Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

An overwhelming majority of SME law firms do not have business continuity plans in place, putting those practices in jeopardy if unforeseen circumstances arise. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Lawganised founder Ben Deverson returns to chat with host Jerome Doraisamy about the need for single principal firms and multiple principal firms to ensure they have continuity plans in place, the dangers of not refreshing such plans and the reasons why principals may not be proactively taking such steps. The pair also talk about practical steps that firm leaders can take to ensure that business continuity plans are in place to ensure that the practice is not at risk and why the age of coronavirus heightens the need to have safeguards.

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 a dedicated and talented sportsperson, Hannah Kimber initially found it difficult to keep up her physical activity once she became a lawyer. She eventually learned to weave it into her schedule in ways that bolstered her health, happiness and workplace productivity.

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by PwC senior associate and former 30 Under 30 finalist Hannah Kimber to discuss the creative strategies she employs to keep moving in the office (particularly if she has to work late) and how lessons learned from sports and other firms of physical activity have informed her attitudes towards legal practice.

The pair also talk about Ms Kimber's journey with online advocacy about physical activity, the need to better understand one's limits and be self-aware, and appreciating the myriad flow-on benefits from various forms of exercise for one's work as a lawyer.

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 Naomi Neilson is joined by solicitor Eric Zhang in an open discussion about mental health among young lawyers. In this episode, he shares the experiences that led to his breaking point, including the stress of catching up to his peers and being made to feel inadequate in his first role.

Eric also shares what the profession should be doing better: "We all know that depression and anxiety is an occupational hazard, yet I think there needs to be more done to ensure that everyone's taking care of their personal health. I think one of the biggest things is that there is an overwhelming culture of working."

We also talk about maintaining a job outside of the legal profession to financially support the tough (and often underpaid) path into becoming a lawyer and finding a passion for working in social change, as he has done with the Refugee Law Project.

Eric – who will be working alongside a legal team assembled by New Liberals leader Victor Kline to launch private action against Christian Porter – also shares why he got involved with politics and why other young lawyers should consider it.

Australia's space sector is seeing rapid growth at the moment, and as such, the nature and volume of legal work are also shifting. Such evolution offers many opportunities, but also presents real challenges.

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Paterson IP principal Dr Stefan Paterson and Azimuth Advisory principal Donna Lawler to discuss the latest developments in space law, at both the international and domestic levels, the impact of legislative changes upon the work of practitioners in this area and where Australian laws sit relative to global counterparts.

The trio also talk about the emergence of new start-ups in the space sector in Australia, the need to protect innovation and technology, and what the Australian market has to look forward to with the future of space.

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!

Recently, Greenpeace Australia Pacific was engaged in litigation against energy giant AGL, in a case that garnered international attention. Here, the charity's chief executive and GC unpack the steps taken to win those proceedings.

On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO David Ritter and general counsel Katrina Bullock to discuss the proceedings brought by AGL against the charity, how they responded to it and worked together to achieve an optimal outcome.

The pair detail the late-night collaboration between legal and senior execs, engagement with external legal counsel, how Ms Bullock helped prep Mr Ritter for the witness box, the state of affairs with alleged "SLAPP lawsuits", what law departments can learn from how Greenpeace managed these proceedings, and what advice they have for GCs whose organisations may be subject to litigation.

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!

Having practised as a barrister, and now as a partner, Jahan Kalantar understands that soft skills such as empathy are essential in better understanding client needs and, ultimately, succeeding as a lawyer.

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Executive Legal partner and head of litigation Jahan Kalantar to discuss how and why soft skills are increasingly necessary for lawyers as we move towards a post-pandemic market, what skills in particular will be important, and what creative ways lawyers can look to glean them.

The pair also talk about Mr Kalantar's experience as a TEDx speaker, what life circumstances taught him about the importance of following one's heart, and how starting his career at the Bar made him well placed to launch his own boutique 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!

At the age of 30, Elizabeth Aitken made partner. Having now been in such a role for three years, she understands what new partners must do if they are to succeed, personally and professionally.

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by SLF Lawyers partner and national head of workplace relations and safety Elizabeth Aitken to discuss how she got to partner at such a young age and what this meant for her, the learning curves in adjusting to a new role and the challenges inherent in the early years of partnership.

The pair also delve into Ms Aitken's advice for those who have just made partner, including but not limited to the need to lead in one''s own way, how those aspiring partnership can put their best foot forward, and why being a partner is, at the end of the day, a fun vocational pathway.

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!

SME law firms whose billing practices are haphazard and infrequent not only run the risk of having poor business health, but poor mental health for the firm owners.

On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy sits down with Smokeball chief revenue officer Jane Oxley to discuss some of the issues she has observed among boutique law firm owners when it comes to the frequency and nature of billing for their clients, and the flow-on consequences that come from having what she calls poor billing hygiene – particularly in such an economically turbulent period for the market.

The pair also talk about the benefits that can be reaped from getting one's billing processes right, the nexus between being a good business owner and a good lawyer, practical steps to bolster one's billing processes and how technology can assist in such steps.

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 is the case with one student, young lawyers who have not been a victim of sexual harassment and bullying are fast becoming the exception and not the rule. In an effort to address the culture of silence that exists around these experiences and to push the profession further towards eradicating both, a team of students has created an online platform designed for anonymous reporting.

In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Naomi Neilson is joined by juris doctorate candidates Amer Nasr and Erica Giulione and bachelor of arts and law student Marcus Lee, three members behind online reporting platform Confidant. With help from two other students, Confidant could pave the way to a safer profession.

Long before the Dyson Heydon findings in 2020 and possibly long after the most recent, harrowing reports in April, sexual harassment and bullying have been a plague on the profession made worse by a fear of coming forward. In this episode, the three members talk about how the platform could address this culture of silence by allowing victims to share their stories without fear of repercussion.

As part of the episode, all three students share why they think this app is so important to the profession today and how damaging the culture of silence has been to either their own personal experiences or those of their peers.

They also talk listeners through some of the other useful features, including options to take further action by consulting internal and external support systems. Victims may also be alerted when other users have reported the same person, which could give them all the confidence to come forward with their stories publicly.

Have a listen to the episode 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.

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Having grown up surrounded by family violence, alcoholism and mental illness, Kristal Naividi was perhaps more likely to need a lawyer than to become one herself.

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Coastal Lawyers owner and principal Kristal Naividi to discuss how hard work over many years saw her achieve her professional dreams, in spite of myriad disadvantages, and what she has learned along the way.

The pair talk about how setbacks in her life have shaped her successes, the non-linear line she walked to get to where she is, the need to "create a village" for one's self, and advice she would offer to other legal professionals about overcoming hardship.