Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Given how much the legal landscape is modernising, relationships are more essential than ever before. As Gabriella Pomare says, "it's who you know, it's who you get to know, and it's about putting yourself out there". On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with The Norton Law Group partner Gabriella Pomare about becoming a leader in the firm set up by her father, what leadership means to her in the context of their family law firm, and the challenges involved in being a good leader in the age of COVID-19. Ms Pomare also details her thoughts on good relationship management, instilling the right mentalities in junior staff, navigating idiosyncratic needs and personality differences within a team, building and maintaining relationships with various external stakeholders, what constitutes a good investment of time and energy in relationships, why it is more important than ever before, and balancing such management on top of all other responsibilities for boutique law firm leaders. 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 this special episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, produced in partnership with LOD, we explore how law departments can successfully navigate cost-cutting in these economically uncertain times. Host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by LOD head of market insights Mark Dodd and senior legal counsel Helena Kolenbet to discuss what in-house legal teams are currently grappling with when it comes to cost-cutting, the impact of such fiscal constraints on those teams, how Australian law departments might be faring compared to overseas counterparts, and whether cost-cutting is at, or near, the top of in-house leader's list of urgent priorities. Mr Dodd and Ms Kolenbet also outline practical ways that law departments can thrive amid a cost-cutting environment, including ruthless prioritisation, eliminating waste, avoiding over-involvement so as to better manage given tasks, being pragmatic about what can be achieved, and boosting team morale, and how those in-house teams can and will benefit from implementation of such approaches. To learn more about LOD, 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!

Justice David Smuts of the Supreme Court of Namibia shares how he has helped shape Namibia's laws and legal system to imbed human rights into the country. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jess Feyder speaks with Justice David Smuts about the changes he's been instrumental in in Namibia's legal system and how he went about securing those changes. Justice Smuts discusses how he challenged laws and aspects of the constitution, at a time when the country gained independence and its constitution and legal framework were being formed. His Honour also discusses how he has presided over court cases and worded judgments, aiming to influence the law and broader society to move towards equality and rights for both humans and animals. Justice Smuts discusses his career path, his motivations, and the methods he's used to challenge laws and drive change, reflecting on how Namibia's society has changed and how the judiciary has played a role in moving the country towards equality. His Honour also muses on the significance of the judiciary in its role of upholding moral principles and human rights for a country and gives advice to Australian lawyers who are passionate about driving positive legal and social change. 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!

Becoming a parent did more than reshape Matthew Hodgkinson's personal life — it also changed, for the better, his professional pathway, leading him to become a "fractional" general counsel and have a greater appreciation for the need for "forgiving" advice and perspective as an in-house lawyer. On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Papillon Lawyers principal and managing partner Matthew Hodgkinson about how and why he ended up being a "fractional" general counsel, what that means and how it differs from being a freelance GC, the familial circumstances that mean operating as a fractional counsel is suitable for his needs. Mr Hodgkinson also unpacks how his vocational journey has shaped his thinking on what it means to be a good general counsel, the need for "forgiving" legal guidance and business advice, how fractional GC life is compatible with the post-pandemic world, whether he thinks the number of fractional GCs will increase in the future, and what excites him about that prospect. 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!

Historically, Simon Tupman muses, the legal profession has associated strong performance as a practitioner with leadership capabilities. In an ever-changing professional services marketplace, he says, leadership in law must have a more all-encompassing approach — because good lawyers don't necessarily make good leaders. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Simon Tupman — a consultant, speaker and mentor to law firms — about what he believes law firms and legal teams are getting wrong when it comes to identifying leaders and why, whether poor leadership can cancel out any financial benefits that arise from promoting successful practitioners, and whether a revamp of business models in law will be required to better elevate certain leaders. Mr Tupman also reflects on how flexible and adaptable leaders in law have been since the onset of the global pandemic and what they are getting right in the new normal, the need for leaders in law to be more holistic in their approaches, and the key principles he has identified that will constitute effective leadership in the legal profession moving forward. 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 this episode of The Protégé Podcast, Sydney-based law student Niki Nojoumian talks about why Australia should lower the voting age, and the legal and societal changes that would surround it.

Host Jess Feyder speaks with Niki Nojoumian, a law student whose essay on lowering the voting age in Australia has gained recognition.

Ms Nojoumian discusses the changes that should come with Australia adopting a voting age of 16, why it is especially relevant for this change to happen now, and why she found it important to advocate for a lower voting age.

She also talks about why she decided to formulate the essay and the influential role her mentors have played in the project, discusses how law students can become engaged with the topic, and gives advice on how to successfully pursue research projects.

Across Australia, corporate entities have taken a stance on the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament. But what happens if a lawyer in a firm has a different view from their employer? On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Swaab partner Michael Byrnes to discuss why so many corporate entities, including law firms, have decided to take a position on the Voice, the market factors driving such corporate positioning, and the potential implications for their employees — particularly those who might have opposing views. Mr Byrnes details the various employment and workplace relations scenarios that will have to be worked through, how employees can reasonably express their views if they are in conflict with their employer's position, the dangers of overstepping in publicly contradicting one's employer, and the steps both sides may need to take to ensure freedom of expression is balanced against corporate interests. 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 this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with law image, we explore how and why the legal profession is outsourcing much of its non-core work and what leaders in firms and businesses need to know to drive efficiency and productivity in an ever-volatile market. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with law image innovation and technology lead Tim Hall and head of commercial and corporate services Michael Wrobel to discuss what we mean by outsourcing and managed services, the market and workplace circumstances driving law firms and in-house teams towards outsourcing, whether the post-pandemic new normal has accelerated movement towards outsourcing, and existing barriers to meaningfully outsourcing the non-core work of one's firm or team. Mr Hall and Mr Wrobel also detail their longer-term predictions for outsourcing against the backdrop of the current state of the market, the headline concerns and problems needing resolution for firms and teams, the extent to which proactivity with outsourcing is required, and whether those not outsourcing could be left behind. To learn more about law image, 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!

As an experienced GC, David Cosgrave has learnt that — when determining legal advice in scenarios one will not see every day — appreciating the motivations of people and how to balance risk and goals will help in-house lawyers best serve their clients. On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with longstanding general counsel, lecturer and risk governance adviser David Cosgrave about why he gravitates towards litigators when hiring for in-house roles, the importance of having a real-world understanding of risk, how to formulate advice in sensitive and/or unique legal issues and find amicable, acceptable resolutions. Mr Cosgrave details for the listeners his experiences providing advice in such extraordinary scenarios, from speaking to family members of persons on life support to athletes refusing to undergo drug tests, the unique perspective that one gleans from providing advice in such scenarios, and the overarching importance of flexibility and agility in the development of such a holistic approach to in-house life. 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!

Working part-time as a lawyer can often be associated with caring responsibilities. However, as Meg Crawford details, there is a multitude of personal or lifestyle factors that may lead a lawyer to pursue other vocational pathways while maintaining a part-time practice — lawyers always, she believes, have such options in front of them. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Justitia Lawyers and Consultants special counsel Meg Crawford about her journey as a lawyer and the ups and downs she has experienced in her life, how those experiences have led her towards other pursuits, and how her perception of what she wanted to do vocationally has evolved over time. Ms Crawford also details what her three-day working week set-up looks like and how she makes it work with her firm, changing views on what it means to be a legal professional, how those coming through the ranks can explore part-time working arrangements with their employers if they have other pursuits in mind, shaking off traditional mindsets of the volume of work required of lawyers, and how she feels optimistic about the sustainability of her more holistic approach to her career. 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!