The 15 podcasts all law students should listen to

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The popularity of podcasts has soared in recent years. In the UK, around 15.5 million people now listen each week, according to Statista, while Ofcom research suggests that more than one-in-five adults tune in regularly, with the highest engagement among younger audiences. 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.”

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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 200 episodes, you can stay up to date with recent developments in clinical negligence and gain insights into the role of law in tackling climate change. There are also episodes offering advice on how to get pupillage and interviews with leading professionals, including Robert Keller KC.
    
2. RightsUp: The Oxford Human Rights Hub Podcast – brought to you by the Oxford Human Rights Hub, based in the Law Faculty at the University of Oxford, this podcast explores some of the biggest human rights issues of the day. Through interviews with experts, academics, practising lawyers, activists and policy makers, it offers insight into the people and ideas shaping responses to some of the world’s most complex human rights questions.
    
3. Lawyerist Podcast – aimed at lawyers running small and medium-sized firms, this podcast offers practical advice on building, managing and growing a modern legal practice. Covering topics including law firm marketing, legal technology, automation, client relationships and firm culture, it can help aspiring lawyers understand the business pressures firms face and the skills lawyers need beyond legal knowledge. This makes it a useful listen for those who want to show commercial awareness and a broader understanding of how firms operate.
    
4. Legal Directions – this podcast is brought to you by the University of Liverpool Law School. You can listen to episodes on diversity and inclusion in legal careers, and what it’s like to work as an in-house sports lawyer with Adidas.
    
5. The Judges: Power, Politics and the People – a landmark podcast series from 2024 brought to you by Frances Gibb in partnership with The University of Law. The series features conversations with 10 of the most senior former judges in England and Wales from the past three decades, providing their view on politics, power shifts and prospects for the legal system.
   
   
    
6. Talking Law – Sally Penni, founder and chair of Women in the Law UK and a multi-award-winning barrister, hosts this podcast. It provides insights 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:
   • Merry Varney, human rights partner at Leigh Day; and
   • Mark Emerton, governor at the University of Lincoln and retired employment judge.
      
7. Legally Speaking Podcast – this podcast is hosted by Rob Hanna, an expert in legal careers and content creation. It provides listeners with accessible insights from reputable guests, including Dana Denis-Smith, deputy vice-president of the Law Society of England and Wales, lawyer and founder of the First 100 Years programme, on empowerment of women in the legal profession; Mx Oscar Davies, who spoke about non-binary recognition in the legal system; and Jacqueline Schafer, who discussed how AI is reshaping legal writing. 
    
8. UK Law Weekly – find out about the latest cases and reviews from the courts with Marcus Cleaver, a former university lecturer in law. A recent episode looks at Gatwick Investment Ltd v Liberty Mutual Insurance, asking the question: can companies still make business disruption insurance claims from covid-19 if they received support from the government?
    
9. Get legally speaking with Hatti Suvari – this is a multi-award-winning podcast with insights on various matters, including child maintenance, holiday entitlement and building disputes with clients. With more than 150 episodes featuring jargon-free legal knowledge on a variety of topics, this podcast is a great place to start for aspiring lawyers.
   
   
    
10. The Legal Room UK – featuring a diverse range of specialist lawyers, this podcast’s most recent episodes cover a number of topics, particularly touching on issues relating to employment law, such as the new Employment Rights Act, redundancy and whistleblowing at work.
     
11. 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 trade tariffs and the impact of AI on the job market. 
     
12. FT News Briefing – straight from the Financial Times newsroom, this podcast provides regular updates to global business news. The latest episode looks at SpaceX’s initial public offering.
     
13. The Irwin Mitchell Podcast – this podcast is brought to you by full-service law firm Irwin Mitchell and covers a range of topics, from pensions to family disputes.
     
14. The Rest is Politics – while not strictly a legal podcast, it’s a great listen to help aspiring lawyers build commercial awareness by unpacking the political and policy issues shaping businesses, clients and the wider legal sector.
     
15. Obviously, we couldn’t write an article about legal podcasts without mentioning our very own The 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. We have various series, including our Practice Area Profile series, which offers students insights into various practice areas with interviews from lawyers at leading law firms across the UK; and our Commercial Connect series in which we analyse recent commercial stories.

Listen to the latest episodes now!

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

• 'Ten legal books by Black authors to entertain and inspire you’;
• 'How aspiring lawyers can succeed with no legal work experience';
• ‘Podcasts and influencers you should follow to boost your commercial awareness’;
• ‘How to make the most of LinkedIn as a law student’;
• 'More than just careers advice: five things your university’s career service can help you with’; and
• ‘Eight must-read books on LGBTQ+ legal issues’.

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