LSE's On The Case

In this episode, Shanaya Kapoor speaks with Aymen Mahmoud, Managing Partner of McDermott Will & Schulte's London office. Aymen begins with how his foray into commercial law, and what clients actually want from their lawyers. He talks about finance as a practice area, the range of clients his team acts for, and how understanding a client's commercial objectives are paramount. He provides a prim...

In this episode, we are joined by Hadrien Servais, partner and head of European private credit at Simpson Thacher. Hadrien traces his path from a chance start in banking to leading a practice, breaks down the financing of a private equity deal and the roles of sponsors and lenders, and shares candid advice to law students on building a career in commercial law.

In this episode, Mahnoor Khalid hosts Veronika Fikfak, who is a Professor of Human Rights and International Law at UCL, judge ad hoc at the European Court of Human Rights, and a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. We discuss the May 2025 letter, in which nine European states pushed back against the European Court of Human Rights. The letter placed renewed scrutiny on the Court's role in...

In this episode: How AI and LegalTech are reshaping legal careers—and why human skills (judgements, charisma, storytelling) matter more than ever.

In this episode, we host our esteemed guest, Munir Hassan, Partner and Head of Energy and Climate Change at CMS, as he shares his insights into the rapidly evolving clean energy sector. He discusses navigating complex commercial and regulatory landscapes, and reflects on his work across global markets including the UK, Europe, Asia, MENA, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America. Munir provides valua...

In this episode, Oliver Lipscombe hosts Jonathan Bloom - former law firm partner who became a founder, now Business Development Director at Perkins Coie London. We discuss institutional blindspots, what business schools don't teach about venture capital, and how to protect yourself as a founder or advisor. Jonathan's new book Blindspots launches February 11th - both a protection manual and surviva...

“We’re running science experiments - some will fail, but the wins make up for everything.” That mindset captures the U.S. approach to startups and sets the tone for our next episode, dropping next week.  In this episode, Anastasia hosts Daniel Glazer, founding partner of the London office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the Silicon Valley-headquartered law firm. Mr. Glazer advises UK and...

In this episode, Madi hosts our esteemed guest Dr. Ann Olivarius as she speaks on a range of topics from female sexuality over time, to the current legal sphere of sexual discrimination, to current discrimination issues. Dr. Ann Olivarius studied an undergraduate BA Political Science from a feminist perspective at Yale before achieving a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford. She then completed a...

In this episode, Pascale hosts Eric Neumayer and Madeleine Rees to discuss the possible legalisation of sex work in the UK and the impacts it would have. Eric Neumayer is an economist by training, he is the author, co-author or co-editor of numerous articles and publications on economics, sustainability and social issues, including a research paper on whether legalised prostitution increases human...

In this episode, Anastasia hosts our esteemed guest, Lord Matthew Elliott as he speaks on the importance of perseverance in campaigning and his experience as a Member of the House of Lords. Specifically, he focuses on the idea that people in the campaigning world should not be confounded by the many problems encountered and instead persist. The BBC described Matthew Elliott as "...one of the most...

In this episode, Michele speaks with guest speaker Ruth Chambers on the topic of UK environmental legislation. In particular, they discuss not only Ruth’s professional career as a fellow at the Green Alliance, where she plays a leading role in the maintenance of environmental regulatory frameworks, but also the changing standards of climate change protection and sustainability in a post-Brexit con...

In this episode, guest speaker Colleen Theron speaks to Noa on the issue of unpacking the issue of modern slavery. Modern forms of slavery, such as human trafficking and forced labour, undermine peoples’ fundamental dignity and liberty. Our goal in this episode is to understand how modern slavery manifests itself in today’s society and the stakeholders involved in perpetuating this cycle of enslav...

In this episode, guest speaker Brooke Lyne speaks to Saima about breaking into the world of law from a non-traditional background, and her journey finding her specialism in property litigation. Brooke offers her thoughts on the future of property law, discussing key issues such as the balance of power between landlords and tenants, the challenges posed by cuts to legal aid, and the potential of ho...

In this episode, guest speaker Tomás Magalhães and professor Gerry Simpson speak to Antonio about the validity and continued relevance of international law. The role of international law in conflict resolution, and its normative desirability, have been debated since the end of WWII, when the field of international criminal law became so prominent. The conversation then develops towards a discussio...

In this episode, our guest speaker Rob Marks speaks to Anson about the topic of leveraged buyouts (LBO) in America, and shares his experiences from his decades-long career in the LBO field. Particularly, he demystifies the workings of Private Equity deals, the structure of an LBO deal, the legal input LBO lawyers provide in their services and the necessary qualities of an LBO lawyer. Rob is curren...

In this episode, our guest speaker Patricia Volhard speaks to Shanaya about the current navigation of investment funds and ESG regulation in both European and UK markets. Patricia is currently a Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton and their Head of European offices. She is also an expert in Investment Funds and ESG matters across Europe, recently being renamed as one of Europe’s Most Influential P...

In this episode, our guest speakers Emmie Jones, Frederick Labovitch, Katie Morgan and Tom Owen, all representatives from White and Case, speak to Shanaya about the unveiling of a private equity deal that has happened recently. With speakers ranging from trainee solicitors to associates to partner, this podcast shines a special light by highlighting the different roles present in a firm and the co...

Geoffrey Yeung is a barrister practicing at Denis Chang’s Chamber, a leading Chamber in Hong Kong. He worked on Infinger, Nick v Hong Kong Housing Authority [2020], a landmark case which ruled that it was unlawful for the Hong Kong Housing Authority to preclude same-sex married couples from applying for public rental housing as a family. He has been recognised as a Rising Star of Administrative an...

John Kwan, the founder of London-based legal tech startup 10BE5, speaks to our host Shanaya about his career in legal tech. From practicing at Cleary Gottlieb for over six years since his NQ (newly qualified) days to his pivot to entrepreneurship, his seasoned legal experience offers a profound understanding of the legal tech market, which informs his startup’s unique and nuanced offering. In this...

In this episode, our guest speaker Emmie Jones, a Partner and co-head of the private equity practice at White & Case, provides a glimpse into the fundamental aspects of private equity transactions to Shanaya and our listeners. From structuring, negotiating, and executing highly complex, cross-border transactions; to advising growth investors and private equity houses on acquisition and managem...

In this episode, our guest speaker Farhana Sharmeen, the Head of Latham & Watkins’s Singapore practice and Co-Deputy Asia Managing Partner, speaks to Sophia about her progression as a lawyer. Reflecting on her journey from being a trainee at a local Singaporean law firm to being a senior leader at one of the world’s leading global law firms, she offers a unique insight into life as an internat...

Koen Lenaerts has been the president of the Court of Justice of the European Union since 2015 and, since then, has led one of the most critical transition periods in the History of the organisation. From the tension between EU values during Brexit, to the Rule of Law crisis in Poland and Hungary, the role of the CJEU has been expanding in an increasingly legalised EU, where the Commission has been...

In this episode, our host Gian explores the future of arbitration with Hyunyang (Ashley) Koo, a partner at Lee & Ko and a trailblazer in international arbitration and construction law. Hyunyang was a speaker at a recent International Chamber of Commerce Young Arbitrators and ADR Forum (ICC YAAF) seminar, where she discussed the necessity and feasibility of the practice in today’s commercial la...

Join our host Mia Cheng as she interviews Aks Khurana, a final year law student at QMUL with work experience at 5 fintech startups in the Middle East and a training contract with Latham & Watkins. Khurana delves into strategies on differentiating between law firms and successfully applying to vacation schemes, as well as the challenges he overcame throughout the process of securing a training...

In this episode, our guest speaker Megan Yeates dials in from San Fransisco where she is an Associate at Freshfields' Antitrust, Competition and Trade team. Reflecting on her progression from a trainee solicitor at Freshfields' London headquarters to an Associate part of their small Silicon Valley office, Megan attributes her experience completing an international secondment to New York in their c...