Law isn’t short of change right now.
But a lot of the lawyers I speak with don’t feel progress.

More routes in.
More regulation.
More technology.

And yet, for many, the work feels harder, heavier, and further away from why they came into the profession in the first place.

That’s why we opened Season 10 of the Legally Speaking Podcast ™️ with Mark Evans, current President of The Law Society of England and Wales.

Mark’s journey matters.
State educated.
First generation to university.
No background in law.

One week of work experience that changed his life.

Now, after nearly 30 years in private client and property, teaching aspiring solicitors, and leading the profession, he’s seeing the system from every angle at once.

What stood out from our conversation:

🔴 The profession has to be fit for the future, not just compliant with today’s rules
🔴 Social mobility through the SQE hasn’t landed as promised and needs honest review in 2026
🔴 Legal deserts aren’t just about legal aid, they’re about the slow loss of high-street advice
🔴 Regulation is crowding out the actual work lawyers are trained to do
🔴 Technology helps with direction and triage, but trust still happens person to person
🔴 Legal aid can’t survive on decade-long reviews, it needs consistent commitment
🔴 Wellbeing won’t improve unless people are invited in, not talked at

One line captured it perfectly:

“Before I even start the job, the jigsaw’s gone from 100 pieces to over 1,000.”

Another reframed leadership entirely:

“This is a relay race. My job is to pass the baton on stronger than I received it.”

We also spoke about LegalRunner, the running community Mark founded after caring for his father with dementia. What started as a personal reset has become a global space where lawyers talk more honestly, often without even making eye contact.

That felt symbolic.

Some of the most important conversations in law don’t happen across boardroom tables.

They happen when the pressure drops and people feel understood.

And thank you to Clio for continuing to back conversations that matter: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2K4TPFORaCUFacsAq5t3CE?si=b9cfd800f8d64d20