Introducing…Legal Stories by SKB Law
Over the last few months we’ve been busy recording Legal Stories by SKB Law, our new online interview series connecting legal students with legal professionals from our network. Find out more about the series and why we started it in this post. [Start watching now: Legal Stories by SKB Law]
What is Legal Stories?
It’s a mix between an interview, mentoring and networking. Legal Stories by SKB Law connects legal students with legal professionals. Our first series consists of seven episodes, with insights about starting your legal career, overcoming challenges, what’s changing in the legal industry…and much more! The series is part of our SKB Law Academy initiative.
Who took part in the first series?
We’re so grateful to everyone who participated in this series, from our amazing students to the professionals who shared their time, reflections and offers of support. You’ll hear from:
- Jack Newton, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Clio (the world’s leading legal case management software) in conversation with Liberty Chinoda (law student, University of Bradford) and Nimra Khayal (Kings College);
- Lt Colonel Bilal Siddique Prosecuting Officer, the Armed Forces, in conversation with Suhail Wajid (law student, University of Bradford);
- Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, lawyer and Member of the House of Lords in conversation with Nimra Khayal (Kings College);
- Siddique Patel family law solicitor, Associate at Shoosmiths in conversation with Sibgha Arooj (first year law student, Manchester);
- I. Stephanie Boyce, Vice President of the Law Society of England & Wales (incoming Law Society President in 2021) in conversation with Sibgha Arooj (first year law student, Manchester);
- Lt Colonel Nadim Bashir (Barrister and Assistant Coroner) in conversation with Nimra Khayal (Kings College);
- Her Honour Judge Caroline Wigin (Circuit Judge) in conversation with Pemi Quadri (law student, Manchester);
Sounds great! How can I watch the interviews?
You can find them on our You Tube Channel. We’ll also share links to the interviews across our social media platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram. So stay tuned!
Why did you start Legal Stories?
Legal Stories was started in response to the impact of COVID-19 on student work placements.
We know it’s never an easy time to move from being a legal student to a legal professional. This year, the pandemic has made it even harder for young people to find placements, mentors or experience. Over 1 million under 25’s are facing unemployment and many students found their internships or new jobs being postponed or cancelled. It’s no different at SKB Law. Since launching our Academy, we’ve supported hundreds of students in Bradford through our employability workshops and placements. Like many law firms, we enjoy welcoming work experience students during the summer months. This year, with lockdown and client safety in mind, we were unable to offer students experience / or our structured work placement (in general, we host approx 10-15 students per year through our Academy).
But we couldn’t just do nothing, so we opened up our network! Hello, Legal Stories by SKB Law.
Why should I listen to the interviews?
Ok, we might be biased, but we loved recording these conversations. Tune in and listen to some amazing individuals, both professionals and our students…the future of the legal sector! Alongside the practical advice for anyone considering a legal career, there’s a good dose of positivity and an opportunity to hear from solicitors, judges, legal technologists, barristers in the Armed Forces and much more!
What Next?
We’d love to continue these conversations in a second series. This year alone, the sector is experiencing rapid digital transformation (in part fuelled by pandemic) with online hearings, cloud-based software, and a move away from the traditional office base to virtual law firms (replacing the long-term question about city vs regional firms!) All of this has an impact on law students, careers and legal professionals. So if you’re a professional or student and would like to take part in a future series, say hello!
Finally, thank you for listening. We hope you enjoy Legal Stories by SKB Law as much as we enjoyed recording them.
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SKB Law is boutique family law practice with a reputation as powerful, discreet and collaborative advocates. With offices in Yorkshire and London, we advise and represent clients across England & Wales in all aspects of family law, including divorce, children, finances, asset division, and religious marriages such as nikah. We believe in delivering innovative and inclusive legal services for our clients and improving access to law for everyone in our community. In the past two years, we’ve transformed our client delivery, developed online services, built global partnerships and launched the SKB Law Academy to support young people interested in the legal field. Contact our team if you’d like to learn more or join our team.
