Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Maddi Thimont works 25 hours per week as head of legal for a data insights and analytics company. Constructing the working week in such a way allows her not only to be more present for her family but also for her workplace. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Sagacity head of legal Maddi Thimont, who is based in the United Kingdom, about how she came to work for Sagacity on a reduced schedule, why such a working week is suitable for her (personally and professionally), and the balance it can offer to in-house lawyers. Thimont also fleshes out how and why she’s a better professional for working less than a full-time load, her elevated capacity to compartmentalise across the board, whether one has to sacrifice salary in order to have a shorter week and what the workload looks like, how in-house lawyers can go about securing such working arrangements for themselves, and why law departments will benefit in offering such arrangements do prospective and existing staff. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

For 25 years, Gareth Woodham has worked as a property valuer in multiple Australian jurisdictions, and he is regularly called in as an expert to provide valuations in family law matters and commercial property disputes. Here, he fleshes out what such work looks like and what practitioners can learn from an outside expert like himself. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Augmen Consulting principal valuer Gareth Woodham about what a day in the life of a property valuer looks like, what his process is in valuing properties and the extent to which such determinations are reactive and/or proactive, and his involvement in legal proceedings. Woodham explains how and why valuers like himself are engaged for legal proceedings, the types of litigation and family law disputes that he typically works on, the increase in family law matters in recent times and what his litigation work is like, the “high stakes” in reaching valuations, how best practitioners can work with valuers, and his advice to lawyers involved in disputes that valuers are engaged for. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

In the face of the ongoing scourges of domestic, family, and sexual violence committed by men against women across the country, a law student-led advocacy group is looking to break down legislative barriers, amend policies in institutions, and provide platforms for the wider community. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with law students and WGG Australia founders Giorgia Wilson and Sarah Welfare about how and why they both entered the legal profession, the proliferation of family, domestic and sexual violence against women in Australia and the gaps they have identified in addressing such scourges, and what their advocacy group is doing to address it. Wilson and Welfare also delve into who should have responsibility for addressing such matters, what they have learnt (both personally and professionally) from their advocacy, how they look after themselves given the sensitivity of the issues being addressed, why men in law need to be better involved in combating these scourges, how they plan to expand WGG Australia across the country, and their messages to emerging lawyers everywhere about being better advocates. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

It can be easy for small-business owners and leaders to expect too much of themselves or overreact if they are seemingly falling short in perfectly managing the juggle of multiple duties – particularly if one is a working parent. However, there are ways to work through such thought processes and perceptions. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Curae Law director Lucy Dickens to discuss why it is so important for firm leaders to be open about struggling to manage the juggle, recent examples where she has felt that she was burning out, showing vulnerability so that your teams can feel comfortable doing the same, and how the need to wear so many hats can exacerbate difficulty in balancing all interests. Dickens also reflects on a recent instance of catastrophising and what she learnt from that experience, gaining perspective on the seriousness of issues that can and do arise, questions to ask of one’s self to determine pathways forward, how tricky it can be for working parents to navigate such concerns while also being small-firm owners and leaders, and the need to find people you can trust and talk to. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

A former musician himself, Julian Hewitt now represents big-name Australian artists, including Flume, RUFUS DU SOL, and Tash Sultana. Here, he unpacks the myriad directions that daily life as a music lawyer can take. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Media Arts Lawyers partner Julian Hewitt about his own musical journey up until the time he became a practising lawyer, whether his background in the industry provides him with a perspective that sets him apart from other practitioners, and the extent to which a music lawyer has to be a jack-of-all-trades. Hewitt also reflects on how dynamic the music industry is, the impact of external environmental factors on his clients, the many ways in which people make a career in creative spaces, helping clients break into overseas markets and identifying opportunities to allow them to do so, and his best practice principles that other lawyers can learn from. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Since 2007, experienced in-house counsel David Sinclair has been leading expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. He’s discovered, during his multiple ventures to the polar regions, that there are more similarities between leading such trips and in-house legal work than one might think. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Islands and Ice Travel director David Sinclair, who is also an experienced legal counsel who has worked for BHP, Newcrest Mining, Orica, BlueScope, and Energy Australia. He speaks about how and why he decided to set up a travel company that explores the polar regions, the perspective he’s gleaned on the challenges facing those corners of the globe, and how he balances his in-house roles with running his travel company. Sinclair also delves into being able to engage with people from all over the world that he otherwise would not have met, what he’s learnt (personally and professionally) that have improved him as a legal practitioner, the transferable skills he’s picked up from his time in the polar regions, how other in-house lawyers can craft their own personal adventures, realising one’s sense of self, and the importance of being kind and creative. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Local Court solicitors often do not have enough time to communicate with clients in ways that might assuage fears. If those practitioners can better adapt their approaches, there will be positive flow-on consequences – not just for those clients, but for the community at large. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Legal Aid NSW Local Court criminal lawyer Matthew Wade and lived experience expert Jody Letts about why it is so important for lawyers to be better at delivering bad news, whether bedside manner is lacking for lawyers, whether lawyers have the capacity and bandwidth to learn how to be more empathetic in their news delivery, and the consequences of not delivering bad news in the right ways. The guests also discuss the solutions for lawyers to improve on this front, evolving and adapting one’s approach, questions a lawyer should be prepared to answer, what works and doesn’t work, and how and why the community will be better placed if lawyers can get better at delivering bad news. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

As a corporate lawyer, the idea of moving into a not-for-profit (NFP) role initially didn’t appear logical to Elisabeth Flett. However, since making the decision to transition and settling into such work, she has discovered that working as a lawyer in the NFP space has provided her with an elevated sense of personal and vocational purpose. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Cancer Council NSW general counsel and company secretary Elisabeth Flett about the day-to-day work she does with her organisation, being at the coalface of such important work for Australian communities, how and why she came to transition from a corporate role to work in the NFP space, and the questions one has to ask of one’s self in making such vocational decisions. Flett also delves into overcoming self-limiting thought processes about what a legal career can or should look like, looking for NFP opportunities rather than waiting for them to present themselves, and why making this career transition has been so rewarding and purpose-driven for her. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

The passage of legislation allowing for a right to disconnect for Australian workers provides law firm owners across the country an opportunity to challenge the paradigms that they hold around flexible working and design a workplace that works for their employees and fosters productivity, argues one director. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back in house nous director and employment legal counsel Natasha Hannah to discuss what is meant by the term “right to disconnect”, whether and how professional services firms are responding to the passage of its legislation, the concerns that employers have, and hurdles to be overcome in the new environment. Hannah also details the contractual and policy changes that small-firm owners will have to undertake, the various conversations that should be had both with one’s staff members and a firm’s clients, how to navigate those conversations and textual changes, designing a workplace accordingly, striking the right balance with generational attitudes and business needs, undertaking such changes against the backdrop of other firm concerns, and seeing the new legislation as a business opportunity. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Having reflected on the relationships in her personal and professional life that have helped her feel “most secure, supported, and passionate”, Giovanna Bongiorno has advice for the next generation of lawyers on whom they need to invest time in so as to thrive. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Curtin University commerce/law student and KPMG employment tax consultant Giovanna Bongiorno about the relationships that have been most meaningful and inspiring for her, how and why she learnt about the importance of a three-tiered relational network, and how those tiers intersect and complement each other. Bongiorno also discusses the extent to which the next generation of lawyers are cognisant of the need for these tiers and whether they invest time in them, whether virtual learning impedes one’s ability to develop networks, practical steps to develop and maintain networks, carving out time to invest in relationships, and how and why she is a better emerging professional for having a three-tiered relational network. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

The domestic and global appetite to consume sports and entertainment keeps growing. As such, legal work – in its myriad forms – will continue to expand alongside it, says a global firm partner. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Squire Patton Boggs partner Tony Chong to discuss what’s happening in sports and entertainment law, the issues and challenges being faced on the ground by practitioners, the need for legal teams to continually anticipate evolutions in the sporting and entertainment realms, and staying on top of the social, cultural and even political zeitgeist in understanding how the environment will evolve. Chong also details the need to immerse one’s self in the industry, engaging with other practice groups, the potential need to be a jack-of-all-trades, taking a case-by-case approach, how legal work in these spaces will continue to grow, and why it is so exciting to be at the forefront of such change. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

In an evolving sociocultural landscape, criminal lawyers must continually adapt their approaches to clients and service to the broader community. Recent rises in instances of offending by youths, for example, offer a chance for such practitioners to ensure best practice and step up their game. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Gallant Law senior in-house advocate Jonathan Brancato about how and why he became a criminal lawyer, his passion for advocacy, what’s happening on the ground for practitioners and the reported increase in offending by youths, and why practitioners are seeing such increases. Brancato also delves into how practitioners can respond to such changing circumstances, the need to adapt one’s approach to client management, approaches he has adopted that have worked and not worked, broader sociocultural challenges that criminal lawyers have to grapple with in the current age, opportunities for best practice that can be grasped, and the need to take a more holistic approach in servicing one’s broader community. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Much is made of what law firms can and must do to support their clients. But what of the client itself? Here, we explore the responsibility of law departments to create and maintain better relationships with their external providers. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Cognetic Legal & Consulting founder and principal Damien Sullivan to discuss why it is so important for law departments to ensure their clients want to remain on their legal services panels, the things law firms are looking out for from their clients at this juncture, and how and why law firms should be comfortable providing constructive criticism and feedback where necessary. Sullivan also reflects on how front of mind such concerns are for law departments right now and how high a priority it should be, some of the things that those departments are currently getting wrong, the need to strip things back to basics and get the fundamentals right, and other practical steps that in-house teams can and must employ, as well as how those legal teams can better balance internal pressure against how they treat their external providers. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Sven Burchartz knew he wanted to be a lawyer in year 10. Since then, his vocational journey has taught him a lot about what it takes to succeed as a business leader – including how leaning into his passion for motorsports has aided his growth. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kalus Kenny Intelex principal Sven Burchartz about how he realised he wanted to be a lawyer as a teenager, whether the principals of growing and managing boutique law firms have evolved in recent decades, being different and memorable as a business, adapting to what’s happening within one’s practice, and knowing the right questions to ask of one’s self. Burchartz also reflects on his passion for motorsports, how he is mindful that it’s the only time he is truly on his own, how he is better personally and professionally for having time behind the wheel, and what other lawyers can learn from race car driving. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

In this episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with LexisNexis, host Lauren Croft speaks with LexisNexis executive vice-president and chief technology officer Jeff Reihl, executive vice-president and chief product officer Jamie Buckley, and Asia-Pacific managing director Greg Dickason about all things generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its transformative impact on legal workplaces. The guests dive deep into the world of emerging tech and explore how generative AI is reshaping legal workflows, the competitive advantages it offers for lawyers, challenges and opportunities in the Australian legal market, and the importance of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) for AI accuracy, as well as share vital advice for integrating AI into legal practice. Reihl, Buckley and Dickason also share their perspectives on the future of AI in the legal profession, potential areas of significant impact, and best practices for law firms navigating the evolving landscape of technology and AI. To learn more about LexisNexis and its work in this space, click here.

Given how much the professional services marketplace is set to change in years to come, emerging law graduates must ensure they are open-minded and adaptable to change so that their vocational capabilities are suitable for the evolving landscape. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes Law Wise Youth founder and creative director Chami Rupasinghe to discuss her motivation for undertaking a postgraduate law degree, her desire to undertake community service, leaning into her creative side, ensuring that self-care doesn’t get sidelined, and how and why her organisation, Law Wise Youth, came about. Rupasinghe also fleshes out the need for careers and vocational information to be more readily available to those coming through the ranks, her reflections on launching various projects and an e-commerce business in the current climate, having a diversified professional offering, what questions one must ask of one’s self in better crafting their vocational offering, the need to have business skills up one’s sleeve, the importance of personal branding, and her advice for others in ensuring their skill set is fit for purpose. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Here, an award-winning young lawyer reflects on how she has developed and grown her personal and professional networks and how this has allowed her firm to flourish. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Crossover Law Group founder and principal Marial Lewis to discuss the importance of both personal and professional connections across jurisdictions, how soon boutique firm owners should be looking to develop such relationships following the inception of their practices, and what such firm owners can learn from her experience as a migration lawyer looking to bolster her network. Lewis also delves into the practical steps to start garnering such relationships, how to balance this priority against other urgent priorities for boutique firm owners, thinking differently as leaders of small legal practices in a post-pandemic climate, and why she is a better lawyer for having invested time in the development of her personal and professional relationships. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

As businesses resume travel activities in the post-pandemic world, the landscape of corporate travel has significantly evolved. In this special episode, brought to you from Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand, HR Leader, Rodger Cook, general manager of global security services at World Travel Protection, delves into the intricacies of business travel. With costs soaring and risks constantly evolving, leaders must put their best foot forward to ensure their workforce remains safe and secure in business travel. Cook’s extensive travel experience has been pivotal in understanding the needs of businesses when they send employees abroad. He emphasises the importance of duty of care, ensuring companies are well informed about the risks associated with travel and how to mitigate them effectively. He also discusses the benefit of transferable skills, as his experience boasts diversity in professions. Such transferable skills are becoming increasingly crucial as companies face talent shortages. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Having come from national and global law firms, the leaders of award-winning boutique Hazelbrook Legal understand what it takes to succeed as a BigLaw business and as practitioners, and they are leveraging those lessons to build a strategic approach that befits a smaller firm environment. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Hazelbrook Legal managing partner Hugh Griffin and partner Lucy Adamson about their respective experiences in national and global law firms and what they learnt from such roles, how they are looking to bring their experiences from those bigger practices to the boutique environment, and how best to “get the best of both worlds” in having a personalised workplace culture while working on matters traditionally seen as the remit of bigger players. The pair also flesh out how to stay true to a firm’s values, how well the firm has performed since its inception 10 years ago, what works and doesn’t work in crafting a winning culture, the frequency of check-ins on whether the strategy is working, and what motivates them to ensure that their boutique practice can continue to win big work while maintaining its unique cultural approach. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

As a lawyer and veterinary nurse, Michelle Neil is dedicated to serving the community around her. Having experienced significant hardship in her early life but then finding the right support systems, hearing others’ stories, and ultimately being able to share her own helped her realise that the legal profession is open to anyone who wants to help others. (Content warning: This episode contains content that may be disturbing or distressing to some listeners. Discretion is advised.) In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Vitality Law lawyer Michelle Neil to discuss what she calls her “unorthodox” personal journey, the impact that her upbringing had on her, what “high-controlling” environments are like, learning how to break free, and how she eventually managed to carve out her own path and enter the legal profession in her 30s. Neil also reflects on her work as a freelance veterinary nurse and why such work is so meaningful to her, why law became a worthwhile vocational path for her to pursue, lessons learnt from rebuilding one’s life, opportunities for next-generation lawyers to flourish, how her experiences inform her approach to lawyering and client service delivery, and ultimately why – no matter one’s background – there is a place for anyone in this profession. Help is available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue at 1300 22 4636. Each law society and bar association also has resources available on their respective websites. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!