Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Australia requires much more legal clarity when it comes to making decisions in the best interests of critically ill and dying children, argues one author and academic. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Melbourne Law School honorary research fellow Dr James Cameron, who has authored a new book, Critically Ill Children and the Law: Medical Decision-making and the Best Interests Principle, about the various gaps in the law when it comes to making decisions in the best interests of sick children, the challenges this presents for both parents and medical practitioners, and various examples of how this can play out in practice. Cameron also details the extent to which change might be on the horizon, the legislative and regulatory changes that are urgently needed, how to determine what is reasonable in the current climate post-pandemic, and his proposed framework to address the legal challenges and gaps currently being witnessed in the medical system. 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!

How can law firm partners, in practices big and small, lead on psychological and psychosocial hazards when remuneration structures revolve around profit generation? Andrew Douglas has ideas for how such workplace leaders can meaningfully dedicate themselves to making a difference for their staff rather than simply relying on slogans. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back FCW managing principal Andrew Douglas to discuss his concerns about partner capacity to lead on wellness issues given remuneration structures and frameworks, how his firm has attempted to foster and embed a new culture and environment, and whether legal workplaces are incompatible with optimal wellness given the focus on profit.

Douglas also delves into what he has learnt about the role of a law firm leader like himself, making time rather than finding time to manage staff needs, navigating such needs in a post-pandemic world, better aligning purpose with profit (and everything in between), firm leaders' scepticism to make necessary changes, and the practical steps that fellow managing partners must take. 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!

Jennifer Tutty was once told that she could never be a lawyer and a DJ at the same time. Now, having practised for 20 years and grown a successful practice, she has pertinent guidance for firm owners about how to build one's brand, put one's self out there, and flourish. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Studio Legal founder and principal Jennifer Tutty to discuss the inception and growth of her boutique firm, how working as a DJ and networking in nightclubs helped build her brand and clientele as a new lawyer, what it taught her about the importance of branding, why music and creativity are so uplifting for her, and how mindful such activities are. Tutty also reflects on how being a DJ has helped her run a successful firm, navigate people's scepticism, what she's learnt from her experiences over 20 years in law, the importance of wellness in small firms, what has surprised her in her two decades of practice, her guidance to other firm owners ahead of FY2024–25, and what excites her about the future of her own practice and her firm. 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 Clayton Utz, we reflect on how cyber security and data privacy will, in the future, impact every point of professional life and thus require more forward-looking approaches. Host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Clayton Utz partner and head of cyber and data governance Brenton Steenkamp to discuss how and why he ended up in cyber, why the work is so purposeful and meaningful for him, what Clayton Utz offers clients in this space, and why the BigLaw firm is investing heavily in cyber. Steenkamp also details what a day in the life of a cyber partner looks like, whether it is becoming more difficult to work in the cyber space, the indisputable need for preparation, getting into the head of threat actors in order to better serve clients, what conversations with clients typically look like, building resilience, flexing one's muscles, and the opportunities for cyber practitioners moving forward. To learn more about Clayton Utz's work in this space, click here.

As lawyer Melisa Sloan has discovered, making time to properly reflect on significant rites of passage – from buying your first home to caring for an ageing parent – not only offers pertinent personal lessons but also makes one a better professional. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Madison Sloan Lawyers founder Melisa Sloan about her journey in law to date, how and why she discovered the importance of reflecting on the big moments in life, what she has gleaned from such reflections, and what others can learn from such experiences.

Sloan also stresses the importance of regular reflection, how busy professionals like lawyers can make time (rather than find time) to take stock of life's happenings, why it is so meaningful and purposeful, how to identify moments in life to reflect on, and the practical steps to take in doing so.

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!

Earlier this week, Lawyers Weekly's sister brand, Space Connect, hosted the Space Summit 2024. At that event, three legal experts discussed the latest and most pressing ethical considerations pertaining to the proliferation of activity in space and the accompanying legal developments. Panel moderator Jerome Doraisamy spoke with Professor Melissa de Zwart from the University of Adelaide, King & Wood Mallesons partner Annabel Griffin, and Akin senior counsel Dr Michael Mineiro about the headline current ethical issues and concerns in space law, how well placed Australian laws and regulations are to deal with the state of affairs, balancing free enterprise against notions of no ownership in space, and the laws regarding the mining of space resources.

The panel also delved into national security considerations, the ethical questions about sending humans to the moon, future tech such as environmental modification in space, and future predictions and warnings about ethics as it pertains to the "space race" 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!

In this special episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, produced in partnership with LexisNexis, we explore how law departments can successfully utilise emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to provide optimal value as a business function. Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back LexisNexis Asia and Pacific managing director Greg Dickason to discuss the provider's recent ANZ Sentiment Survey, the extent to which the use of emerging technologies is skyrocketing among corporate counsel, whether they realise the breadth of opportunities from such tech, what in-house counsel need to understand about AI at this critical juncture, and how teams can best determine what they need such emerging tech for. Greg also details the need to invest time in such products to save time later, the main use cases for GenAI for corporate counsel as they currently stand, identifying the right solution, appreciating how the right solution can help solve broader problems across the law department, the risks of generic products, saving money for the business by way of the right product, the importance of a unified user experience, and navigating the broader challenges of AI regulation. To learn more about LexisNexis' offerings in this space, 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!

With a new financial year just one month away, now is the time for sole practitioners and small-firm owners to take stock of the year that was and plan for the year ahead. For this award-winning practitioner, not losing sight of what one wants to achieve and living life and one's business by design is front of mind in ensuring ongoing success.

In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Conveyed founder and chief overlord Melissa Barlas – who won the Sole Practitioner of the Year category at the 2023 Australian Law Awards – about her primary reflections on FY2023–24 and what has been learnt, meaningfully triaging urgent priorities, striking a balance between proactivity and reactivity in formulating a business plan, and the importance of aligning one's personal life with the objectives and outcomes of a legal business.

Barlas also delves into what FY2024–25 will look like for her firm and what her headline focus will be, how she determined the pathway forward and why, the questions SME firm owners need to be asking of themselves and their businesses in building a strategy, looking after one's self, the extent to which one can take notice of what's happening socioculturally or politically, opportunities on the horizon, and what she's looking forward to in the coming 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, 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!

Dr Nadia Stojanova, a Victorian barrister, recently completed a doctorate in law reform and regulatory changes to address workplace bullying. Here, she details the precursor factors to such misconduct in the workplace, the "patchwork" system of laws governing this space, and what workplaces can and must do to stamp out bullying. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with barrister at the Victorian Bar, Dr Nadia Stojanova, about her personal and professional passion for employment and industrial relations matters and how she got into such work, how she navigates said matters, why she undertook a doctorate in this space, and the state of affairs nationwide regarding workplace bullying. Stojanova also reflects on whether the legislative and regulatory frameworks are not keeping pace with evolving workplace environments, the "patchwork" of laws, what needs to be urgently addressed, the precursor factors to bullying in the workplace, the various elements of the risk management-based workplace design her thesis promotes, whether such a design should be led by legislators and regulators or by businesses, and her optimism that Australian workplaces can adopt her strategy for addressing such misconduct. 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!

On top of being the GC in the healthcare sector, Nina Stamell also works as a birth doula, supporting women and their partners in the childbirth and postpartum journey. The wearing of both hats, she has discovered, has broadened her perspective on what it means to be an informed, considered in-house professional. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back MyHealth general counsel and company secretary Nina Stamell to discuss her work in the healthcare sector and what she enjoys about it, what it means to be a birth doula, what she finds so meaningful about supporting women through the birthing journey and how she approaches individual cases. Stamell also reflects on how she balances her schedule as a senior in-house professional and doula simultaneously, how lawyers can sell the undertaking of such roles on top of their in-house duties to workplace superiors, the main takeaways and transferable professional lessons from her work as a doula to her role as a GC and co sec, the importance of informed consent, finding pursuits that are meaningful and rewarding, and why she's a better legal professional as a result of her work as a doula.