Podcasts and influencers you should follow to boost your commercial awareness

Reading time: six minutes

It’s so easy to consume regular, up-to-date information in our modern world. Listening to podcasts and browsing social media are easy and interactive ways for candidates to work on their commercial awareness. And, as the world becomes increasingly digital, there are more podcasts and influencers than ever on the legal scene for you to follow and learn from.

As you know (and as we try not to sound like a broken record!), commercial awareness is a key skill that all law firms look for in their future trainees. It’s imperative that you can demonstrate this skill at each stage of the application process. So, rather than sitting down the evening before your interview and frantically scouring the Financial Times website for interesting articles in a bid to impress a firm with your new-found knowledge, start early. Not a week early – but months or even years early. Commercial awareness must become a way of thinking.

Here are five podcasts we think you should listen to and five social media accounts we’d recommend following. The below isn’t an exhaustive list and there are lots of other excellent legal content creators out there to investigate too!

Podcasts

FT News Briefing

The FT News Briefing gives a rundown of important global news stories every weekday morning. If you want to keep up to date with business, finance and politics but you don’t have time to look through news pages, these brief 10 to 12-minute episodes are an excellent way to understand current affairs. Recent episodes look at Biden’s re-election campaign and whether private equity is worth it.

BBC Radio 4 Best of Today

From one news source to another, the BBC Radio 4 Best of Today podcast is a perfect listen if you’re looking to delve deeper into current events. This podcast challenges, discusses and debates recent events and policies with key figures. Most recently, Amol Rajan spoke to Jeremy Hunt about the government’s spring budget. If you’re looking to hear more about how politics and policies will affect businesses and day-to-day life, add this podcast to your list.

Talking Law with Dr Sally Penni MBE

Presented by barrister Sally Penni MBE, Talking Law profiles key figures in law in the UK. Previous guests include former senior judge Lord Sumption, author and part-time Crown Court Judge Nicola Williams, and Brabners LLP’s managing partner Nik White. Each podcast discusses current events and challenges facing the legal profession.

Herbert Smith Freehills Podcast

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP’s podcast provides insights into current events from lawyers working at this global law firm. This is an opportunity to hear expert opinions on specific issues and how they’re affecting different practice areas, such as banking and litigation, environmental, social and governance, and arbitration. The firm has a range of different podcast playlists, focusing on different areas. For example, if you’re interested in environmental law, check out its COP28 series, or to learn more about the economy, listen to The Fraud Files: Decoding the Economic Crime Act series.

The LawCareers.Net Podcast

Last but not least, LawCareers.Net’s very own podcast has a variety of focuses. If you want to boost commercial awareness, check out our Commercial Connect series, which runs through topical events, and our Practice Area Profile series, where we speak to lawyers about issues facing different practice areas.

Social media

In addition to podcasts, social media is a great tool to improve your commercial awareness. There’s increasingly more information on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok every day. Following legal influencers and vloggers is a great way to include a dose of commercial awareness into your daily life and can help you to broaden your knowledge and learn more about the profession more generally.

Newspapers and websites are arguably the best tools for developing commercial awareness. But sometimes it can be hard to find the time, or even to remember, to read recent stories. Incorporating some news outlets into your daily feed, like the Guardian or the BBC, is a low-effort method for boosting awareness. Additionally, following #commercialawareness on social media will help you gain insights into current events. But which influencers and specific accounts should you be following for high-quality commercial awareness content?

The ultimate guide group

This TikTok account provides a range of career advice. Its recent series ‘Commercial awareness to land your dream job’ takes you through a range of current events, often with a financial and economic focus. Recent videos cover SHEIN and fast fashion, bank’s Q4 earnings and interest rates, and Microsoft’s development of AI.

ZipLaw

Ziplaw is brought to you by Ludo, a qualified solicitor who was once told his commercial awareness knowledge was causing his training contract applications to fall short. To remedy this, he created Ziplaw, which offers insights into key stories in a bid to help you develop your commercial awareness ready for application season. Originally, Ziplaw was a YouTube account, but now Ludo primarily produces a range of content on Instagram and TikTok. Recent content looks at Apple’s fine for breaking EU streaming law and rising shipping costs, as well as general advice for standing out on applications.

Simple Politics

Simple Politics is another great account on Instagram for staying on top of the news. It posts ‘nightly news’ which round up the top daily stories and outline recent political and economic changes in an easy and accessible way. This is fantastic if you’re approaching a topic with minimal knowledge. Recently, the account’s ‘7 big bits from the budget’ post explained the key changes brought about by Jeremy Hunt’s budget.

The Commercial Law Academy

If you’re looking for answers to questions like “what do real estate lawyers do?”, “what’s an NDA?” and “how does commercial awareness come up in interviews?”, look no further than the commercial law academy. This Instagram account answers questions like this in a short reel format, as well as providing a range of resources and preparation advice for specific firm assessment centres.

LawCareers.Net

LCN’s social media has a range of commercial awareness content. Take a look at our Instagram Stories to keep up to date with our daily news and our weekly newsletter, which is full of insights from firms – including Commercial Questions and Practice Area Profiles. Every Friday we post our commercial news round-up and on Monday you can test your knowledge with our commercial quiz on Instagram Stories. In addition, we produce a range of content on LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok, so you can stay up to date with LawCareers.Net’s content across social media.

Plus, if you’re looking for more commercial awareness content, check out our Commercial awareness hub, sponsored by Mayer Brown International LLP, and our monthly Commercial Connect newsletter for everything you need to know about developing your knowledge of the business world and its impact on the law.