Beyond Billables

Are you looking for a way to change direction? This can be difficult if you’re entrenched in a law career or specialisation. Difficult but not impossible, and today’s guest is a brilliant example of changing course.

In this episode of the Beyond Billables Podcast, we talk with Mark Allen. Mark is a corporate and commercial lawyer with 30 years experience, as well as the founder of Allen Legal Ltd. On top of that, he’s the Director of South Western Sydney Primary Health Network Limited and the executive chairman of the Sydney Film School.  

Mark is a mentor, a business owner and has a finely tuned legal mind. Most interestingly though, he decided to throw out playbook after 30 years at a big firm and start his own practice. A radical change after a relatively traditional career.

In our wide-ranging conversation, we also discuss things like:

• Why it’s is so important to evolve (and grow) as a legal professional
• The parts of legal work that technology will not be able to overtake
• Common mistakes clients make and what to do about them
• Nanotechnology
• Some of the unexpected places Mark’s clients have taken him
• How partnership tracks have changed
• How to approach a work-life balance in the 21st century
• Mark’s involvement with the film industry
• Stress, and how being authentic about it is a good first step when tackling it
• The realities of life at a big law firm
• The experience/responsibilities of being a managing partner

Links:

LinkedIn

LawPath

If you’re interested in what the future of the legal industry looks like, you’ll not want to miss this episode of the Beyond Billables podcast. In this show, we had the great pleasure of catching up with Dominic Woolrych. Dom is CEO of LawPath, Australia’s largest and fastest growing online legal platform. He is also a thought leader in Australian legal disruption and was recently recognised as a winner of the Australian Legal Innovation Index. And the superlatives don’t end there.

Dom is also the founder of the OnDemand Training Group, which offers training for the ‘On Demand’ economy in 10+ cities across Australia and New Zealand. Before teaming up with LawPath, Dom earned his stripes as a corporate attorney at Minter Ellison Lawyers, Australia and also spent time at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC). Dom’s work is on the cutting edge of legal tech. He’s a great person to speak with in terms of understanding where the industry is – and more importantly – where it’s going.

In this episode, we talk about…

• The difficulty in changing tact or pivoting if you get too far down a certain career trajectory
• The state of legal tech in Australia, and how LawPath has modeled itself off of companies based in the U.S.
• How a legal education need not confine someone to practising law
• How technology is forcing law firms to rethink their business models, increasing internal efficiency and improving client communication/engagement
• Upskilling yourself and why you don’t need to be an engineer to work in legal tech
• The growth of the LawPath platform and the market shifts that have occurred as a result of that
• The benefits of a completely online platform for both clients and attorneys
• The critical importance of good online client reviews for attorneys wishing to grow their practices
• The difference between a legal services company and a law firm, and how this benefits LawPath
• The future integration of business services (alongside legal) into one seamless client experience

Links:

LawPath

LinkedIn

Twitter

Welcome to the 8th instalment of the Beyond Billables podcast. If you’d like to hear one lawyer’s fascinating journey from Australia to Honduras to London and back, you’re in for a treat. This week, we talked to Brad Vinning – a lawyer turned scuba instructor turned corporate partner. A lover of the ocean, exercise and the startup world, Brad has built a name for himself as a sharp legal mind.

Brad talks about his humble beginnings in the law, taking a career break to live in Honduras and restarting his professional life in London. He also discussed his broad range of corporate and commercial transaction experience in Australia, London and Jersey (Channel Islands). In this episode, you’re going to learn ways in which you can stay active, the importance of maintaining your authenticity and how you can apply these characteristics to your career.

Have a listen to find out more about Brad, as well as his tips on things like:

• Maintaining a work-life balance and what that really means
• How to maintain your authenticity
• How to approach industry meetups, conferences and networking events
• His advice to junior associates
• The importance of being a good active listener
• The value in being proactive with client relationships
• The implications of artificial intelligence for the legal profession
• How to deal with the stress of always having to be right
• How he made partner
• Being yourself and not worrying too much about pleasing others
• The value of confidence in staying true to yourself

Links

ClarkeKann
LinkedIn

How are the big businesses utilising technology these days? Tune in to today’s podcast to find out as we speak to the lovely, ever-present Anna Lozynski. Anna is a lawyer and general counsel to L’Oreal Australia and New Zealand, and she sits down for a chat with Maciek about her early desires to be a scientist, what led her to choose law instead, how she’s navigated her career path and the advice she gives to professionals regarding technology in the legal industry.

Anna and Maciek also talk about the benefits social media can bring to your business and what L’Oreal has done to ensure they are at the forefront of their industry, including the technological advances they’re implementing and the benefits they’re hoping to bring (hint: intelligent hairbrushes).

Listen to the podcast to gain insight into more of the above, as well as:

• How Anna keeps cool under stress
• How networking can open doors and generate new opportunities for you and your business
• Deciding what legacy you want to leave through your career path, and making sure others can happily follow it
• How to be so happy within your job it’ll feel like your second home
• The benefits of having a close circle of friends to act as a support network
• Why EQ is becoming more important than IQ
• What is innovation intelligence?
• Why you should question the status quo
• The importance of knowing your self-worth, and what it can bring to your career
• Your legal ‘wow’, and how to maximise it
• How social media has transformed business models for the better

Links

LinkedIn

http://www.loreal.com.au/

Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental health issues that many people face (in fact, at least one in three people in the legal industry suffers from depression), yet they’re still rarely spoken about openly. This lack of acceptance makes it even more difficult for sufferers to reach out and find the help they need. So, when you feel like no one else understands, who can you turn to?

In this episode, we talk to Jerome Doraisamy about struggling with depression and anxiety, and the strategies that can help you deal with them. Jerome is a lawyer and author of The Wellness Doctrines for Law Students and Young Lawyers – a hugely successful self-help book. Having suffered through mental health issues himself, he isn’t afraid to tackle the stigma that comes with it. This was an enlightening conversation about a very serious topic, and serves to remind us that no matter how alone we might feel, that’s never the case.

We also discuss things like:

• The propensity of mental health issues among law students and lawyers
• The 3-tier strategy to self-care
• Jerome’s own personal struggles, and what inspires him to help others
• Strategies to maintaining balance
• The importance of focusing on your health and wellbeing
• What it’s like to deal with depression and anxiety
• The conservative structure of the legal industry, and why this can negatively impact mental health
• The frequency of pessimism in law, and how you can avoid it
• Keeping track of your triggers and pitfalls in order to remain healthy and happy
• Where to seek help if you need it

Links

The Wellness Doctrines
Twitter
Linkedin
Facebook

Do you sometimes struggle with courage? Maybe there’s something you want to do, but you can’t quite find the strength to do it. Perhaps you’re unhappy in your job or your relationship, or you’re studying a degree you don’t actually like, but you worry you’ll disappoint people. No matter what your fears are, facing them can feel impossible. So, how do you do it?

In today’s podcast, we talk to Nadine Champion about exactly that: finding the courage to face your fears. Nadine is a black belt, martial arts Sensei, undefeated fighter, international speaker, cancer survivor and author of 10 Seconds of Courage, an inspiring and moving recount of Nadine’s struggles, and the techniques she uses to overcome her fears. We also discuss situations in which Nadine herself has had to find strength and courage, like being invited to speak at TEDxSYDNEY (where she delivered an enormously powerful speech that you should watch, but spoiler alert: you may cry).

Champion by name, champion by nature, Nadine truly is an inspiration. Listen to learn more about her story, as well as things like:

• Recognising the moments and opportunities to make changes in your life
• How to embrace those moments instead of running from them
• Having a better understanding of yourself and your personal values
• Why you should avoid getting too caught up on who you think you should be, and focus on who you are instead
• Overcoming self doubt to pursue your dreams
• How lawyers can do great things with a little bit of courage
• The benefits of doing things the hard way instead of the easy way
• Why facing your fears can lead to amazing things
• How Nadine found her better self, and how you can do it too
• Why you only need 10 seconds to be courageous

Links

Nadine’s TEDxSYDNEY Talk
’10 Seconds of Courage’
http://www.nadinechampion.com/
https://twitter.com/NadineChampion

Welcome to the fourth episode of the BeyondBillables podcast. Today, we’re talking with Alex Solo, a talented, tech-savvy entrepreneur and co-founder of sprintlaw, a cloud-based law firm with an entirely online presence and a goal to help smaller businesses with their legal needs. Alex started out with a desire to work in music production, and ended up studying law instead. We talk about what brought on that decision as well as his past business ventures, and the failures and successes he’s experienced.

Breaking away from the pack is a move that looks like it’s paid off very well for Alex. Listen to the podcast to hear him talk about what prompted him to do that, as well as the challenges he faced when he did. We discuss what inspired him to start his own business, and how he overcame adversity to achieve his goals.

We also touch on things like:

• Running a successful side gig
• Building a better network
• NewLaw careers and what they look like
• Important skills for any future professional
• How to choose the best study and/or career options
• Why you don’t need to be hugely tech-savvy to enjoy technology
• Getting frustrated with the status quo – and doing something about it
• Taking risks
• The pro’s and con’s of the NewLaw business model

Links

Sprintlaw

LinkedIn

In this episode of the Beyond Billables podcast, we have the pleasure of interviewing Maddie Livesey – ex-ballerina, ex-lawyer, entrepreneur and seasoned meditator. After graduating university with a law degree and becoming the first lawyer in her family, Maddie decided to find her happiness by switching things up and changing her career pathway to become the General Manager and Project Director of The General Store, a retail marketing strategy and innovation agency.

Maddie is a B&T 30 under 30 award-winner, a fashion entrepreneur and is a big fan of Vedic meditation. Listen to the podcast to hear Maddie discuss the fear that can come from taking leaps into the unknown, as well as the emotional benefits that come from doing what you love.

We also discuss:

• The benefits of finding a side hustle
• Why you should find a creative outlet
• The importance of prioritising
• Being guided by common sense
• Why it’s okay to take the leap
• The happiness that can come from going after what you want
• How networking can help you find your pathway
• Why meditation isn’t airy-fairy nonsense
• How to find time to do what you love
• Maddie’s secret indulgence

Links…

The General Store
LinkedIn
Boutique HQ Instagram

In this second episode of the Beyond Billables podcast, we sit down with Maciek, the other half of Beyond Billables, to talk about his early years, career progression, deep breathing, Stoicism, the best books, and his favourite podcasts (apart from Beyond Billables!)

Maciek is an ex-lawyer, international legal recruiter, entrepreneur, legal tech-head, world-wide traveller, father, husband and vintage Kombi enthusiast. For someone who wears many hats, he juggles them well, and in this episode he gives us an insight into the various facets of his life as well as some great advice on career challenges, answering the big questions in life, why self-reflection is important, and how to avoid letting your career take over.

We also discuss:

• The catalysts that led Maciek to shift careers
• The difficulties that his career change introduced, and how he overcame them
• Why you can’t control the outcomes to everything
• How to better manage your expectations
• The competitive side of the legal profession
• How to think outside the square and avoid falling prey to paradigms
• The importance of trial and error
• What he aims to do through Beyond Billables
• How you can benefit from deep breathing (even if you’re a sceptic)
• Why you should be prepared to pivot in order to get ahead

Links

https://beyondbillables.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maciekmotylinski/?ppe=1

In this second episode of the Beyond Billables podcast, we sit down with Maciek, the other half of Beyond Billables, to talk about his early years, career progression, deep breathing, Stoicism, the best books, and his favourite podcasts (apart from Beyond Billables!)

Maciek is an ex-lawyer, international legal recruiter, entrepreneur, legal tech-head, world-wide traveller, father, husband and vintage Kombi enthusiast. For someone who wears many hats, he juggles them well, and in this episode he gives us an insight into the various facets of his life as well as some great advice on career challenges, answering the big questions in life, why self-reflection is important, and how to avoid letting your career take over.

We also discuss:

• The catalysts that led Maciek to shift careers
• The difficulties that his career change introduced, and how he overcame them
• Why you can’t control the outcomes to everything
• How to better manage your expectations
• The competitive side of the legal profession
• How to think outside the square and avoid falling prey to paradigms
• The importance of trial and error
• What he aims to do through Beyond Billables
• How you can benefit from deep breathing (even if you’re a sceptic)
• Why you should be prepared to pivot in order to get ahead

Links

https://beyondbillables.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maciekmotylinski/?ppe=1