A recent Fair Work decision noted that a primary carer doesn’t have to be the sole carer in order to receive primary carer parental leave. Here, a BigLaw special counsel unpacks the decision and what it means for employers and lawyers moving forward.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Maddocks special counsel Meredith Kennedy about her work in the BigLaw firm’s employment, safety, and people practice, the case of Metro Tasmania Pty Ltd v Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union (and what happened at first instance and then in front of the full bench of the Fair Work Commission (FWC), how “primary carer” was defined in the proceedings and relevant enterprise agreement, and how and why the FWC full bench reached its conclusions.

Kennedy also delves into why this matter is so significant, the takeaways for employers nationwide, the need to ensure that workplace policies and frameworks account for all circumstances, overcoming collective biases, riding the wave of sociocultural shifts, best practice for lawyers in this space, and what else such lawyers need to be looking out for.

In this special episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, produced in partnership with TransPerfect Legal, we explore the practical ways that legal teams can use artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the cost, time and risk associated with handling data in disputes and Investigations.

Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back TransPerfect Legal’s APAC Senior Director, Tom Balmer, to discuss how to implement GenAI practically and easily into disputes and investigation workflows – an area which is “ripe for disruption”. The discussion explores how well law firms and in-house legal teams are doing when it comes to understanding and utilising AI, the guardrails to be considered and the easiest ways to save cost and time through the technology, right now.

With regulatory investigations and enforcement actions on the rise, economic pressures increasing the volumes of formal disputes, and corporate legal team budgets being squeezed – there has never been a better time to explore ways to practically reduce the external costs and internal burdens of managing disputes and investigations. So if you’re keen to learn how AI can help, have a listen to the full episode.

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 [email protected] for more insights!

In this episode, brought to you by Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand, HR Leader, we explore the need for business leaders and workplaces to “earn the commute” of their staff members returning to the office, including by way of imbibing a common purpose of the broader approach.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Canon Oceania director of people and finance David Field, who also serves as the company’s chief legal counsel, to discuss his remit at Canon, how he has found the transition from technical legal specialist to having a bigger picture focus on business, whether businesses are getting it right in bringing staff back to the office, and navigating the disconnect that may exist between generations in the workforce.

Field also discusses the questions that businesses need to be asking of themselves when wanting to bring staff back into the office, how he and Canon have looked to answer those questions, the place for trial and error, fostering team collegiality, strengthening common purpose through team building and community involvement, working for the greater good, and the steps that must be taken.

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 [email protected] for more insights!

Marianne Marchesi’s firm had a hugely successful 2024–25 financial year. She credits a lot of that success, she says, to how she and the business responded and adapted to certain difficult periods the year prior – without which, such success may not have been possible.

In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Legalite founder and managing principal Marianne Marchesi to discuss her evolving views on disrupting the traditional law firm model, how her firm performed in FY24–25, the challenges faced in the prior financial year, how those hardships have led to certain successes, and how she navigated her way out of wanting to throw in the towel as a business owner.

Marchesi also discusses how the firm realigned in such difficult periods, how those experiences have shifted her view on what it means to be a good lawyer and business owner, how she has grown personally and professionally, what other firm owners can learn from her experience, and what excites her moving forward.

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 [email protected] for more insights!

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Unisearch Expert Opinion Services, we explore the ways that businesses and legal professionals can better manage the myriad psychosocial hazards that arise in the workplace, particularly in an increasingly litigious climate.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Unisearch Expert Opinion Services business development manager Christopher A. Yong and Unisearch expert and work, health, and safety specialist Sarah Jezzini to discuss the impact of psychosocial hazards on all areas of a business and the clients they serve, increased levels of understanding and appreciation for how and why psychosocial hazards exist, and the need for an urgent shift to proactive management of such workplace matters.

The trio also discuss the legislative and regulatory considerations at play, the state of affairs for litigious proceedings, high-risk areas for litigation, intersectionality’s role in the broader conversation, key questions that business leaders must be asking of themselves, practical frameworks to be implemented or adapted, and not letting the metric become the measure.

To learn more about Unisearch Expert Opinion Services, click here.

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 [email protected] for more insights!

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Distinctive Finance, we explore the lessons learnt from the market in the last 12 months, what’s working and not working for lawyers, and how best practitioners can shore up their financial security and make investments in the coming year.

Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back the directors and co-founders of Distinctive Finance, Christian Goodall and Mitchell Lobb, to discuss what they have recently observed and been discussing with clients across the board, the key takeaways from the market in the last financial year, lawyers’ readiness for looming rate cuts, and case studies of clients whose journeys inform the potential for lawyers to shore up their portfolios moving forward.

Goodall and Lobb also delve into the common pitfalls that practitioners face in ensuring financial wellbeing, getting one’s ducks in a row, how their experience in private banking informs their approach to legal professionals, what they’re paying attention to this coming financial year, what lawyers can and should be focused on, and how lawyers can think about the journey ahead.

To learn more about Distinctive Finance, click here.

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 [email protected] for more insights!

Being a first-generation law student can be a daunting and isolating experience, especially when trying to break into the legal profession. But Aloizio Ferreira Compart shares how these challenges can be overcome, encouraging others to view them not as setbacks, but as powerful opportunities for growth and resilience.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Aloizio Ferreira Compart, a law student at Western Sydney University and a law clerk from Frank + Law Advisory, who shares that despite coming from a family of lawyers, becoming a lawyer was never part of his original plan, shares why corporate law is now firmly in his sights, reflects on his early years growing up in Brazil, and discusses the bold decision his family made to relocate to Australia in search of new opportunities.

He opens up about the early challenges he faced moving to a new country, recalling how he had to learn a new language and adjust to a different culture, reflects on the close bond he shares with his family, forged by being the only realities living in Australia, recalls how him and his twin brother took a term of during year 10 to work full-time to support their parents, who were working 12-hour days, seven days a week, and explains how these experiences taught him independence and important lessons about life. Compart also speaks about being the first in his family to attend university and study law, reflects on the challenges this brought him, acknowledges the barriers many first-generation law students face when trying to break into the profession, shares how he has managed to overcome them, emphasises the importance of finding mentors and building connections with people who have faced similar challenges, notes the unique perspectives that first-generation students and those from non-traditional backgrounds bring to the legal field, and offers words of encouragement to others in similar situations who may feel uncertain or intimidated, reminding them that they, too, have a valuable place in the legal industry.

In this special episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, produced in partnership with Conga, we explore how in-house teams can be better at wading through the fast-changing legal tech landscape to drive efficiency and support broader business goals.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Conga director of strategy, innovation, and transformation Charles Harb about his passion for this space, the headline challenges and trends facing law department leaders on the legal tech front, how well some teams are performing relative to others, and asking the right questions in navigating a changing landscape.

Harb also delves into how law departments can evaluate the technologies they may onboard for their teams’ purposes, the importance of reporting and analytics, convince executives to buy into the departments’ tech needs, and get the tech stack right. He also reflects on CLM and AI for in-house lawyers and why they’re such an essential aspect of this broader challenge for law departments.

To learn more about Conga, click here.

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 [email protected] for more insights!

For many parents in the legal profession, the idea of advancing their careers by opening a law firm can feel daunting or unattainable. But Marial Lewis offers a different perspective – demonstrating that it’s possible to successfully juggle the demands of parenthood while building a thriving legal practice.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Grace Robbie speaks with Marial Lewis, the principal solicitor and founder of Crossover Law Group, about her journey launching a law firm just eight months after having her first child, reflects on the inspiration and motivation behind taking such a bold step during a demanding time in her life, sharing how limited support in traditional legal environments compounded by the onset of COVID-19 prompted her to carve her own path, and opens up about the additional challenges of balancing firm ownership with motherhood, having since welcomed two more children.

Lewis talks about the strategies and systems she has put in place to juggle the demands of motherhood alongside running a law firm, explains how having a coach should be something that even the best in the game should do, shares the importance of communicating with clients boundaries when it comes to communication and when to respond, and reflects on a time she picked up and worked on a case 24 hours after having her second child.

She also reflects on the deeply personal and meaningful nature of working in immigration law, challenges the notion that those navigating parenthood should hesitate to start a firm or advance their legal careers, discusses why she believes many firm owners and partners are struggling in silence, considers how the lessons she’s learnt from both parenting and firm ownership have influenced her approach to each, and offers thoughtful advice to aspiring lawyers who hope to grow their families while pursuing their professional goals.

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 [email protected] for more insights!

While many lawyers feel that the only “right” career path is to remain in a large law firm for life, Mia Madafferi emphasises the importance of recognising that pivoting into innovative legal careers is not only possible but also often deeply rewarding.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Mia Madafferi, the founder of Grey Rock Consulting, who reflects on the early stages of her legal career at Herbert Smith Freehills, recalls how a role-play exercise at a primary school excursion – acting as New Kelly’s lawyer – first sparked her interest in litigation, discusses what it was like to transition straight from university into a major law firm, and what ultimately inspired her move from private practice to an in-house legal role.

Madafferi shares that her decision to launch her own consulting practice stemmed from a personal drive to pursue something different, reflects on the challenges many lawyers and individuals face when dealing with people who exhibit “high-conflict” personalities, and discusses how rewarding it is to support those who feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to navigate such difficult dynamics.

She also highlights the importance of lawyers recognising their ability to pivot away from traditional career paths and apply their legal skills in innovative and non-traditional ways, ponders on whether this mindset is still relatively uncommon or becoming more widely accepted, underscores the need for universities to start thinking “outside the box” in how they educate law students to better support diverse legal career opportunities, and offers advice to students who may feel daunted by the idea of going against the status quo and who are unsure about pursuing a conventional legal career.