Make the Shift with The Legal Werk

In this episode we speak with Justin Kan about his experience with Atrium a multi-structure startup he built in the legal industry. We talk about leadership culture, how constraints can be powerful in forging clarity and dealing with failure. Justin also shares some useful insights on fundraising!

Belinda and I started this podcast in a pandemic. We had both recently graduated into a world that was so different from what we dreamt and we knew weren't alone in dealing with dashed hopes. In addition, we knew that the career landscape would change so rapidly, so we wanted to help people prepare for their changes, pivots and switches. We talk about living as immigrants, moving from being completely independent in South Africa to being students and what it's like to live countries where black people are the minority. 

Our guest on today’s episode is trailblazer Rashida Abdulai. Rashida is a UK based lawyer who transitioned from an International Arbitration role at Hogan Lovells to starting her own award-winning, technology-driven, legal services firm called Strand Sahara. Rashida shares her journey around this transition and how being coached, being part of a business accelerator program, and having a supportive network really allowed her to ease into entrepreneurship. Rashida candidly shares how as an entrepreneur even the best-laid plans are secondary to the demands of the market. She advises listeners to start now with what you have.

To find out more about Rashida and Strand Sahara, click here

We always promise to share some of the resources shared by our guests and on this episode, we finally make good on that promise. We finally got around to listing the books Rashida referenced during the episode below:

* Finding your Own North Star by Martha Beck

* Brilliance Quotient by Reena Dayal

Our guest today is the stunning Thandi Maqubela. Thandi is a director at Deloitte and is a dual-qualified attorney in both South Africa and the UK. Having started her career in South Africa at one of the top law firms in Johannesburg, adventure called and saw Thandi shifting her career from Johannesburg to London. Not only is Thandi a successful lawyer, she also has a strong social media following where she shares her poignant views on race, politics, and her impeccable style in clothing, design, and all-round fabulousness. Thandi is witty and outspoken and she shares how she has learned to show up as her whole, true and authentic self in all areas of her life. Thandi effortlessly showcases how being multifaceted can actually complement your capabilities at work and lead to a deeper sense of self-actualisation. Thandi opens up about growing into leadership roles, toxic environments, and dealing with a crisis of confidence.

Devora visited Israel when she was 12 and made the decision that one day she would live there. Then almost 20 years later she made that dream come true, as talk about her work, lifestyle and journey building a career in Tel Aviv.

Our guest today is Nomsa Mbere, who made the shift from a career in medicine to a successful career in law! Nomsa is a senior associate at Webber Wentzel in Johannesburg with expertise in both M&A and Project Finance. Outside of her career, Nomsa is a true adventure-seeker at heart, having traveled to many countries across the globe and even summiting Mount Kilimanjaro! Nomsa shares her perspectives on making shifts in your career at any age, living life without limits, and how her spirituality has kept her sustained as she navigates her way through life. Nomsa talks candidly about being at the top of your career in one field and then moving into a space where the people you report to are younger than you and the lessons she has learned along the way around humility and not sweating the small stuff.   

*This episode was recorded before recent tragic events in America. There are links to useful Black Lives Matter resources and ways to help below*

** There are also a few sound glitches in the beginning of the episode, so please bear with us**

Our guest on this episode is Nosipho van der Bragt, Nosipho is a South African based lawyer, an entrepreneur with three companies under her belt, and is also a wife and a mom. After living in the UK for several years Nosipho and her family moved back to South Africa where she kickstarted her legal career at one of the biggest firms in Johannesburg. After working in-house as a legal advisor for a few years, Nosipho made the shift towards entrepreneurship and now heads up three companies: the Chocolate tribe which is a film and production company she runs with her husband, the EarthNut women's clothing boutique in Rosebank, and a legal services consulting company offering commercial advice for various corporations. Nosipho shares her journey of finding your feet as a legal professional, shattering glass ceilings, having the courage to pursue your dreams, all while wearing many different hats.

As we continue to witness the wave of change when it comes to the protests against injustice and police brutality through the black lives matter movement not only in the US but across the globe, more and more people are looking for tangible ways to get involved, open up conversations and take part in bringing about much needed change.

You can find out more about some of Nosipho's businesses in the links below:

Earth Nut Design 

Chocolate Tribe 

For more on the BLM movement click on the link here.

Our guest on this episode of Making the Shift with the Legal Werk is Busani Dhladhla, a lawyer from Johannesburg, South Africa.  Busani shares how after university she found herself questioning her dreams and her identity as she navigated her way through the early parts of her career. Busani has taken her career from practice at a large prestigious firm, to startups and even a Masters in Science at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.  She has now taken on pupilage and is on her way to becoming an advocate. Busani unpacks her career journey with us, the lessons she has learned along the way through her career shifts, and what her hopes and visions are for her career in the future. 

Marisha Thakker is an alum of the class of 2019 at Cornell Tech in the LLM program. She is currently a Solutions Architect at Dentons which is the world largest law firm and she is working very hard to bring innovation into the legal industry one law office at a time. She started her career in India and it has continued in New York taking a new direction from M&A to legal tech.  She shares some gems on how small firms can adopt a culture of change.