Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

From youthful run-ins with a now-Supreme Court judge to the need to find a cure for "resting bastard face", Ian Whitworth's life and teachings for business owners are unlike any other. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Scene Change co-founder and author Ian Whitworth to discuss his journey from vet school to cab driving to being an advertising creative director and now a business author, and the myriad professional lessons he learned along the way. The pair discuss whether likeability is more important than skill for law firm owners, the scourge of resting bastard face, staying business fit and other key business truths that lawyers must be aware of, particularly in the wake of so much marketplace 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!

While working towards their dream jobs, new lawyers should not be shying away from alternative career paths and non-traditional legal roles because they may just make the difference on future job applications and in interviews. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Naomi Neilson is joined by IP and commercial lawyer Maiko Sentina to discuss the stepping-stones she took through alternative career paths that ultimately led to her dream role. Maiko, who shares that she was job hunting in her dream field for over a year, talks listeners through the alternative options that allowed her to continue upskilling while revealing new possibilities. Ultimately, this open-minded approach was what led to the foundational skills needed for lawyers and made her more attractive to new roles. We also chat about the non-traditional jobs that should remain on resumes, no matter their irrelevance to law. Showing hiring managers experience in casual, retail roles, for example, could be a way to explain that they can "talk to clients, deal with potential sticky situations and getting instructions from superiors". Importantly, Maiko shares her advice for students, grads and new lawyers who are sending out resumes and cover letters only to receive rejections or, worse, no response at all: "It's about sticking to your guns, sticking to what it is that you are passionate about. Don't be afraid to keep putting yourself out there." This episode also explores making mentor/mentee connections with senior lawyers and why it's important to look behind the polished LinkedIn profiles. Have a listen below! If you have any questions about the episode or if there are any topics that you might want us to look into, please reach out – we would love to hear from you! We're also always open to new guests so if you have an exciting story to tell, if you're standing out as a student or graduate, or if you can offer some tips for our young lawyers, get in touch. You can reach us here: Emails: [email protected] or [email protected]

Socials: Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter or reach out to me directly here.

Doing duty list work in regional and remote towns, Hassan Ameen says, is a great reminder of the privileges that many lawyers enjoy, both personally and professionally. This is just one of many reasons why emerging criminal lawyers will benefit greatly from spending some time working in country Australia. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Bondi Law solicitor Hassan Ameen to talk about his experiences in Goulburn, NSW as a duty list lawyer and what he learned from his time in that regional town, including the need to get to know the local community (from the magistrates and police all the way down to clients on the ground). The pair delve into the intensity of such duty list work, particularly learning about the issues facing Indigenous communities, how Mr Ameen's time in regional NSW offered him life skills and professional experience that has been invaluable for his practice back in Sydney, and why criminal lawyers coming through the ranks must be on the hunt for duty list experience in regional and rural Australia so they can ultimately be better 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!

Family lawyers in Australia deal with the Family Law Act. Rebecca Chapman, as an international parental child abduction lawyer, deals with the Hague Convention. In such cases, where children have been taken overseas by one parent without the other's permission or a court order, the stakes are heightened. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by International Social Service Australia managing lawyer Rebecca Chapman to discuss the state of affairs with international parental child abduction: the laws governing such abductions, dealing with different countries, and how the age of coronavirus has impacted upon such legal work. The pair also talk about the extent to which change is occurring in this space as the marketplace shifts, the intensity of such work and the non-negotiable professional skills that one needs to succeed in this practice area. 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 age of coronavirus has presented some fascinating challenges for lawyers in the venture capital space, Myra Beal says, reinforcing key teachings for such practitioners about the need to manage client expectations and join them, over the long term, on their investment journeys. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Metigy general counsel and chief of staff Myra Beal to talk about how the venture capital space has been impacted by the global pandemic and the corresponding issues that lawyers in this space have had to grapple with, together with trends that have emerged and lessons for lawyers moving forward into the new normal. The pair also delve into the extent to which VC lawyers can make educated predictions about how the market will play out post-pandemic, whether there will be a greater diversity of clients on offer moving forward, and how legal work in this space can set one up for a meaningful vocational 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!

In the inaugural episode of LawTech Talks, Lawyers Weekly – in partnership with Immediation – dives into the myriad challenges facing females in Australia's legal tech sector, and how such hurdles can be overcome. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Immediation founder and barrister Laura Keily, as well as Xakia Technologies founder and CEO Jodie Baker, to discuss the recently-released Diversity in Legal Tech – It's Time for Action report, which reveals how few of Australia's legal tech founders are women, the barriers to entry and success, and what practical steps must be taken by all stakeholders to rectify such issues. Ms Keily and Ms Baker delve into their respective experiences as legal tech entrepreneurs and the challenges they've both observed and felt, detail how funders and fellow founders can better support women and why, and offer guidance to those coming through the ranks about how best to thrive in an ever-changing market. 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!

Kathryn Jurd's role as general counsel for RSPCA NSW can often feel like speaking seven languages fluently, and if she can't speak an eighth dialect, she's asked why. This said, day-to-day work for the animal welfare organisation never fails to be "diverse and engaging", she says. On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by RSPCA NSW general counsel Kathryn Jurd to discuss what life is like as the head of legal for a prominent animal welfare organisation charged with duties to protect "non-human" clients from cruelty, the challenges inherent in governing legislation, and the volume of prosecutions that come across her desk every year. The pair also delve into how the age of coronavirus has presented new hurdles for animal welfare and how such environmental changes may impact court matters, the lessons for prosecutors and other lawyers from her time in this role, and how to manage one's self in the face of such emotionally draining and intense legal work. 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!

A firm's value is, ultimately, defined by the clientele. Establishing and effectively communicating that value, in a marketplace that is increasingly crowded, is a foremost challenge for boutique practices right now. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Aptum Legal managing director Nigel Evans to discuss his views on the importance of communicating a firm's value, the danger of deprioritising value amidst all other business duties and responsibilities, the practical steps to extrapolate value and how frequently such evaluations should occur. The pair also talk about the need for creativity in showcasing a firm's value, striking the right balance in communicating via modern platforms versus more traditional approaches, to what extent a firm should learn from their competitors, how much should be invested in defining one's value and why retaining a firm's is one of the most important things a business owner can do. 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!

From their first pay cheque, new lawyers should be having open discussions about their salaries with peers to familiarise themselves with the prejudices and the structural discrimination that exists in the profession, one graduate lawyer said.

In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Naomi Neilson is joined by graduate lawyer Taylah Spirovski in an important conversation about new lawyers being open and honest when it comes to their salaries and the hiring processes. By removing the pay secrecy, the profession can take steps to address its many concerns.

Taylah shared that this "normalised rudeness" that can come with discussing money with friends and colleagues has led to pay secrecy, which in turn has "direct implications on the workforce" and, importantly, the lives of women, people with disabilities, people from marginalised communities and many others.

"My overarching thought is that law students and young and new lawyers need to familiarise themselves with the prejudice and the structural discrimination within the legal profession as soon as they possibly can. Ultimately, this is going to change outcomes for themselves. Pay secrecy is basically a lack of truth, and it breeds discrimination," Taylah commented during the episode. As part of the episode, Taylah also discussed other important topics that new lawyers should be having with their peers, including prejudices they face at work.

"I think that law students and young lawyers would benefit so much from having conversations with each other about this kind of prejudice, including their own experiences and obviously, the experiences of others that have been recounted in books and research that have come before them for decades," she said.

Have a listen below!

If you have any questions about the episode or if there are any topics that you might want us to look into, please reach out – we would love to hear from you!

We're also always open to new guests so if you have an exciting story to tell, if you're standing out as a student or graduate, or if you can offer some tips for our young lawyers, get in touch.

You can reach us here:

Emails: [email protected] or [email protected]

Socials: Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter or reach out to me directly here.