Ross Macgregor defends new business venture
A former City lawyer has left the cut and thrust of corporate law to market interview coaching to students at £300 per session.
The offering from former Linklaters and Akin lawyer Ross Macgregor comes alongside several social mobility organisations offering similar support services for free in an effort to promote and widen access to the legal profession. See Aspiring Solicitors, The 93% Club and SEO London, among others.
Macgregor, who served as a trainee supervisor at Linklaters, opens his pitch by telling students that he has interviewed dozens of training contract hopefuls and has been in the room when decisions are made about “who gets an offer, and who narrowly misses out.”
“I know exactly what you need to demonstrate at interview to show you’ll be a great trainee,” he continues. “I know exactly why brilliant candidates fail at the final hurdle, and how you can instead leave your interviewers impressed.”
The £300 sessions last 75 minutes, during which Macgregor says he will “grill” would-be lawyers as part of a “realistic simulation of a hybrid competency & commercial interview”, before providing “actionable advice on your answers, delivery, and body language”.
The lawyer says he has recently left the City to “pursue business ventures” and, after delivering the sessions, will “travel abroad next month”.
While many of Macgregor’s LinkedIn connections seem to have welcomed his venture, some students have questioned whether it is appropriate to charge for such advice.
One aspiring lawyer Legal Cheek spoke with said it seemed unfair to charge for what appears to be “insider” information. They said:
“The average student cannot afford a £300 ‘intensive’ masterclass for what may be the most important interview of their life. Those who can afford it gain a further, paid-for edge in a profession that already struggles badly with social mobility.”
Echoing these concerns, another training contract seeker accused the former lawyer of seeking to “capitalise off of the stress that prospective applicants are feeling”, adding that the £300 fee is “not only ludicrous but it also limits these supposedly useful sessions to those who already enjoy relatively financially advantageous positions”.
Unperturbed, Macgregor played down the criticism, suggesting it came from “a very small minority”. He told Legal Cheek that “if £300 is what helps you secure a £150k+ NQ job, that is a literal bargain.”
He added: “If you are preparing for the most important hour of your career … why would you cheap out on the prep?” It makes no sense to drop £400 on a new suit to look the part, but refuse to spend £300 to ensure you actually sound the part.”
Macgregor also rejected claims that he was exploiting applicants’ anxiety or selling privileged information. “I’m not capitalising on stress; I’m offering a solution to it,” he told us. “I am taking that ‘secret curriculum’ and selling it on the open market. A service you can save up for is inherently fairer than a bloodline you have to be born into.”
Addressing the fact that social mobility organisations offer similar services for free, Macgregor said: “Free schemes rely on volunteers and waiting lists. If you have an interview on Tuesday, you cannot wait for a match. You need an expert now. An emergency plumber comes with a call-out charge, but you don’t complain about the price when your bathroom is flooding.”
Finally, he said that “for those who truly cannot pay, I offer discretionary discounts — because I want talent to rise, regardless of background”.
Akin and Linklaters declined to comment.
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