Speed Mooting Podcast - Training tomorrow's lawyers, today!

Do you need the right accent, background or connections to succeed in law?
In Episode 126 of the Speed Mooting: Partners in Crime Podcast, John and Hayley look back at the things they worried about as law students, from having a Scouse accent and coming from a state-school background to entering the legal profession without family connections, and explain why those concerns mattered far less than they expected.
They also answer listener questions on moving from conveyancing into litigation, transferable legal skills and changing practice areas.
Finally, John gives an insight into life as a criminal barrister, explaining the difference between legal aid and privately funded work, how funding affects a barrister’s caseload and the realities of managing income, tax and VAT at the self-employed Bar.
An episode packed with practical legal career advice for law students, aspiring barristers, aspiring solicitors and anyone trying to break into the legal profession.

How do you make the most of a pupillage fair?
In Episode 125 of Speed Mooting: Partners in Crime, John and Hayley share their practical advice for law students and aspiring barristers attending pupillage and law fairs.
We discuss how to research chambers before the event, what to say when approaching exhibitors, questions worth asking, making a good impression, taking useful notes and following up with new connections afterwards.
With the Northern Pupillage Fair 2026 just around the corner, we also explain how to get the most from the day and why these events can be valuable when preparing for future pupillage applications.
Plus, we answer your advocacy questions: what makes a well-presented case, and what makes a good advocate?
A practical episode for law students, Bar students, aspiring barristers and anyone looking to develop their advocacy skills and build a career in law.

Episode 124 — #AskSpeedSquadSpecial. John and Hayley answer your listener questions, covering the big topics law students actually want to know about.
This week: should mooting and advocacy skills be compulsory on every law degree? How much preparation really goes into a court hearing (the honest answer might surprise you)? And what's the best piece of career advice John and Hayley have ever been given — including the career-defining moment a commercial partner told an 18-year-old John he hadn't got a clue what commercial law actually was, and the trainee pep talk Hayley's never forgotten.
Real experience, no filter — from a criminal barrister and a commercial solicitor who've both been through the paralegal, training contract, and qualification grind.
Send your questions to info@speedmooting.com or drop them in the comments.

Is working as a paralegal the best first step into the legal profession?
In this episode, John and Hayley discuss why their years as paralegals became some of the most valuable experiences of their legal careers. They explain how working in practice develops the skills, confidence and commercial awareness that universities simply cannot teach.
The conversation also explores the reality of life inside law firms, the myths created by TV dramas, and how paralegal experience can strengthen applications for pupillage and training contracts.
As always, they finish by answering listener questions, including whether barristers can lie in court, what happens during legal arguments heard in chambers, and who will be the stricter parent when their first baby arrives.
If you're an aspiring or junior lawyer looking to build your career, this episode is full of practical advice and honest insight from two lawyers who've been through the journey themselves.

Conversations with Counsel - Havin Sorgucu, Durham Law Student & Speed Mooting Ambassador
Havin Sorgucu had a magistrate tell her she had a talent for advocacy at sixteen — then lost all her confidence when she got to university. In this episode, she shares how she rebuilt it, why she turned to Speed Mooting as a low-pressure place to start, and what it was like doing real plea in mitigation advocacy as an undergraduate.
She also talks about mentoring aspiring law students through Zero Gravity and has brilliant advice for anyone yet to start their law degree.
Visit speedmooting.com to get involved.