PODCAST: Be Yourself, Not Some ‘Made In Chelsea’ Clone

With Legal Cheek editor Alex Aldridge on yet another foreign jolly, Bircham Dyson Bell lawyer Kevin Poulter takes up the podcast reins (yes, podcasts have reins) to deliver a moving soliloquy about his decade-long love affair with legal services.

Well, that was the plan until former chair of the Association of Women Solicitors Dawn Dixon stepped in to save the day. Joining Poulter at his sumptuous Kings Cross apartment (pictured), Dixon recounts her journey from a South London convent school to running Webster Dixon, the law firm she co-founded in 1998.

Despite the legal profession’s reputation for hiring mini-me ‘Made in Chelsea’ types, Dixon (pictured) urges candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds not to be afraid of being themselves – and reckons the current pro-diversity mood prevailing at some firms is worth taking advantage of.

At the end of the day, though, she believes getting a training contract or pupillage often comes down to having a bit of chemistry with your interviewers. Dixon herself got her first break in the law after bonding with her first ever boss over a cheeky mid-interview fag.

This piece of information appals Poulter, who abhors unhealthiness in all its forms. Calming himself with a sip of his organic protein shake, he hastily changes the subject while clicking his fingers agitatedly to summon his maid.

“MARTA!” he bellows. “Bring Dawn and I some blueberries. And while you’re at it, start preparing my bath. And make sure it’s Evian this time, not that Harrogate Spring Water rubbish.”

The podcast is also available on iTunes.