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/

Big salaries may grab the headlines, but what does life as a junior lawyer actually look like day to day?

Legal Cheek writer Nadia Ismail sits down with Legal Cheek founder Alex Aldridge to unpack the findings from Legal Cheek’s latest Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, drawing on more than 2,000 anonymous responses from juniors across 110+ law firms.

How closely are pay and working hours linked? Are late nights simply part of the bargain at the highest-paying firms? And how different can life look at firms where juniors are typically logging off much earlier?

We discuss the trade-off between salary and work-life balance, the variation in working patterns across the legal market, and what aspiring lawyers should think about when deciding what they want from a future firm.

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/

The SRA has announced changes to SQE1, cutting the number of questions from 360 to 340 after candidate feedback that the assessment can feel rushed and pressurised.

Legal Cheek writer Nadia Ismail sits down with editor Tom Connelly to discuss the changes, drawing on Nadia’s own experience of preparing for and sitting SQE1 before the new format was introduced.

Did the exam feel rushed? Will 20 fewer questions really make much difference? And should the SRA go further, including allowing candidates to sit and pay for FLK1 and FLK2 separately?

They discuss exam-day pressure, the sheer volume of content candidates are expected to learn, the financial burden of the SQE and whether greater flexibility could make the route to qualification more manageable without lowering standards.

The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thatcher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible: https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/

Training contract numbers across 100 Legal Cheek Most List firms have fallen by 2% this year, but what is really driving this decline, and why is it not as dramatic as we may have expected?

In this episode, Legal Cheek founder and publisher Alex Aldridge sits down with events co-ordinator Hannah Thompson to dissect the latest figures and what they mean for future lawyers.

Everyone is talking about AI as a disruptive force in the graduate recruitment market but is its influence being overstated? To what extent is the rapid growth of solicitor apprenticeships behind the 2% decrease? And how do these figures fit into the wider graduate jobs market?

Together, they discuss the trends behind the data and why the outlook for aspiring solicitors may be brighter than headlines suggest.

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/

Starting the PGDL this September? Here's everything you'll need to know!

Legal Cheek writer and PGDL graduate Lydia Fontes sits down with events co-ordinator Molly Jamieson to talk all things law conversion -- from what your weeks will look like as a PGDL student, to the best strategies for staying on top of the (copious!) reading. Molly, who will be embarking on her conversion this September, discusses her anxieties about starting the course as well as what she's most looking forward to.

The pair talk about what makes law conversions different to an undergraduate degree and share study schedules and revision techniques that will give you the best chance of success.

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/

Should you start the SQE if you do not have a training contract lined up?

Legal Cheek writer Nadia Ismail sits down with events coordinator Hannah Thompson to discuss her experience of self funding the SQE before securing a training contract, from why she decided to start straight after university to the realities of balancing studying with applications, interviews and assessment centres.

How much should the financial commitment factor into the decision? Does completing the SQE make any difference when applying for training contracts? And what other routes to qualification are available if you do not have a TC?

We discuss the pressures of taking the SQE without a training contract, qualifying work experience, the traditional training contract route and the circumstances in which self funding might, or might not, be the right choice.

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/

Last year 3,912 aspiring barristers applied for pupillage. Only 287 got it.

Entry to the bar has never been more competitive, so what can aspiring barristers do to improve their odds?

Applying for pupillage takes more than a strong CV: candidates need knowledge, grit, and a healthy dose of luck. So, what should first-time applicants (or those going again) bear in mind?

Legal Cheek’s Lydia Fontes is joined by fellow LC writer and future pupil barrister Saul Agar-Ward, who talks through his own path to pupillage: what worked, what didn’t, and the advice he’d give to anyone else taking the plunge.

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📣 Meet 40 top chambers at our Virtual Pupillage Fair on Thursday 8 October (2-5pm)! Sign up now: https://www.legalcheek.com/fair/the-legal-cheek-virtual-pupillage-fair-series/

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/

As the new SQE intake approaches, so do the inevitable nerves about what lies ahead.

Legal Cheek writers Nadia Ismail and Ryan Scott sit down to discuss what students can expect from SQE1, with Nadia sharing her experience of preparing for and sitting the assessment.

How do you manage the sheer volume of content? What does studying for SQE1 actually look like week to week? And what should you expect from the exam itself?

We talk study techniques, practice questions, mock scores, last-minute revision, exam-day stamina and the advice Nadia would give to anyone feeling anxious about getting started.

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📣 Meet 50+ leading law firms at our September Virtual Law Fair on Wednesday 2 September (2-5pm)!! Sign up now: ⁠https://www.legalcheek.com/fair/the-legal-cheek-uk-virtual-law-fair-series/

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/

As the autumn approaches, so does the 2026-27 training contract application cycle.

Legal Cheek publisher, Alex Aldridge, and writer, Lydia Fontes, share the tips and tricks that will give you the best chance at securing an elusive training contract this year.

How many firms should you apply to? When should you start applying? What does commercial awareness actually mean and how do you acquire it? We have the answer to all these questions and more!

We talk playing the graduate recruitment game, standing out in applications, understanding how law firms work to give you the edge in your applications this year.

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📣 Meet 50+ leading law firms at our September Virtual Law Fair on Wednesday 2 September (2-5pm)!! Sign up now: https://www.legalcheek.com/fair/the-legal-cheek-uk-virtual-law-fair-series/

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/

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have just expanded their trainee solicitor numbers by 50% from 80 places to 120.

The pay is some way off global law firm levels, and the office will no doubt be less slick than the City’s glass and steel palaces, but many future lawyers may find the opportunity enticing – particularly at a time when AI is threatening to eat into graduate jobs.

Legal Cheek’s Alex Aldridge and Julia Szaniszlo weigh the pros and cons of starting your career with the CPS vs a conventional law firm training contract. In particular, they consider how the CPS would be perceived on rookie lawyers' CVs and whether the experience could be used as a launchpad to a City firm.

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/

Andy Burnham’s newly announced Cabinet features three lawyers, a former trainee solicitor who didn’t finish his training contract and a non-lawyer who’s been given the role of Lord Chancellor (aka Secretary of State for Justice).

What do their backgrounds tell us about the way the new Prime Minister will govern?

Legal Cheek editor Tom Connelly and publisher Alex Aldridge draw upon their experiences covering the legal market in depth over the last decade and beyond to answer this question.

They consider how Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and new Attorney General Ellie Reeves both started out at the same chambers as rookie barristers. And they delve into the controversy around new Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who previously claimed to be a solicitor despite never actually qualifying.

The pair also explore why the Lord Chancellor job – traditionally the preserve of legal professionals – has gone to a non-lawyer.