There is, one BigLaw partner says, a "huge amount of opportunity" looking ahead for practitioners in the insurance space, from finding solutions to the risk of natural disasters to the management of cyber threats.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Clayton Utz partner Sophy Woodward about why insurance law is so engaging at this point in time, the "soft market" currently being experienced and the opportunities that climate presents for better terms for clients, what's surprised her about the insurance space this past year, and how client expectations have been set higher in 2025.

Woodward also discusses how insurance lawyers have to collaborate across practice areas more than ever before, managing team dynamics and wellness at a time of voluminous work and change, the need for creativity in contractual clauses, the ripple effects coming from current developments in the cyber space and natural disaster space, the myriad opportunities on the horizon, and why emerging practitioners should consider insurance law as a vocational pathway.

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, X 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]

While some students may overlook law societies during their university journey, one Monash University student highlights how involvement builds key professional and personal skills, giving participants a head start in their careers.

In a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Thomas Pereira, a law and commerce student at Monash University and serves as careers director for his university's Law Student Society, about his passion for encouraging law students to get involved in their law societies, the professional skills that can be gained through such participation, and how these experiences help students build meaningful relationships and foster a sense of community.

Pereira also highlights how developing these skills provides law students with valuable real-world experience that makes them more attractive to firms and recruiters, outlines practical steps for students who want to get involved in their university law society, and shares strategies for balancing all aspects of student life – including university workload, part-time work, and personal commitments – so that students can find the time to actively participate in their law society.

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Distinctive Finance, we break down the key market shifts shaping property decisions as we head towards the end of 2025 and what it all means for legal professionals preparing to buy.

Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Distinctive Finance founders and directors Christian Goodall and Mitchell Lobb to discuss what the Reserve Bank's recent inaction signals for buyers, how the expanded First Home Guarantee is opening new opportunities, why banks are forecasting potential rate changes in the year ahead, and whether fixed rate options may play a bigger role moving forward.

Goodall and Lobb also explore how legal professionals can position themselves for success, from making the most of the First Home Guarantee and navigating increased market competition, to getting tax documents in order, reviewing lending options, and preparing strategically before the holiday season. They share practical steps to get purchase-ready and insights into what the new year may bring.

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, X 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]

Sam Burrett and Chelsea Gordon recently travelled to the UK to learn more about international approaches to AI governance and business strategies of global law firm counterparts. Their observations and lessons learnt offer guidance for practitioners and firms alike Down Under.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with MinterEllison AI Advisory consulting lead Sam Burrett and legal lead Chelsea Gordon about the work they each do in the BigLaw firm's AI operations, their recent travels to the University of Oxford to learn more about how law firms internationally are approaching governance and strategy considerations, and how well Australian firms are performing relative to global counterparts.

Burrett and Gordon also delve into what Australian firms need to be doing more of, what is being done well, the lessons firms Down Under can learn from those overseas, what best practice objectives must be moving forward, practical steps that should be taken, mindset shifts required, and guidance to take into the new year.

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, X 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]

While Philip Colman has seen enormous professional change in more than four decades as a legal practitioner, there are certain values and traits that have consistently guided him over the years. For example, he tries to answer every email he receives on the day of receipt – even if just to acknowledge it – to showcase care and respect for clients.

In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with MST special counsel and former principal Philip Colman about his legal career to date, the values he was taught early on that have served him over the course of his career, some of the most surprising professional shifts he's witnessed, what optimal client service delivery means to him, and his reflections on his time as a leader.

Colman also delves into the challenges of business management, whether what constitutes a good law firm leader has changed over time, his guidance to aspiring leaders, how AI will impact the ways that people practice, whether client interactions need to be adapted, how the experience of the emerging generation differs from his own experiences, and his sense of service as a practitioner.

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, X 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]

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with legalsuper, host Lauren Croft speaks with legalsuper strategic partnership lead Jessica Empson about why taking control of your superannuation early is one of the smartest financial moves a lawyer can make.

From understanding how small fees can erode long-term savings to choosing investment strategies that align with your career stage, superannuation plays a crucial role in a lawyer's financial wellbeing.

In this episode, Empson unpacks the importance of transparency, sustainable long-term growth, and insurance coverage through super, exploring why legal professionals can benefit from joining a fund tailored to their industry.

She also shares practical advice for managing super with confidence and emphasises why lawyers at every stage of their career should take charge of their financial future and make informed decisions that support lasting security and growth.

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, X 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]

Here, the new managing partner of national law firm Colin Biggers & Paisley reflects on his journey as a practitioner, optimal client service delivery, why the firm is in a "great place" in the market, and what lawyers of the future need to look like. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Colin Biggers & Paisley's managing partner, Dr Andrew Murray, about his unintended entry into and journey in law, the driving force for him as a practitioner, the presence of impostor syndrome, his leadership approach, and how one learns to become a managing partner of a national firm.

Murray also delves into the firm's position in the market, his vision for it moving forward, why the firm will continue investing in particular practice areas, balancing growth with maintaining the right culture, headwinds on the horizon, managing a multi-generational workforce, why diversity is so essential, lessons from 2025 and predictions for the year ahead, and what it means to be a great lawyer.

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, X 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]

In a profession where burnout and mental health struggles have become all too routine, Tammi McDermott warns that mental health literacy isn't just essential for the next generation of legal leaders – it demands action and support from the entire profession to spark the urgent, transformative change law desperately needs

In a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Tammi McDermott, the founder of Lawnch and a board member of the mental health charity LIVIN, about the alarming rate of mental health challenges among lawyers, explains why this issue drives her passion for making mental health literacy a core skill for lawyers, calls out the profession's tendency to sideline mental health, and unpacks how genuine change can only happen when firms start prioritising their people over clients and billable hours.

McDermott also reflects on how little progress has been made in the way mental health is addressed in law since she first entered the profession, praises the younger generation of lawyers for reshaping the narrative by prioritising their wellbeing, calls on legal leaders to take responsibility for driving change by starting with more open conversations about mental health in the workplace, and emphasises that emotional preparedness and mental health awareness are just as vital as technical expertise for the next generation of legal leaders.

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Unisearch Expert Opinion Services, we explore how forensic and cognitive psychology is being applied in the justice system, and how – together with facial recognition technology – such developments may have implications for legal proceedings.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Professor Richard Kemp, Forensic Psychologist and Unisearch Expert, UNSW, and Unisearch Expert Opinion Services business development manager Christopher Aaron Yong about Professor Kemp's research fields, why experts like him are in greater demand, the pertinence and necessity of such services in ensuring access to justice, the limitations of such scientific fields, and addressing gaps in legal proceedings.

Professor Kemp and Yong also delve into the types of proceedings that such services can be applied to, the place for facial recognition technology in such conversations, risks to be navigated, implications for legal practitioners on the ground, case studies and lessons from those proceedings, and also explore how to assess the reliability of one's memory.

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, X 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]

The proliferation of negative sentiment around migration into Australia, both politically and socioculturally, can take a toll on legal practitioners in this space. To this end, migration law can be seen as a potential bellwether for the legal profession's role in ensuring access to justice and our national identity.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with BDO national leader in migration law Rebecca Thomson about her background in this legal practice area and why it's so rewarding, the sociocultural and political discourse surrounding migration and its disconnect to the realities on the ground, the impact on practitioners like herself, and whether now is the most challenging time to be a migration lawyer.

Thomson also delves into the numerous roles that such lawyers have to play in the current climate, bringing a holistic viewpoint, staying on top of a shifting regulatory and legislative landscape, having a community, the importance of migration law moving forward, and lawyers' role in ensuring access to justice.

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, X 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]