In this episode of Think Law, we are joined by Salah Khaddour, an alumnus of the University of York and the London School of Economics, who has recently secured a training contract at Ropes & Gray. Salah discusses his specialisation in Corporate and Securities Law at the LSE, and shares essential advice for those aspiring to enter the field of commercial law. Tune in to gain insights into Ropes & Gray’s application process, the importance of vacation schemes, and what it takes to succeed at a top US law firm.

Today, we interview Fanny Cools to explore the path to a career in Human Rights and International Law. A graduate in Human Rights and Politics from LSE and International Law from La Sorbonne, Fanny brings a wealth of experience and knowledge shaped by diverse internship experiences from NGOs, International Organizations and government bodies.

By delving into Fanny's academic trajectory and her experiences at UNESCO and FIDH, we hope to share career advice and insider tips on navigating the recruitment processes to start a career in Human Rights.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Trisha Shah, a Cambridge law graduate and a current trainee at Sidley Austin. Trisha is currently in her first seat in structured finance/real estate finance.

This episode focuses on Trisha’s successful career progression, having completed four vacation schemes at leading US firms such as Mayer Brown, Sidley Austin, Jones Day and Cleary Gottlieb and her current role as a trainee at Sidley Austin.

Trisha offered insightful tips on enhancing your application strategy and clarified the roles and responsibilities given to trainees. Overall, we touched upon topics on private equity and structured finance.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Zita Von Bonin, a future trainee at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She holds two Training Contract offers from leading US Firms: White & Case and Cleary. Zita is a Politics and Philosophy graduate from the LSE. She is currently pursuing her legal studies with an Economic Law Masters degree at Sciences Po whilst simultaneously doing the law conversion at the University of Law.

Zita touched upon her experiences in both vacation schemes, tips for applications and how to secure a training contract.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Katerina Polychronopoulou, a future trainee at Latham & Watkins. We explored her interests in commercial law and how she successfully balanced her academic journey at the London School of Economics whilst securing a training contract in a leading US firm. Katerina gave some insightful tips on the application process and her experience at Latham & Watkins.

Baroness Kennedy is one of England’s leading barristers in the field of human rights, civil liberties and constitutional issues. Baroness Kennedy uses a multitude of platforms to advocate for women’s rights, on an international scale, including parliament, the king’s counsel, broadcasting mediums and written publications. In this episode, Baroness Kennedy discusses women’s rights within contentious political landscapes, including Iran, China and Myanmar. We explore questions of women’s justice and scrutinise the extent of human rights protection for women in politically volatile regions.

Josiah Senu is an LSE alumnus who is passionate about the law and the bar but recently changed career and is now working as an entrepreneur at fintech company SaltPay. In this episode, Josiah shared valuable insights with us about his decision to become a barrister over a solicitor, his reasons for leaving the bar, his career change journey and some pieces of advice about the legal career path, along with fun stories of his student years.