Paying the Cringe Tax: Escaping BigLaw & Ungatekeeping Careers with Mel Storey

Are the traditional days of the "tournament of lawyers" finally over? In this episode of the Law and Beyond Show, Chantal McNaught speaks with Mel Storey - Founder of Council Media, host of the Council Podcast, and the internet's favourite "Career Big Sis" - to pull back the curtain on the realities of the legal profession. Mel has spent 15 years in commercial practice and shares her journey from private practice to in-house Head of Legal in tech, and why she's now taking a "permanent corporate gap year". We get into the nitty-gritty of what private practice lawyers get wrong about going in-house, the hidden hurdles for first-generation lawyers, why Gen Z law students are refusing to inherit broken systems, and why putting yourself out there online requires paying the "cringe tax" every. Single. Day. We also cover: Practical advice for law students trying to navigate opaque clerkship processes. How AI is democratising legal knowledge and disrupting tertiary education. Navigating the ethical frameworks and governance of LLMs in legal practice. Overcoming the fear of new technology and staying curious. The reality of corporate restructuring and why blind loyalty doesn't pay off. Why law firms need to be more transparent in their hiring (and why the "Gen Z stare" isn't what you think it is). Follow Mel: @careerbigsis (Instagram) @mel.a.storey (TikTok)