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 incoming reforms mean for employers, employees, and the lawyers advising them.

https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-journal-posts/legal-takeaway-whos-who-for-deliveroo/https://www.freshfields.com/en/our-thinking/campaigns/employment-rights-act-2025-whats-changing-when-and-why-does-it-matter

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 'why' behind the 'what' to learning how to write like a lawyer. So, whether you're still sending out applications or gearing up to make the next cycle your best one yet, there's something in here for everyone. 

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 you be?” to “What gets you out of bed in the morning?”

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 growth of private capital to the evolving hiring landscape of Big Law in the UK.

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 about to steal your jobs.

https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-journal-posts/will-legal-tech-doom-the-billable-hours-model-for-law-firms/

https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/6-reasons-why-future-trainees-need-to-engage-with-legal-tech/

https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-posts/legal-tech-what-aspiring-lawyers-really-need-to-know/

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-out.

Ever since its introduction in 2021, the SQE has been nostranger to controversy. Originally conceived as a way to simplify the pathway to qualification, one of the SRA’s key pledges was a commitment to disclosing the pass rates of individual course providers. However, this promise has been plagued by delays, with disclosure initially set for ‘late 2023’. Legal Cheek’s Julia Szaniszlo and Tom Connelly sit down to discuss what this means for students, as well as some of the other issues the SQE has faced since its rollout.

Read more here:

https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/12/data-collection-flaw-leaves-sra-unable-to-publish-sqe-provider-pass-rates/

https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/12/sra-misses-deadline-for-publishing-sqe-provider-pass-rates/

https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/12/student-confidence-in-sqe-takes-a-hit-despite-rising-law-firm-support/

Big Law is no stranger to major mergers -- many of the most prestigious City firms were formed through international tie ups and partnerships. However, in the past month legal headlines have been hit by a wave of major law firm tie-ups with a distinctly transatlantic flavour. In this episode, Legal Cheek’s Julia Szanislo and Ryan Scott sit down to discuss the proposed deals between Ashurst and Perkins Coie, Taylor Wessing and Winston & Strawn, and Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader and what they mean for the legal market and beyond.

Read more here:https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/11/ashurst-to-merge-with-perkins-coie-to-create-global-megafirm/

https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/12/taylor-wessing-and-winston-strawn-to-form-new-transatlantic-giant-winston-taylor/

https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/12/hogan-lovells-and-cadwalader-gear-up-for-3-6bn-mega-merger/