Law More than 100 OAs, Alleynians, parents and guests met on what was the hottest day of the year so far at City law firm Stephenson Harwood near Moorgate, to be part of what was an intriguingly titled discussion on the Billable Gigabyte. Alex Mole (89–96) in the Chair expertly steered a discussion between Claire Wright, Corporate Partner at Allen & Overy, and Kishan Chandarana (96–01), Head of Legal at the London Metal Exchange, on the use of technology in the legal profession. We may not be able to put the iPhone-owning, social media-using genie back into the bottle, but many in the room did wonder if empathy is being lost in the race to innovate. Technology can be a powerful friend but should always come second to a face-to-face meeting or a phone call.
President of Growth at Deliveroo, Stefan Lucas, experienced FinTech investor and mentor, and Anil Stocker, co-founder and CEO of MarketInvoice, which allows small businesses to access the funds necessary to grow. Tom challenged the panellists to use language that would make the discussion accessible to everyone in the room, though ‘product road maps’, ‘data mining’ and ‘machine learning’ found it hard to stay out of the conversation. In the end it was reassuring to hear that this was a sector in which success came through a combination of passion and hard work. The final message was reassuringly simple: find out what you enjoy and are really good at, and do not be afraid to fail. Never take the easy option to follow the pack if a more exciting opportunity arises: it is by learning to adapt that you will always be able to stay ahead of the curve.
prompting us to meet old friends and make new acquaintances over drinks and canapés. With not a mobile phone to be seen, conversations continued long into the evening. Third Sector Bell House, former residence of Masters of the College and a one-time Junior Boarding House, was the scene of our Third Sector Professional Networking event. Our keynote speaker was Nuala Mole, founder of the AIRE Centre, which offers free legal advice and help on individuals’ rights in Europe. In a powerful and hugely personal talk, Nuala touched on a wide range of thought-provoking issues including the plight of sexually exploited and trafficked young people, victims of domestic violence and migrant homelessness in London. She also touched on the reality of raising funds. ‘These people deserve a Rolls Royce service, yet it is difficult at times to even pay our running costs.’
Perhaps to re-iterate the point, the formal discussion ended with Alex
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