their summer placement experiences highlighting the...

Megha is joined by Nick Earles who is a regulatory lawyer and commercial adviser to the psychedelic industry and is one of the few dedicated legal consultants to the cannabis and psychedelic medicines industry. In this podcast, Nick talks about what drew him into the Cannabis Industry and we talk about the incredible growth and popularity of Cannabis at this present time. We also talk about the st...

Megha is joined by James Smith who is a Criminal Defence Lawyer who specialises in Prison Law and Parole at McGreevy & Co. We talk about the stigma and negative perception around prisoners and how this reduces their chance of fitting back into society. James also talks about the extent to which our prison system favours rehabilitation and how it compares to that of the USA and Norway. We also...

Megha and Melina are joined by Ian Duddy who is the Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission. Ian talks to us about how his career at the Foreign Office developed his interest into International Human Rights. Ian also talks about his time as a UK ambassador and how he has had to make difficult decisions and how he deals with the aftermath of these decisions. Ian also talks about his strong be...

Megha and Melina are joined by Derek Parsons who is an Advanced Family Law Practitioner in International Family Law (IFL) with speciality in International Child Abduction, Child Law and Relocation. Derek talks about his legal journey and how his business module led him into a career in Family Law. He talks about how committed one has to be to succeed in this field as sometimes he finds himself on...

Megha is joined by Lady Drummond who is a Judge in the High Court in Aberdeen. Lady Drummond shares how her transition has been from being an Advocate to being a Judge and explains some of the differences between the role of an Advocate and her new role as a Judge. As a Judge, Lady Drummond tells us what attributes she looks for in an Advocate to make them stand out and compares them to attributes...

Megha and Georgia are joined by Edie Bowles who is the co-founder of Advocates for Animals. They discuss Edie’s love for animals and how this love motivated her to start the first law firm in the UK which was entirely dedicated to Animal Protection Law. They also discuss the issue of illegal dog farming and the recent advancements in Animal Welfare law and whether they provide adequate protection....

Megha is joined by Krista Johnston who is the solicitor member of the Scottish Sentencing Council. Amongst other work, the Council develops sentencing guidelines for the courts. We talk about how sentencing guidelines are developed and the extensive process behind it. Krista explains the importance of various sentencing purposes and factors including rehabilitation and mental health when developin...

Megha and Chiara are joined by Robbie Wilson who is the Head of Medical Negligence at Anderson Strathern. Robbie talks about how he became interested in medical negligence and how he deals with cases involving cerebral palsy, birth injuries and consent. Robbie explains how many years can be spent on individual cases and how rewarding his job is when his clients finally receive their desired outcom...

 Megha and Rahma are joined by Deputy Director Denise Mckay. Denise talks about how she started working for the Scottish Government and her daily life in her managerial position. She also talks about the abundance of cases the Scottish Government handles daily as well as the Government’s role and position in the Ukrainian Conflict. She also has an open and honest conversation on the struggles she...

Megha, Georgia and Rahma are joined by celebrity guest Shaun Wallace who discusses his journey in becoming a barrister, highlighting the key skills and attributes and mindset one needs to be a criminal barrister as well as the challenges  he has faced along the way and how he has overcome these obstacles. He also speaks about the advice he would give to the younger generation. 

Katy and Amy are joined by Cat Burton, Chair of the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES), to discuss the work that GIRES do to support transgender and gender-diverse communities, the legislation which affects those within these communities and further issues which affect transgender people. Follow us for more episodes and get in touch if you would like to get involved! Check out...

Euan is joined by Andrea Fraser a Civil Justice lawyer at JUSTICE and will be discussing human rights law and the work of JUSTICE to defend said law.

Victorie-Anne and George are joined by Conor Hume and Jacob Webster, two associates from Bird & Bird’s Sports Group, who advise on various matters including regulatory  and sports-related commercial issues.  Conor and Jacob discuss about Bird & Bird's application process, how to stand out, the life of a sports lawyer, the variety of their work and the clients they work with as well as...