The 15 podcasts all law students should listen to

Reading time: six minutes

The popularity of podcasts has soared in recent years with more than 19.1 million podcast listeners in the UK as of January 2023, according to cybercrew. Aspiring lawyers can use podcasts to engage with information through a different medium that offers a new way to learn about issues within and outside of the legal profession, while also supporting their commercial awareness.

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Being able to listen to podcasts on a commute, walk or run, or while cooking enables aspiring lawyers to make the most of the little spare time that they have between studying, applications and vacation schemes. LCN’s Bethany Wren said: “I think podcasts are a great way to top up your knowledge on a subject without even really trying, and to find out something new from those in the know.”

Here are the 15 podcasts we think all aspiring lawyers should listen to:

1. Law Pod UK – this podcast is brought to you by barristers at One Crown Office Row. It covers developments across aspects of civil and public law in the UK. With more than 170 episodes already, you can stay up to date with recent developments in medical law, and gain an insight into the role of law in tackling climate change, whether AI can become a patent inventor, advice on how to get pupillage and interviews with leading professionals, including Margaret Bowron KC.
    
2. Linkubator (Linklaters) – a student-led innovation podcast series, designed to help students who want to develop their understanding of how innovation and emerging technologies are transforming the legal sector. Episodes include conversations with experts and legal innovators on a number of topics, including AI in the legal industry and the challenges it could pose, and the use of analytics and data in law.
    
3. The Intelligence, The Economist – this is a great podcast for aspiring lawyers looking to delve beyond the news that’s making the headlines worldwide to impress firms at interview. With episodes just over 20 minutes long, you can learn about AI and the future of search and what a post-oil future might look like.
    
4. BBC Radio 4 Best of Today – the Best of Today podcast challenges key policy makers on the latest news stories and features insight, analysis and expert debate, which will support your developing commercial awareness. The latest episodes include conversations on the flying objects being shot down over North America, whether ChatGPT can write a Valentine’s sonnet, and driverless cars and human autonomy.
    
5. Law: Firming It – launched at the end of 2022, this new podcast features insights and advice from law graduates Simran and Amelia on the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and more. Episodes are currently being released weekly with the most recent discussions on surviving SQE exam season and ways to bulk up your CV.
    
6. Talking Law – Sally Penni, the founder and chair of Women in the Law UK and multi-award-winning barrister, hosts this brilliant podcast. It provides insight into the careers of leading figures in UK law, with discussions focusing on the highs and lows of their careers, as well as the challenges and realities they’ve faced in the legal profession. Recent guests include Lord David Pannick KC, Dr Shaun Wallace and Tom Lyas, and Chad Doellinger.
    
7. Legally Speaking Podcast – this podcast is hosted by Rob Hanna, an expert in legal careers and content creation, and provides listeners with accessible insights from reputable guests, including Dana Denis-Smith, lawyer and founder of the First 100 Years programme.

8. UK Law Weekly – a weekly podcast on legal decisions and news. Find out about the latest cases and reviews from the courts with Marcus Cleaver, a former university lecturer in law. The latest episodes include a look at Fearn v Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery (a claim brought against the gallery by nearby residents), how long planning permission should be good for, as well as a conversation on the conditions a local authority can impose on a landowner who’s looking to develop a piece of land.
    
9. Herbert Smith Freehills Podcast – lawyers from global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills discuss a whole host of thought-provoking topics on their regular podcast. Episodes on class actions in England and Wales, the National Security and Investment Act in the context of public M&A transactions, and environmental, social and governance will be of interest to students wanting to hear how legal experts talk about contemporary legal and commercial issues.
    
10. Get legally speaking with Hatti Suvari – this is a multi-award-winning podcast with insights on various matters, including divorce, children disputes, employee and employer rights, and building or neighbourly disputes. With more than 130 episodes featuring jargon-free legal knowledge on a variety of topics, this podcast is a great place to start for aspiring lawyers.
     
11. The Legal Room UK – featuring a diverse range of specialist lawyers, this podcast’s most recent episodes include a look at changing contractual terms, discretionary benefits, tips for correctly filing company shares and an overview of sponsor licences.
    
    
      
12. Commercial Awareness with Watson’s Daily business and financial news – former stockbroker Peter Watson hosts this commercial awareness podcast, which offers accessible insights into important business and financial markets news, including Monzo’s staff tracking, the latest lawsuit between Lidl and Tesco, and how AI could change search and digital advertising forever.
     
13. FT News Briefing – straight from the Financial Times newsroom, this podcast provides regular updates to global business news. The latest episodes are: ‘The SEC’s crypto crackdown’, ‘Dispatch from northwest Syria’, and ‘US regulators go after non-competes’. 
     
14. The Irwin Mitchell Podcast – a fortnightly podcast, brought to you by full-service law firm Irwin Mitchell. Covering a range of topics, including the law surrounding e-scooters and the importance of financial planning, this podcast provides advice and updates from the firm's experts. 
     
15. Obviously we couldn’t write an article about legal podcasts without mentioning our very own LawCareers.Net Podcast, which is designed to cover a different topic each month, and features interviews with lawyers, recruiters, students, and members of the LCN team. Make sure you listen and subscribe on your favourite podcast app and let us know what you’d like us to talk about by tweeting us with #LCNpodcast. We’ve also recently launched a brand-new Practice Area Profile series offering students insights into various practice areas. You can listen to the first few episodes with insights from:
     
    • Sullivan & Cromwell LLP associate Catherin McLaughlin as she discusses her role in the firm’s corporate finance team;
    • Mills & Reeve LLP associate Chloe Gibson, who describes her journey into commercial real estate and more;
    • Tarun Tawakley, employment law partner from Lewis Silkin, who outlines the kinds of issues he works on;
    • Clifford Chance’s Nick Humphries, an associate in the corporate tax team, who offers an overview of his training contract and shares the highlights of his career to date; and
    • funds associate Megan Law who speaks about the life of a funds lawyer at Travers Smith LLP and what’s going on in the legal world.

Looking for more? Here are some other LCN Says articles that you might like:

• 'Three podcasts and vloggers you should be following to boost your commercial awareness';
• 'How running a business on Depop can sharpen your commercial awareness'; 
• 'Five ways to use social media to kickstart your legal career'; 
• 'How aspiring lawyers can succeed with no legal work experience'; and 
• 'Five ways to make the most of your university's career service'.

Olivia Partridge (she/her) is the content manager at LawCareers.Net.