The Legal Cheek Podcast

The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible: https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/ It's been well reported in the UK media that Prince Harry has been waging war on Britain's press establishment in a series of protracted legal battles fought out in the High Court and beyond. Whilst...

The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible: https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/ Law firm mergers are often presented as a neat equation: bigger platform, bigger clients, bigger profits. But behind the slick press releases and carefully worded announcements, the reality of combining two...

The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible: https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/ Stereotypes are rarely fair or accurate. However, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the stereotype of a barrister (charismatic, well-spoken, intelligent beyond compare) is an accurate one. For profess...

The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible: https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/ Currently, the legal press and beyond is full of doom-mongering of a staggering scale — the advent of AI means one thing for sure: your shiny legal career is no longer a dead cert. And as law firms and othe...

The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible: https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/ Commercial awareness. Two words likely to send any self-respecting law student into either psychosis or an interview-induced breakdown. But what if we told you it's really not as complicated as it looks...

With summer vac scheme season fast approaching and thousands of solicitor hopefuls gearing up to storm law firm offices across the City and beyond, how can you make the most of the opportunity and secure that coveted TC offer? Legal Cheek brings you the answers… When candidates are so evenly matched on paper, it's often the smallest things that determine whether you walk away with a training c...

Whether you’re a sixth-former aiming for a top university or a graduate considering a career change into law, this episode offers a clear and realistic guide to navigating the path into the profession. This week on The Legal Cheek Podcast , Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott break down how aspiring lawyers can best prepare for — and stand out in — the law school admissions process. From supercurricula...

What exactly is the difference between the Magic Circle, the Silver Circle, White Shoe firms and today’s so-called “Global Elite” — and do any of these labels still mean anything in the modern legal market? In this episode of The Legal Cheek Podcast, Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott explore the history and evolution of elite law firm prestige, from the old Club of Nine and the emergence of the Magic...

The legal AI arms race is well underway. Over the past year, elite law firms have rushed to announce partnerships with the biggest names in legal tech, as firms compete to integrate generative AI into everything from drafting and due diligence to knowledge management and workflow automation. Some firms are partnering with specialist legal AI platforms like Harvey and Legora, while others are pursu...

With the SQE ushering in alternate pathways to qualification, and the non-law graduate to solicitor pipeline becoming increasingly common, there is no longer a single standard route into the legal profession. On this week’s Legal Cheek Podcast, Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott share their perspectives on whether aspiring solicitors should study law at university or pursue another subject and convert...

This week on the Legal Cheek Podcast, Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott break down how to succeed in the most demanding parts of the training contract application journey. Drawing on their firsthand experience navigating what can often be a gruelling five-, six-, or even seven-stage process, they share practical insights into what firms are really looking for beyond the written application. The pair...

Securing a training contract at a top firm can feel a bit like a lottery: countless applications, limited offers, and for many aspiring solicitors, the process can seem like luck of the draw. This week on the Legal Cheek Podcast, Tom Connelly puts future Magic Circle trainee Ryan Scott in the hot seat to unpack how he successfully navigated the application process and landed a role at his dream fi...

Exam season is looming and, for law students, that usually means one thing: stress levels are rising and notes are piling higher by the day. But as with most things in law, success often comes down to getting the basics right. This week on the Legal Cheek Podcast, Ryan Scott and Tom Connelly discuss seven practical revision tips to help you not just survive, but thrive this exam season. From plann...

This week on The Legal Cheek Podcast, Julia Szaniszlo and Tom Connelly dig into why aspiring lawyers should be paying close attention to this often overlooked stat at their target firms. Retention figures are one of the few hard data points that cut through polished recruitment marketing. High attrition can signal that the reality of working at a firm doesn’t match what was sold during the applica...

The numbers don't lie and when you're earning more in two days than most people make in a year, they don't need to. This week on The Legal Cheek Podcast , Julia Szaniszlo and Tom Connelly dig into the headline-grabbing financial results of Kirkland & Ellis, the first law firm in history to break the $10 billion revenue barrier, with profit per equity partner hitting a staggering $1...

The trailblazer apprenticeships have done exactly what it says on the tin – they've set a new standard for routes into the legal profession, and the numbers speak for themselves. This week on the Legal Cheek Podcast, Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott discuss the meteoric rise of the solicitor apprenticeship route, its merits and what kinds of students may thrive in this environment. Since its lau...

This week on The Legal Cheek Podcast, Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott are back to take a look at the SQE. First introduced in 2021 as a way to democratise a historically inaccessible profession, the SQE has had a rather bumpy ride, marred by controversies surrounding pass rates, exam difficulty and administrative errors. We take a look at how the SQE came to be, the key differences it has to the LP...

The latest episode of the Practice Area Deep Dive series turns the spotlight on employment law! Legal Cheek's Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott walk you through what employment lawyers actually get up to, from handling unfair dismissal claims to the role they play in corporate transactions. They also explain the key trends shaping the area right now, including what the Employment Rights Act’s incomin...

As we begin to approach the tail end of this application cycle, many of you may be feeling discouraged by the slew of rejections clogging up your inbox. You feel like you've done everything right, so where is that acceptance email? Ryan Scott and Julia Szaniszlo are back at The Legal Cheek Podcast to give you some tried and tested tips for making your application stand out, from understanding...

The second episode of the new Practice Area Deep Dive series is taking a look at Corporate M&A! Legal Cheek’s  Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott take you through the lifecycle and key documentation of an M&A deal, the kinds of work trainees and lawyers can expect to get involved in and the key trends shaping the area, from deal volume to regulatory scrutiny.

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.

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 yo...

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 grow...

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...

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-...