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qLegal

qLegal’s First Term of the 2023-24 Academic Year at a Glance

158 eager postgraduate law students, PhD students and Intellectual Property MSc students joined qLegal’s programmes for its 10th year of activity.

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qLegal students having a discussion at an event

Induction and Training

The successful students were selected from over 250 applicants, and the term kicked off with two immersive bootcamp days, setting the tone for a month-long training programme. qLegal staff and external guest speakers offered valuable insights on the legal issues relevant to start-ups and entrepreneurs, and the soft skills students need to succeed in the legal marketplace, such as building their personal brand, entrepreneurial thinking and maintaining mindfulness during times of stress. 

The Programmes: Legal Advisory, Future of Law and Externships 

Legal Advisory

This term, 46 students provided 1:1 legal advice to 23 start-up and entrepreneur clients, under the supervision of 38 experienced solicitors from partner firms. The qLegal team was delighted to welcome three new partners to the programme: Bird & Bird, Fladgate and Wilson Sonsini.

The introduction of new LegalTech also helped to improve the operational efficiency of the clinic and enhanced the client onboarding experience.  

Future of Law

Through the newly rebranded Future of Law (FOL) Programme, 79 students (including 13 students from non-law programmes) set to work bringing law to life through workshops, podcasts and interdisciplinary projects. This term:

  • 37 students presented 2 workshops at Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, produced 2 annotated legal documents and created 8 legal education videos. The videos were presented at pitch days to a panel of judges, including the founders of qLegal’s longstanding partners, Mama Dolce and Icenine.
  • 15 students (including 3 engineering students) recorded and published 2 episodes of the Yours Lawfully Podcast, produced for the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) Institute, featuring Queen Mary alum Mathilda Lorkin and professor of media law at the University of Leeds, Paul Wragg.
  • 27 students (including 8 psychology students and 2 linguistic students) collaborated to use Legal Design Thinking in developing innovative solutions to clients’ specific problems. 

These initiatives demonstrate the programme's commitment to one-to-many legal service delivery, aligning with the evolving landscape of legal practice. 

Externships

46 students joined the Externships Programme, supporting 39 start-ups seven hours a week, providing founders with legal and business support. With 14 returning start-ups, 25 from Imperial Enterprise Lab, 3 paid positions, and 4 meetups fostering peer-to-peer learning, students gained hands-on experience and received structured feedback. A panel event on entrepreneurship provided students with the opportunity to interact with professionals in the legal and start-up worlds. 

Beyond the Programmes: Pro Bono Week, Holiday Mixer and Future Plans

In addition to running the three programmes, the team organised a panel event and a bake sale for Pro Bono Week and participated in the Clinic Global Day of Action, emphasising their commitment to social responsibility. qLegal also hosted a Holiday Mixer, where students could network with qLegal’s partners.

Looking ahead, qLegal  is looking forward to welcoming students studying on the Laws (Paris) LLM to the Legal Advisory Programme, teaching the credit-bearing Entrepreneurship Law Clinic module and hosting the annual Law of the Future Competition (formerly the Content Writing Competition).

As qLegal reflects on a successful term, the focus remains on nurturing legal professionals who are not only lawyers but empathetic and creative problem-solvers, ready to design law with a future focus and a holistic understanding of the profession. 

 

 

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