Observations on Brief: A Legal Podcast

In this episode of Observations on Brief, we celebrate the opening of our third season with Sage and James covering the first part of a series dedicated to changes made to the Family Law Act, which have effect from 6 May 2024. 

Yes the changes are coming into effect soon, but our message is 'don't panic'.

This episode covers the changes to parental responsibility, best interests, and the way the legislation will now deal with Rice & Asplund.  

In this episode, the team outline the tips, trick, and general rules about briefing counsel. This is not just an introduction; it provides some important knowledge for experienced hands and new players alike.  James, Bordie, and Sage explain why the brief is important why the relationship with counsel is important, and when should you consider briefing. We wrap up with a famous legal story about why you should never mistake a fishing boat for a torpedo boat. 

In the second episode of season 2, we welcome the return of our co-host Brodie Buckland. James, Brodie, and Sage then discuss what we mean by using the term 'war crimes', what can be done to bring alleged perpetrators to justice, and what is being done on the ground to collect evidence and move forward with prosecutions. We end on a lighter note- tales of poetic justice in judgments.

In our first episode of the new season, James explains high-conflict people and the tips and tricks for dealing with them in litigation. We also learn of the rather bizarre recent behaviour of a New York State Town Justice that led to his censure, including his taste in car bumper stickers. 

In this episode, we discuss becoming a barrister. What is the journey like, what do you need to do, what it is actually like, and what you need to think about if you decide to go to the bar are the focus of our discussions.  We are joined this week by special guest Ian Metz of Blackburn Chambers who recently completed his readership year and who provides insightful contributions to the topic at hand from the point of view of recent experience.    

We end our episode with a novel question- I can change my name legally but can I legally change my age?

In this episode, James and Sage discuss expert evidence. We delve into what the requirements for expert evidence are, what you need to look at as a practitioner in assessing expert reports, and when you need to think about getting expert evidence in your matter.  


We end the podcast with one of James' all-time favourite cases. 

In this episode, Sage and James provide a key update for practitioners who work in the family law jurisdiction.  They provide an overview of the new Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Rules for Divisions 1 and 2.

This presentation was done in conjunction with the Canberra Regional Family Law Professional's Association. 

In this episode James, Brodie, and Sage discuss legal issues surrounding vaccines- can they be mandated? what are the psychological reasons why people do not comply with Public Health Orders, and what are the problems with 'rights' and 'equality' discourses when it comes to vaccines?

We end with one of the big legal questions of our time- are Pringles crisps?

In this episode, James, Brodie, and Sage discuss legal news from home and around the world. What are the big stories happening in law and what might they mean for you? They end with a discussion about Sesame Street which is a little different from what you might expect. 

In celebration of our first full episode, we have a double-length episode for our listeners. Sage, Brodie and James talk legal news, voluntarily assisted dying legislation, virtual crime scenes, some Federal Court decisions, and a UK defamation decision. Following that, our panel discuss the law in lockdown- tips, tricks and things to be aware of for legal practitioners and law students.