The Brief Premium Podcast

Exploring how the profession has changed since the Legal Services Act was implemented in 2007, Jonathan Ames speaks to Lord Falconer of Thoroton, who was secretary of state for constitutional affairs at the time, Sheila Kumar, who was part of the Clementi review that was the origin of the act, and Andrew Holroyd, who was president of the Law Society in 2007-2008.

For our latest podcast, Jonathan Ames asks an expert panel about whether the robots really are about to take over the legal profession. The guests are: Isabel Parker, global head of legal services innovation at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Emily Foges, CEO of the AI provider Luminance, and Richard Tromans, editor of Artificial Lawyer

Continuing the Brief Premium's mergers and acquisitions week, Jonathan Ames talks to Beranger Guille of Mergermarket about the recent ups and downs of the market

The courts may be closed but James Morton, Richard Susskind and John Cooper, QC, know the best courtroom dramas for summer reading. They pick their favourites and cross-examine each other on the merits (or not) of John Grisham. Also, Jonathan Ames gives a round-up of the latest news and Linda Tsang interviews our lawyer of the week, Martin Chamberlain, QC.

Sir Oliver Popplewell, a retired High Court judge who presided over the Bradford stadium fire inquiry in 1985, and Ashley Underwood, a public law QC, tell Jonathan Ames Sir Martin Moore-Bick must buckle up and accept that as chairman of the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry criticism is inevitable. Linda Tsang also speaks to Dr Laura Janes, legal director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, about the case of AB, a boy whose solitary confinement in a young offender institution was ruled unlawful this month.

Jonathan Ames and Frances Gibb give a round-up of the week's legal news. Joining them are Roger Smith, Iain Miller and Patricia Robertson QC to talk about the implications for human rights lawyers and lowering the standard of proof for disciplinary cases.