Listen up, law students: these podcasts

could help you study

Sharpen your legal knowledge with these six shows

Beyond Serial: There’s plenty of law-themed podcasrs to get your teeth into.
Photograph: Elise Bergerson/Serial
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Claire Gorman
Friday 13 October 2017 10.31 BST

Studying law will entail endless hours of reading case law and textbooks, but
there’s no reason to limit your learning to sitting at a desk. Podcasts are an
excellent way of expanding your knowledge, whether you’re in the library or
strolling to the pub. Here’s our list of some of the most interesting and helpful
podcasts for law undergraduates:

I Am The Law
Many students will enter their law degree with no idea of what area they’d like
to work in. It’s a vast area with so many options that can leave you at a loss
when choosing a specialism.

I Am The Law, produced by Law School Transparency, profiles both recent and
seasoned law graduates to provide insight into their jobs. Knowing what roles
are out there is hugely helpful to students; it can focus your job search, make
you more knowledgeable in interview and could help lead you to a career you
really wanted.

While this podcast is no substitute for making lawyer contacts in person, it can
lend your studies some direction.

Thinking Like A Lawyer

Pick any topic and it probably can be viewed through a legal lens – and that’s
exactly what Legal Talk Network’s podcast Thinking Like A Lawyer does.

The half-hour podcast offers entertaining discussion of the law and you might
pick up some conversation starters. (Did you know that crossing a street while
texting is banned in Honolulu?)

Law in Action
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BBC Radio 4’s Law in Action series has ran since 1984 and offers in-depth
analysis of legal issues raised by cases in the news. Presented by Joshua
Rozenberg, the programme speaks to leading legal figures as well as people
caught up in the law about how it affects their lives.

Law in Action covers legal issues from the Grenfell Tower investigation to the
cross-examination techniques used in the Oscar Pistorius trial. It also deals
with social issues, such as how the prison system could be improved from a
legal viewpoint. It demonstrates just how broadly the arm of the law extends
beyond the courtroom.

The show is broadcast 12 times a year on Tuesdays at 4pm and is repeated on

Thursdays at 8pm, but the episodes are also available for download on
the BBC’s website.

Sword and Scale

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Sword and Scale is a polished production that covers the “dark underworld of
crime” and the criminal justice system. Presented by Mike Boudet, the creepy
music and clever storytelling will hook you within the first few minutes.

Through interviews with victims and perpetrators and original audio,

including police tapes and news clips, Boudet tells the stories of
disappearances, murders and conspiracies. It deals with the grittier side of the
law: sex abuse, torture, murder. For anyone considering criminal law, this will
help you find out if you’re really up to it.

TED Radio Hour

Each week, TED Radio Hour features segments of different TED talks – as well
as interviews with the speakers – all sharing a common theme. Previous topics
have included the source of happiness, crowdsourcing innovation, dealing
with failure, the concept of time, and gene-editing.

While not law-focused per se, this podcast will broaden your knowledge on a
range of interesting topics that you can pick and choose. If you want to dive
deeper, TED has nearly 50 videos on law available on their website.

Up and Vanished
Aimed at those suffering Serial withdrawals, this series focuses on one case
throughout the whole season – that of Tara Grinstead, a high-school teacher
and former beauty queen who disappeared from her hometown in Georgia in
2005. Up and Vanished examines the case from top to bottom.

Items of evidence and an interactive map are available on the podcast’s

website to help you follow the case. It’ll give you a taste of what’s it’s like to
follow the progress of a live case and what makes up the bones of an
investigation.

Follow Guardian Students on Twitter: @GdnStudents. For graduate

career opportunities, take a look at Guardian Jobs.