Leading Lawyers Interviews | Insights from Top Legal Minds

Articles

SJ Interview: Joelle Grogan

Dr Joelle Grogan is a legal scholar specialising in the rule of law in times of crisis. She presents The Law Show on BBC Radio 4, and is Co-Academic Director of the Rule of Law Clinic at the CEU Democracy Institute (Budapest), and a Senior Research Fellow at the UCD Sutherland School of Law. Her work focuses on constitutional accountability, emergency powers, and legal misinformation. In this interview, she examines the pressures facing the rule of law in the UK, from executive power and court delays to media narratives, emergencies, and the impact of AI on legal practice.

SJ Interview: John Sorabji

Dr John Sorabji is a barrister at Nine Chambers, an Associate Professor of Law at University College London, and one of the UK’s leading authorities on civil justice and procedure. He has advised the senior judiciary, including the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls, and has played a key role in shaping debates on civil justice reform. In this interview, he reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of the civil justice system in England and Wales, the long-term impact of LASPO on access to justice, the role of the Civil Justice Council, and the opportunities and risks posed by digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

SJ Interview: Christine Braamskamp

For the December 2025 volume, Christine Braamskamp speaks to Solicitors Journal

SJ Interview: Julian Taylor

Julian Taylor, Senior Partner of Simmons & Simmons, joined the firm in 1999 from the Bar and became a partner in 2003. A specialist in employment and incentives law, he has advised many of the firm’s key clients on complex workplace and governance issues. Before being elected Senior Partner, he led both the global and UK employment practices, helping to shape the firm’s reputation for innovation and people-focused leadership. In this interview, Julian discusses leadership, AI’s impact on the profession, the future of law firm culture and how adaptability will define success in the decade ahead.

SJ Interview: Jonathan Moss

Jonathan Moss is Managing Partner of DWF’s London office. He has more than three decades of experience advising clients across shipping, trade, and insurance, and is also a visiting lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. In this interview, he discusses the evolution of insurance and shipping, the impact of geopolitical disruption, the effect of ESG regulation, and how technology and adaptability are reshaping the profession.

SJ Interview: Lilian Edwards

For the October 2025 volume, Lilian Edwards speaks to the Solicitors Journal

SJ Interview: James Palmer CBE

James Palmer CBE, Partner of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, has long been recognised as one of the UK’s most influential corporate lawyers and policy voices. Awarded a CBE in 2025 for his services to business and law, he has combined a high-profile career in M&A with decades of work on legal reform. In this interview, he discusses the challenges of legislative inflation and corporate advice, access to justice, and the future role of technology.

SJ Interview: Mark Sansom

The Solicitors Journal speaks to Mark Sansom, London and Dublin Managing Partner at Freshfields.