Continuing the on-the-road theme of Open Matters, we are in Manchester meeting Setfords lawyers from the North West region. Kicking off, David Miers tells us about his very specialised area of the law.

David is one of the few specialists in the country whose practice is solely made up of work related stress claims.  His expertise covers stress at work claims, bullying and harassment claims, violence at work claims, and sexual harassment.

We then hear from David Formby, who joined Setfords in September, and learn some insights about the commercial property scene within the region, and some personal thoughts on making the transition to becoming a consultant lawyer and how you need to find the entrepreneur inside yourself.

Finally, our Events Coordinator, Hayley Manson, tells us all about her role at Setfords and what goes into planning all of our wonderful events.

Production and Contact Information

Open Matters - The Setfords Podcast is produced by the Marketing and Communications Team at Setfords. Sound recording, sound design, filming and editing is by Matt James from Matt James Media. Individual episode producers are Sara Jones and Amy Mills. Open Matters is hosted by Eric Woollard-White. Special thanks to Bengo Media for production consultancy, advice and support. And an extra special thanks to all our contributors and guests.

If you have feedback or questions about Open Matters, please email us at:

[email protected]

Or, feel free to reach out via our social media channels:

:: LinkedIn :: :: Twitter :: :: Instagram :: :: Facebook :: :: YouTube ::

In September 2023, Setfords signed up to participate in the two Black Lawyers Matter mentoring schemes run by the Stephen James Partnership.

To mark the launch of this, Setfords held a roundtable discussion at its Chancery Lane office in London.  The event was an opportunity for mentors - Setfords consultant lawyers and employees - to meet their mentees for the first time.

The mentees come from two groups: young people not yet working in law, and lawyers already employed within the legal industry.

In this episode, we hear from Consultant Solicitor William Brown about his experience of being mentored when he started out as a lawyer, and why he volunteered to be a mentor in the Black Lawyers Matter programme at Setfords.

Production and Contact Information

Open Matters - The Setfords Podcast is produced by the Marketing and Communications Team at Setfords. Sound recording, sound design, filming and editing is by Matt James from Matt James Media. Individual episode producers are Sara Jones and Amy Mills. Open Matters is hosted by Eric Woollard-White. Special thanks to Bengo Media for production consultancy, advice and support. And an extra special thanks to all our contributors and guests.

If you have feedback or questions about Open Matters, please email us at:

[email protected]

Or, feel free to reach out via our social media channels:

:: LinkedIn :: :: Twitter :: :: Instagram :: :: Facebook :: :: YouTube ::

Senior Consultant Litigation Solicitor Alastair Sinclair gives us an overview of his specialist areas of the law - matrimonial matters and litigation.  In particular, we discuss the sensitivities of handling cases where children are involved.

As a relative newcomer to Setfords, we also hear how Alastair's onboarding journey has been since he joined the firm.  And we don't let him leave without a quick round of 'What's in Your Backpack?'

Elsewhere, we meet an unsung hero from within Setfords' Legal Secretaries team and hear about how important their work is in supporting our consultants.

Production and Contact Information

Open Matters - The Setfords Podcast is produced by the Marketing and Communications Team at Setfords. Sound recording, sound design, filming and editing is by Matt James from Matt James Media. Individual episode producers are Sara Jones and Amy Mills. Open Matters is hosted by Eric Woollard-White. Special thanks to Bengo Media for production consultancy, advice and support. And an extra special thanks to all our contributors and guests.

If you have feedback or questions about Open Matters, please email us at:

[email protected]

Or, feel free to reach out via our social media channels:

:: LinkedIn :: :: Twitter :: :: Instagram :: :: Facebook :: :: YouTube ::

Open Matters hits the open road literally in this special edition from Bristol. The Setfords team has been on a regional tour, visiting our consultants where they are based, and listening to feedback and sharing news and updates about the firm.

First up in this episode is Charlotte Robins, a Consultant Licensed Conveyancer, who specialises in equity release.  Equity release allows individuals aged 55 and over to release money from the property they live in without having to make any monthly repayments. 

Marissa Ayres, Director and Head of Wellbeing at Setfords, gives the lowdown on what support the Wellbeing Team provides to Setfords lawyers, why wellbeing support matters, and explains about the rationale and purpose of the firm's Regional Tour. 

Production and Contact Information

Open Matters - The Setfords Podcast is produced by the Marketing and Communications Team at Setfords. Sound recording, sound design, filming and editing is by Matt James from Matt James Media. Individual episode producers are Sara Jones and Amy Mills. Open Matters is hosted by Eric Woollard-White. Special thanks to Bengo Media for production consultancy, advice and support. And an extra special thanks to all our contributors and guests.

If you have feedback or questions about Open Matters, please email us at:

[email protected]

Or, feel free to reach out via our social media channels:

:: LinkedIn :: :: Twitter :: :: Instagram :: :: Facebook :: :: YouTube ::

'Fraud markers' can play havoc with people's financial lives if they are wrongly applied, and in extreme cases, some people can lose their jobs, or be refused bank accounts or have existing bank accounts closed with little warning.

But what are they, what are they for and what can you do if one of these invisible flags has been attached to you incorrectly without your knowledge?

Senior Consultant Regulatory Solicitor at Setfords Jeremy Asher is the UK's leading expert on this topic, and he joins us on Open Matters to explain all.

Jeremy has been campaigning to protect innocent people from wrongly applied fraud markers in recent months and he has a live petition calling on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Government to regulate their use.  

Production and Contact Information

Open Matters - The Setfords Podcast is produced by the Marketing and Communications Team at Setfords. Sound recording, sound design, filming and editing is by Matt James from Matt James Media. Individual episode producers are Sara Jones and Amy Mills. Open Matters is hosted by Eric Woollard-White. Special thanks to Bengo Media for production consultancy, advice and support. And an extra special thanks to all our contributors and guests.

If you have feedback or questions about Open Matters, please email us at:

[email protected]

Or, feel free to reach out via our social media channels:

:: LinkedIn :: :: Twitter :: :: Instagram :: :: Facebook :: :: YouTube ::

In this first ever episode of Open Matters we discuss AI and machine learning and what it could mean to the legal industry and within Setfords.

Pearl Moses, Compliance Director at Setfords, and Antony O'Loughlin, Director and Head of Litigation & General Counsel at Setfords, provide contributions on the topic, picking up on an article from The Times newspaper (in which Pearl was quoted) headlined: "Lawyers fear ChatGPT will threaten jobs." 

We speak to Sonal Rabheru, Senior Property Consultant Solicitor at Setfords, and find out why the British Conveyancing Awards named her Consultant Solicitor of the Year... and then she tells us what things she can't live without while remote working in a round of 'What's in Your Backpack?'

We interview an unsung hero from the industry's leading consultant lawyer support team at Setfords, and Mike Brawley (Managing Director - Legal Service Delivery) walks us through the firm's history since 2006.

* This was recorded as the pilot episode of Open Matters and very much a first go at evolving the format, style and editorial approach.

Production and Contact Information

Open Matters - The Setfords Podcast is produced by the Marketing and Communications Team at Setfords. Sound recording, sound design, filming and editing is by Matt James from Matt James Media. Individual episode producers are Sara Jones and Amy Mills. Open Matters is hosted by Eric Woollard-White. Special thanks to Bengo Media for production consultancy, advice and support. And an extra special thanks to all our contributors and guests.

If you have feedback or questions about Open Matters, please email us at:

[email protected]

Or, feel free to reach out via our social media channels:

:: LinkedIn :: :: Twitter :: :: Instagram :: :: Facebook :: :: YouTube ::

Open Matters - The Setfords Podcast... what is it?

Welcome to an informal chat about the law, trending legal topics making headlines and life as a consultant lawyer at UK law firm Setfords.

The purpose of Open Matters is to help keep our 450+ remote working lawyers connected and up-to-date on what's happening within our law firm, and in the wider legal industry and beyond.

It's not all law, though. 

Our lawyers are people with passions, ambitions and interests and so we dig a little deeper to find out what makes them tick and why they love doing what they do for clients. And once we've covered some serious legal stuff, then it's time to play a round of 'What's in Your Backpack?'

While Open Matters is produced primarily for Setfords lawyers and employees, we would welcome others to listen in.

For example, you might be a lawyer in another firm wondering what being a consultant lawyer is all about - this is a subject well covered here... work-life balance, remote working, autonomy, saying goodbye to office politics, billing targets and the energy-draining commute to an office and more.

And if you're not a lawyer, what's in it for you?  Well, we talk about the law, topical legal issues and changes to laws that may affect you, as a consumer of legal services.

Do join us for an episode of 'Open Matters' - hosted by Eric Woollard-White - and you never know, you might just love it!

Production and Contact Information

Open Matters - The Setfords Podcast is produced by the Marketing and Communications Team at Setfords. Sound recording, sound design, filming and editing is by Matt James from Matt James Media. Individual episode producers are Sara Jones and Amy Mills. Open Matters is hosted by Eric Woollard-White. Special thanks to Bengo Media for production consultancy, advice and support. And an extra special thanks to all our contributors and guests.

If you have feedback or questions about Open Matters, please email us at:

[email protected]

Or, feel free to reach out via our social media channels:

:: LinkedIn :: :: Twitter :: :: Instagram :: :: Facebook :: :: YouTube ::