§ Article I
How fintech, algorithmic trading and digital assets are changing what a career in financial services actually looks like. We cover open banking, RegTech and the shift toward AI-driven advisory.
Most students sign a phone contract, take out a credit card, or accept a job offer with a restrictive clause buried in it, before anyone's taught them what any of that actually commits them to. Millions of adults in the UK are still effectively locked out of mainstream credit and banking, and that's not usually down to bad decisions, it's down to never having had the chance to learn the basics. School doesn't cover it, and by the time it matters, you're expected to have picked it up somewhere.
That gap is getting harder to ignore because AI is now moving through finance and law at the same time, and regulators are struggling to keep up with either sector on its own, let alone both together. Algorithmic lending decisions, AI-drafted contracts and automated legal advice are already live, but the rules governing them are still being written, tested in courts, or not written at all. Understanding how credit, contracts and regulation actually work is no longer just useful background, it's what stops you signing away something you didn't understand, in a system that's changing faster than the safeguards around it.
FLaT exists because that understanding shouldn't depend on having the right background or the right contacts. We cover finance and law together, and the technology moving through both, because that's where the decisions students are already making, often without realising it, actually sit.
What we cover
Three articles, one overlap
§ Article II
How legal practice is adapting to automation, AI governance and the regulatory questions that come with it. We look at legaltech tools, data protection and how firms are having to rethink contract review and due diligence.
§ Article III
Not everyone in the room is aiming for a career in finance or law, and that's fine. This strand covers the basics that are useful regardless of where you end up: how contracts work, what financial regulation actually tries to do, and where the two meet.
The programme
What actually happens at FLaT
A mix of formats, most of them open to non-members, all of them free.
| Format | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Speaker sessions | Practitioners from finance, law and technology talk about their actual day-to-day work, not just the highlights reel. |
| Workshops | Smaller, practical sessions: case study work, mock negotiations, or building a simple financial model from scratch. |
| Literacy drop-ins | Short, open sessions on a single practical topic. No prior knowledge needed and no obligation to join. |
| Employer contact | Where we can arrange it, direct access to people currently working across the sectors we cover. |
Why it exists
"I started FLaT because a lot of good, interesting content in finance and fintech assumes a level of access or background that not everyone has. It's meant to be a way in, without gatekeeping."
Madison Farrell — Co-Founder & Co-President, FLaT Society
"My side of FLaT grew out of the same gap, but on the legal and legaltech side of things. Law can feel closed off if you don't already know someone in it, and I wanted a space to change that."
Poulome Yadav — Co-Founder & Co-President, FLaT Society
About the founders
Madison Farrell
BA (Hons) International Business Studies with Italian, final year
Madison co-founded FLaT after noticing how much finance and fintech content assumes a level of access or background that not everyone has. She set out to build a more open way in, without the gatekeeping that often surrounds the industry.
LinkedInPoulome Yadav
LLB Law, final year
Poulome co-founded FLaT to address the same gap on the legal and legaltech side, where the field can feel closed off if you don't already know someone in it. She wanted to create a space that makes law more approachable for students without existing connections in the industry.
LinkedInJoin the committee
We're building the committee from scratch
FLaT is currently run by two co-presidents, and every other role on this list is open. If one of these sounds like you, get in touch, scope is flexible for a founding member.
Open position
Vice President
Works alongside the co-presidents on strategy and keeps the committee running day to day. First point of contact for the wider committee.
Focus areas
- Coordinating between pillar leads so the termly programme doesn't clash or overlap
- Standing in for the co-presidents at SU meetings and events when needed
- Planning committee handover and next year's elections
Open position
Secretary & Operations
Keeps the society organised: minutes, member records, room bookings, and the practical side of getting sessions to actually happen.
Focus areas
- Booking rooms and setting up logistics for talks and workshops
- Keeping attendance and membership records up to date
- Taking minutes at committee meetings and circulating actions
Open position
Finance & Fintech Lead
Sources speakers and builds relationships with people working in banking, asset management and fintech.
Focus areas
- Booking speakers for finance and fintech sessions each term
- Building a shortlist of contacts in banking, asset management and fintech
- Designing at least one practical workshop a term, e.g. a valuation or trading exercise
Open position
Law & Legaltech Lead
Sources speakers and builds relationships with people working in law and legal technology.
Focus areas
- Booking speakers for law and legaltech sessions each term
- Building a shortlist of contacts at firms and legal tech companies
- Designing at least one practical workshop a term, e.g. a contract review or negotiation exercise
Open position
Literacy & Outreach Lead
Designs the drop-in literacy sessions and leads outreach to students who might not otherwise come across FLaT.
Focus areas
- Planning termly literacy drop-ins on practical topics like contracts, payslips and budgeting
- Building links with access and widening-participation groups on campus
- Gathering feedback from non-member attendees to shape future sessions
Open position
Marketing & Communications Lead
Gets the word out. Runs the society's social channels, keeps the website current, and makes sure sessions actually get an audience.
Focus areas
- Running FLaT's Instagram and LinkedIn
- Keeping the website and event listings up to date
- Designing promotional material for each session
Open position
Partnerships & Sponsorship Lead
Builds relationships with firms and organisations who can support FLaT with speakers, sponsorship or venue access.
Focus areas
- Approaching firms for sponsorship and in-kind support
- Maintaining relationships with existing partners term to term
- Working with the pillar leads to convert contacts into speakers