Why STEM students make great lawyers 2023

This year’s STEM Future Lawyers panel discussion and law fair takes place virtually from 3pm to 5pm on Tuesday 7 November.

The flagship virtual event for science, technology, engineering and maths students interested in legal careers features lawyers from science backgrounds and graduate recruitment teams from leading London-based global law firms.

It commences with panel discussions with lawyers from Allen & Overy, Bird & Bird, Bristows, Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith Freehills. Speakers from these firms will share their experiences of how they became lawyers after originally studying STEM subjects. They will explain too how their STEM backgrounds have helped them in their legal careers.

As the legal profession embraces new technology to become more efficient, those who possess a combination of legal and tech skills have found themselves in high demand. Over the years ahead, these multi-skilled STEM lawyers will have an important role to play as law firms re-imagine their traditional structures to accommodate artificial intelligence and other lawtech.

At the same time, legal practice areas like intellectual property and patents have a long history of attracting science graduates interested in the law, whose specialist knowledge gives them an edge.

The speakers

• Jade Low, trainee solicitor at Allen & Overy (mechanical engineering graduate)
• Phillipus Putter, associate in the Intellectual Property (IP) team at Bird & Bird (biomaterial science and tissue engineering graduate)
• Liz Cohen, partner in the Intellectual Property (IP) team at Bristows (natural sciences graduate)
• Ivan Panton, trainee solicitor at Clifford Chance (computer science graduate)
• Jonathan Turnbull, partner specialising in Intellectual Property (IP) disputes at Herbert Smith Freehills (chemistry graduate)

After the panel discussion there will be a virtual law fair with the above firms. A host of trainee solicitors with STEM backgrounds will be on hand to chat informally about their career journeys to date.

Apply to attend above. You’ll be asked to submit two questions for the panel.