Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with Actionstep, we explore the fundamental importance of taking a strategic approach to AI adoption and how and why AI and intuitive automation are deeply interconnected. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Actionstep regional vice president in Australia and New Zealand, Zahn Nel, about the headline challenges law firms have faced in adopting and utilising AI, whether such challenges are preventing firms from fully embracing new technology, the extent to which lawyers remain undereducated about AI, how intuitive automation (IA) can enable law firms to adopt new tools and ways of working, and how identifying suitable platforms informs the formation of a strategic approach to technology utilisation.

Nel also delves into what intuitive automation is and why it is so essential in AI adoption, the risks inherent with attempting to adopt AI without IA, how firms can practically move forward, the fundamental questions firms must ask of themselves and their missions, how better strategy can help overcome inefficiency, and how Actionstep can support law firms on this journey.

Download Actionstep's Modernising Your Law Firm guide designed specifically for law firms embarking on (or thinking about embarking on) the journey of implementing new technology. Click here to download.

To learn more about Actionstep, click here.

Research has long shown that women leave the legal profession in larger numbers than their male counterparts. Making the workplace more accommodating and supportive is not only a moral duty – it's also best for business. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Construct Law Group director Aleisha MacKenzie and special counsel Crystal Ray about the lack of support that women have felt from employers over the years, why it is so critical in the modern age to identify ways to better support female professionals, and the dangers of not doing so for firms and their leaders.

MacKenzie and Ray also delve into the various ways their firm looks to support women and their development, why it is essential for leaders to recognise the moral and business imperatives of doing so, the flow-on benefits that firms will experience, and why the profession as a whole will be richer for facilitating greater workplace support.

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!

Following her keynote address at the 2024 Women in Law Forum, renowned reporter Amy Remeikis sat down with Lawyers Weekly to discuss the extent to which meaningful change is occurring following the MeToo movement and what lawyers need to do to enact such change.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Amy Remeikis about the key messages from her keynote address at the forum, her perceptions on how well (or not) Australian workplaces are performing in addressing misconduct such as sexual harassment, the prevalence of surface-level changes that lack substance, and where that leaves Australian society relative to global counterparts.

Remeikis also reflects on the role that lawyers can and must play moving forward in not only better advocating for societal change but also in improving the sociocultural environments of their workplaces.

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!

Australia's workers' compensation landscape, given the almost dozen separate schemes nationwide, is "a bit of a fractured mess". Having a national scheme, one workplace risk director argues, will go a long way in addressing pervasive issues.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Aon workplace risk director Gary McMullen about the current state of affairs with workers' compensation schemes across the country, why the disparity is causing problems, the "postcode privilege" that exists for some workers, and how schemes are both declining in performance and simultaneously more expensive.

McMullen also delves into self-insurance that businesses will take out, the current state of mental health claims nationwide, the potential for lingering issues to get worse, his case for a national scheme, the likelihood that a national scheme can come about, and how team leaders can help their businesses navigate the current landscape in the interim.

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!

Bronwen Bock and Lucy Bradlow are blazing a trail as Australia's first job-share political candidates, seeking a Senate seat in Victoria. Parliament, they say, "should be like any other workplace" and not be limited to those who can be available 24/7 for the job, as this diminishes who can represent their communities. Our political climate, the pair argues, is poorer for it. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Bronwen Bock and Lucy Bradlow from the Better Together Party about their respective careers and subsequent interest in running for Parliament as job-sharing candidates, how the community has responded to their job-sharing candidacy, and how our Constitution lends weight to their fight to become Australia's first job-sharing politicians. Bock and Bradlow also delve into their party and policy positions, why their candidacy has shifted from seeking a House of Representatives seat to a Senate seat, the broader message Australians should take from their candidacy, driving forward flexible working arrangements in our national workforce, achieving gender equality, why more men need to explore job-sharing arrangements, and how others can start to explore working arrangements that better suit their needs.

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 able to influence people and be the "puller of strings" can be hugely beneficial for lawyers in achieving optimal outcomes for clients and their own development and progress. Simply being a "doer", one professional argues, may not cut it in the current climate. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Frontier Performance founder and principal Pancho Mehrotra about the importance of understanding lawyers' need to have influence, how certain personality traits highlight or come into conflict with the need to be influential, and lawyers' cognisance of the capacity to influence in various settings. Mehrotra also discusses the benefits and flow-on effects of being more able to influence outcomes professionally, how such traits are measured, the perception that others will have about a lawyer's ability to influence, leaning into positive outcomes and avoiding negative ones, the questions lawyers should ask of themselves to achieve better outcomes, whether being more influential can be learnt, the need to make investments in one's self, and why lawyers can and should become the "puller of strings".

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!

Among the seasonal issues faced by the next generation of practitioners is a sense of having to prove oneself in the face of voluminous market change. This, on top of evergreen hurdles like competitiveness, makes for a challenging vocational environment – however, this landscape is also one ripe with opportunity.

In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with LIV Young Lawyers president Grace Oakley about why being involved in her member association is so important to her, what she sees as the primary seasonal and evergreen issues facing younger practitioners at this point in time, whether the need to prove oneself is becoming more prominent as a mindset, and the flow-on wellness questions from such challenges.

Oakley also delves into the practical steps for young lawyers to take in the face of myriad market challenges, the opportunities to be grasped as we head into the new year, and why she remains optimistic about the experience of the next generation of Australian legal practitioners.

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 Matthews and Carter Associates, we explore how and why London remains such an attractive destination for Australian practitioners and how best they can secure roles in the British capital. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Matthews and Carter Associates founder and director Anthony Matthews about how he supports the vocational growth of Australian practitioners in finding overseas roles, the current demand for Aussies to relocate in the UK market, and what life is like – both personally and professionally – for those that make the move to the UK.

Matthews also dives into the salary expectations for practitioners who relocate, what UK-based firms see in Australians and their competitive edge against global counterparts, how Australians can make lives for themselves overseas rather than simply doing short stints, the practice areas that UK-based firms are currently recruiting for, the size and scope of matters that one can work on, the international recruitment trends to be across, and how best those interested in making a move to London can set themselves up for success.

To learn more about Matthews and Carter Associates, 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!

At present, there exist myriad market and professional hurdles that require lawyers to think more holistically about their professional and ethical duties and, ultimately, help clients "solve some pretty wicked challenges". In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership chief executive Matt Finnis – who is a former lawyer – about the ever-increasing importance of ethical conduct for legal professionals, whether lawyers have a duty to "step up" in the current climate, the responsibilities upon lawyers' shoulders in the face of current market developments, and the difficulties being faced in managing these.

Finnis also delves into the management of conflicts of interest, balancing profitability against professional obligations, ethical stewardship of tech transformation, fostering the right kind of workplace environment, and the need to learn from the mistakes of others in ensuring adherence to one's professional obligations in the face of challenging market conditions.

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!

Discovery remains "where cases are won and lost". Given the physical and technological changes in how discovery is undertaken, ensuring that your team's processes – particularly in complex litigation – are designed and managed in suitable ways is essential.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with LK special counsel Allie Umoff about her background in litigation, how and why discovery remains crucial for optimal client service delivery, the ways in which discovery processes have shifted and even become more enjoyable, and how good discovery processes are more important than ever.

Umoff also delves into how litigation teams can and should think about redesigning their discovery processes, the practical steps to be taken to create a roadmap for success regardless of the client matter, reflections on a case study of good undertaking of discovery processes, the importance of reviewing a team's success or otherwise in managing discovery, and ultimately what best practice looks like in redesigning and managing complex projects.

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!