Two recent experiences with senior counsel have given Sach Fernando pause for reflection on the extent to which racism and unconscious bias still exist in Australia’s legal profession. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with the principal lawyer of Maxiom Injury Lawyers, Sach Fernando, to discuss recent instances where senior counsel made culturally insensitive comments that served as a reminder that, despite progress, the legal profession has lingering issues pertaining to racism and cultural diversity. Those two instances served as valuable lessons for Mr Fernando in determining the best path forward – not just for one’s self but for one’s clients, business and staff. He reflects on his own journey as a lawyer with Sri Lankan heritage, the responsibility to ensure that clients are treated with dignity and respect, and the importance of speaking up in a strategic and professional manner if and when the time calls for it.  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 of The Boutique Lawyer Show, CXT Legal director Christos Tsonis – who won the corporate category at the 2023 Partner of the Year Awards – discusses adopting a mindset and approach to help grow your legal practice into a nationwide operation.

Mr Tsonis talks about his journey in law and setting up CXT Legal, practising in private market transactions, the importance of understanding clients’ commercial objectives and delivering value through legal advice, and the need for flexibility and adaptability in the face of market changes and trends.

He also touches on the need to imbibe a mindset of growth and national presence in one’s employees and how best to work with and for clients right across the country.  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!

After over a decade in-house, Jeremy Hanrahan decided to head back into private practice, joining the partnership at Lander & Rogers. Here, he discusses the requirements to succeed in making such a vocational move. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Lander & Rogers partner Jeremy Hanrahan about his expansive career (both in private practice and in-house), what he learnt from more than a decade of working in-house, how and why he decided to go back into a law firm, and the personal and professional drivers for such a transition. Mr Hanrahan also details the importance of staying adaptable and open to opportunities, the personal adjustments required when making career shifts, including the importance of self-care and maintaining a work/life balance, the nuances of understanding client needs from both an in-house and private practice perspective, the importance of problem solving and being solution-oriented and shares his views on the current state of the employment and industrial relations workplace safety space, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in the field. 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 of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with lawyer, academic and COO Fabi Fugazza about the pervasive issue of unconscious bias in the legal profession and how it impacts hiring, sourcing and progression practices. Ms Fugazza – a lawyer at Equity Generation Lawyers, sessional academic at Western Sydney University and the University of Sydney, and chief operating officer of the Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights – stresses that unconscious bias is not limited to overtly discriminatory behaviours but also includes covert, unintentional biases that can significantly impact recruitment and progression within organisations. She shares alarming insights indicating that unconscious bias is still prevalent in the legal profession and reflects on the fact that despite the increasing number of women lawyers in Australia, only a small percentage reach leadership positions – a disparity that is not limited to gender but extends to ethnic and racial minorities as well. Ms Fugazza offers practical suggestions for combating unconscious bias, including standardising interviews, focusing on objective data, setting diversity goals, and fostering open conversations about bias within organisations. She also proposes the idea of “blind” recruitment processes, where identifying information is removed from applications to reduce bias. 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 of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Modaxo and Trapeze Group senior legal counsel Emilie Franklin, who recently won the TMT Lawyer of the Year category at the Corporate Counsel Awards, about navigating the challenges and opportunities that come with being the inaugural in-house lawyer for a business and building legal structures and processes from scratch.

Ms Franklin emphasises the importance of team growth and nurturing young lawyers to ensure a seamless transition to the remote work environment. She also shares her strategies for maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders overseas, fostering collaboration, and securing a seat at the executive table.

The duo delve into the delicate balance between effecting change without disrupting the established organisational flow, especially for legal departments often seen as an impediment rather than an enabler. Ms Franklin offers practical advice on engaging with stakeholders and creating positive test cases to gain support for substantial changes. 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, Smart Property Investment’s Phil Tarrant and Finni Mortgages’ chief executive, Paul Glossop, discuss the current state of Australian lenders and the property finance landscape following on from yet another rate decision. The duo delves into the latest Reserve Bank meeting and its impact on interest rates and mortgage rates, discussing conflicting data on unemployment and within the retail sector, and the potential for future rate fluctuation. Paul highlights the significant rental growth in the past 12 months, making it an opportune time for property investors, before emphasising the importance of investors taking proactive steps to refinance, extract equity and borrow responsibly. 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!

Law can be an elitist profession. Socioeconomic diversity can put some practitioners at a disadvantage in building relationships in a profession in which one’s network is one’s net worth. However, as one award-winning lawyer explains, there are ways that practitioners and the broader profession can overcome such disparities. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Emplawyer managing principal Michelle Dawson, who won the employment category at the 2023 Partner of the Year Awards, about the effects of socioeconomic disparity on lawyers’ careers, and the need for broader recognition and opportunity. Ms Dawson details her personal and professional experiences, outlines the practical steps she has taken to succeed and offers her guidance, both for individuals and the broader profession, to address socioeconomic diversity as part of broader diversity and inclusion efforts profession-wide.

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 of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Morgan Collens, a paralegal at Nevile & Co Commercial Lawyers in Melbourne, to discuss what she has learnt about the need for the next generation of legal professionals to take control of their personal and financial futures, specifically by ensuring they have a will and testament in place. Ms Collens discovered her passion for wills and estates while working with lawyers. She emphasises the importance of considering wills and estates early in one’s career, particularly for the younger generation, including members of the queer community who may have unique challenges in estate planning. She highlights the need to view oneself as a client and to list all assets, even small ones like bank accounts or share portfolios, to ensure a smoother transition for loved ones after one’s passing. 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 of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Stephanie-Kate Bratton, a lawyer, author, and mother, about her personal and professional journey and why showing our children all that lawyers do is so important. Ms Bratton reflects on her journey in the legal profession (which has taken her overseas to work in-house with one of the world’s biggest companies), her health struggles and what perspective she has gleaned from such hardships, being an advocate in the workplace, and what inspired her to create the “My Mummy Is…” book series for young children. She also discusses her thoughts on the importance of role modelling (especially for women in the legal profession), the experience of working parents in law and managing the juggle, reconciling one’s identities as a lawyer and parent, as well as her reflections on the progress made in addressing gender issues in the profession, and how far we still have to go.  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 by our sister brand, Cyber Security Connect – we explore the impact of and response to the cyber breach suffered by national law firm HWL Ebsworth, including the statement that cyber security coordinator Air Marshal Darren Goldie released. Hosts Liam Garman and Daniel Croft dive into the latest news in cyber security in Australia, beginning with a discussion of ANZ bank CEO’s decision not to sign up to a voluntary anti-scam code that would see banks required to reimburse those who fall victim to scams. The pair then discuss the impact of the HWL Ebsworth breach and the statement that cyber security coordinator Air Marshal Darren Goldie released regarding his response to the attack. The episode wraps up with an outline of the current status of artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and the concerns raised by both governments and the private sector regarding the risks of AI development with disinformation and more. 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!