Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Experience has taught Damien Toohey – a practising barrister and professional pilot – that there are "no limitations in life". Here's how he does it.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Damien Toohey of 2 Selborne Chambers in Sydney about his career journey, including early life in the law and pivot to working as a professional and commercial pilot, how he returned to the law and then again to the skies, and the significant life events along the way that have shaped his outlook and trajectory.

Toohey also reflects on how flying is the "ultimate test of character", how his work as a barrister and pilot respectively offer complementary lessons and why he's a better holistic professional, what's happening in the aviation law space, what his journey has taught him about life, and how other lawyers can ensure they are experiencing life to the fullest.

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!

Shipping lawyers are not strangers to pivoting in the face of overnight geopolitical and legal changes. How might the recent threat from US President-elect Donald Trump impact practitioners in this space?

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back The Shipping Lawyer, Alison Cusack, to discuss the shipping law landscape in 2024 and what was learnt from that year, the recent threat from Donald Trump to take back control of the Panama Canal and the history of the canal (and lessons from the Suez Canal experience).

Cusack also discusses the frequency with which shipping lawyers have to adapt to geopolitical shifts and navigate client expectations, how best such lawyers can roll with the punches, the fatigue that can set in amid so much change, and what she's looking forward to in the year ahead.

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 the emotionally charged and ever-shifting landscape of immigration law, cultural empathy may well be the most critical skill that practitioners bring to the table for their clients, argues one senior lawyer. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Katsaros & Associates founder and senior lawyer Dimitrios Katsaros about recent changes in the immigration space and the extent to which the Albanese government has made good on its promise to overhaul the system, and how the looming federal election may change the landscape further in 2025 and beyond.

Katsaros also delves into what constitutes cultural empathy, why it is so important when dealing with clients from different backgrounds, what it looks like in practice and how best one can ensure empathetic interactions, and why it is at the top of the list of priorities for lawyers in this space in the coming 12 months.

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 December, the High Court of Australia overturned a 115-year-old precedent and determined that "sham" terminations can cause psychiatric injury. Here, we unpack the implications of this decision for businesses nationwide.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Pinsent Masons partner and head of employment law and reward (APAC) Aaron Goonrey about the expansiveness of legal work in this space, what the decision in Elisha v Vision Australia Ltd held, what was ordered and what it means moving forward.

Goonrey also delves into the extent to which employment law is entering a grey area as a result of the decision, how it changes the landscape for employment lawyers across the country, and what will constitute best practice for lawyers in this space in 2025 and beyond.

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!

The rise of generative AI and other new technologies not only changes the nature of legal practice but also client expectations and demands. Here, we flesh out the need for lawyers to evaluate their pricing structures as part of their service offerings so they may remain competitive. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Hive Legal executive director and experience designer Melissa Lyon and principal Adrienne Trumbull about their firm's journey, being ahead of the curve on flexible working, why they price their services in non-traditional ways, whether billable units give clients more control, and why it is so important to reconsider how legal services are priced.

Lyon and Trumbull also flesh out the disconnect between clients' understandings of legal practice versus how those services are being priced, navigating how courts are interpreting the use of AI and new technology, how critical a priority evaluation of pricing models will be in the new year, the questions that firm leaders must be asking of themselves, and why they should see this conversation as an opportunity to step back on reflect on the importance of legal practice and servicing the 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 [email protected] for more insights!

Energy and resources is, and will continue to be, an incredibly busy practice area. Here, a BigLaw partner reflects on what it's like to work in this space, what the future might hold, and how those coming through can succeed. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Clayton Utz partner Susan Taylor about her journey as a lawyer and why she finds energy and resources to be such an exciting space to work in, why it intersects with so many other practice areas right now, and the current day-to-day experience of those working in this space.

Taylor also delves into how busy energy and resources work is, how such work will ramp up during the course of 2025 (regardless of the federal election outcome), what constitutes best practice when advising clients, the trends she's anticipating in the coming months, why taking a holistic approach to such work is essential, what it means to be a good lawyer in this space, and her advice to those wanting to transition to energy and resources practices.

While things are improving, traditionally, professions like law have not catered well to a diversity of idiosyncratic personal needs. Here, one senior in-house counsel reflects on her experiences with neurodivergence and how she identified ways that she could flourish vocationally. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Procreate head of legal Sarah Standen about her work in intellectual property at a software company, why it is so important to talk about neurodivergence in law, her own experiences and diagnoses, and the stigma that is often attached to neurodivergence across the community.

Standen also reflects on how her diagnoses led her to identify the best pathway forward for her career-wise and how she could play to her strengths and interests, the thought process and practical steps she undertook, the questions one needs to ask of one's self, and what excites her about her own journey moving forward.

For this BigLaw special counsel, it has been hugely encouraging to see the elevated investments and priority being placed on pro bono by Australia's largest law firms, which is better positioning those businesses to create positive change nationwide. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Gadens special counsel in sustainability and social impact Shabnum Cassim about her background and interest in social justice and human rights, the emotionally draining nature of such legal work, her perception of the growing importance being placed on pro bono practices by large law firms, and why they are making such investments.

Cassim also touches on the continued trajectory of pro bono arms of law firms, balancing a firm's business and social impact interests, having clients who are more socially focused, taking a more holistic approach as a lawyer in any area of law, the duties of team leaders in pro bono moving forward, and what excites her about pro bono offerings in Australia into the future.

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 anyone, starting law school is enormously challenging, both personally and professionally. For first-generation Australians, there are additional challenges to contend with. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, King & Wood Mallesons applied legal coordinator (disputes and litigation) and JD law student Fauzia Hussein speaks with host Jerome Doraisamy about feeling vulnerable and out of place relative to those with privileged backgrounds, the need for more nuanced support for law students with migrant backgrounds, and overcoming cultural differences.

Hussein also touches on giving first-generation students a chance at employment, how she has benefited from such support, and the importance of building a legal profession that embraces and includes individuals from all walks of life.

The exiting national workers' compensation scheme, one principal argues, is "certainly not fit for purpose" and shouldn't be implemented nationwide. Here, she details why a better approach, covering workers of all types, is required if workers' compensation is to better cater to the evolving needs of staff everywhere.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Maurice Blackburn principal Alison Barrett about why plaintiff work is so meaningful for her, the current landscape across all Australian jurisdictions for workers' compensation, whether those schemes are fit for purpose, the existing issues with the Comcare scheme, and the looming consequences that will arise should those issues not be addressed.

Barrett also delves into how the cost-of-living crisis and high inflation may compound existing issues for claimants, what is currently being done to improve Comcare and workers' compensation more broadly, how lawyers in this space can better navigate the current landscape, why mental health claims continue as a trend, and her broader guidance for lawyers looking to not only better service clients but also advocate for a better national 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 [email protected] for more insights!