The Hearing – A Legal Podcast
Thomson Reuters
The Hearing is a legal podcast from Thomson Reuters. Listen to insightful discussions with lawyers, legal experts, and other interesting people connected to the legal industry. We delve into anything and everything – trailblazers in the law, the latest insights on legal innovation and trends, and how the profession is evolving. With hosts based in the UK and the US, we cover issues around the globe. Our current hosts: Becky Annison – Trained at a London law firm before moving in-house. Spent 12 years as a senior solicitor in a large international company, before joining Practical Law's In-house practice area team. Now, as Head of Engagement for The Chancery Lane Project, Becky uses her knowledge of contracting and law to help tackle the climate crisis. Janelle Wrigley – An attorney based in California. As head of the Antitrust & Competition team at Practical Law, leads a team of lawyers producing practical guidance for competition lawyers worldwide. Previously, Janelle was a litigator at the US Federal Trade Commission and at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York. Teneé Frazier – An attorney, editor, and speaker based in Alabama. As a member of the State and Local Government team at Practical Law, she uses her expertise in municipal law to produce substantive content for local government attorneys. Previously, Teneé was Assistant General Counsel at the Alabama League of Municipalities. Yasmin Sheikh – Executive coach, trainer, consultant, and speaker, with a background as a lawyer – practising for 12 years in a large international law firm. Founder of Diverse Matters – which helps promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity within organisations. Yasmin is also a former vice chair of the Disabled Solicitors Network at the Law Society of England and Wales. Find out more about The Hearing and other Thomson Reuters podcasts at tr.com/thehearing.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 15, 2021 • 46min
EP. 83 – Image-based sexual abuse and the law
THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – Back from our summer hiatus, in this episode Becky Annison examines the growing issue of non-consensual image sharing. Or, as it’s more commonly known, revenge porn. Becky talks to Elena Michael, a campaigner and co-founder of #NotYourPorn, and Honza Cervenka, a lawyer at the women’s rights firm McAllister Olivarius. They discuss the prevalence of image-based sexual abuse and the huge challenges that survivors face when seeking justice against perpetrators. In what ways are our legal systems failing to protect victims? And why are website operators so slow to protect people against this type of exploitation? Contributors:- Elena Michael, #NotYourPorn- Honza Cervenka, McAllister Olivarius
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Aug 9, 2021 • 30min
EP. 82 – Julia Cooper (Breastfeed in Peace)
Breastfeeding is legal. Breastfeeding in public is legal. But did you know that taking intimate photos of a woman breastfeeding in public without her consent is also legal? In this episode Yasmin talks to new mother, designer and now women's and mother's rights campaigner, Julia Cooper. She's another woman warrior using political process to change the way the law treats women. Julia speaks about the shock of being photographed by a stranger whilst breastfeeding her child outside, their confrontation and the steps she's taken since to help protect other mums. Both Yasmin and Julia are new mums and care passionately about giving other mothers the confidence to breastfeed in public. The pair talk about Julia’s campaigning journey, the frustrations and early successes, and what it's like getting to grips with the legislative process.
You can find out more about Julia’s petition here: www.change.org/breastfeedinpeace
Jul 19, 2021 • 40min
EP. 81 – Stanley Litow (P-TECH)
The achievements of this episode’s guest have been celebrated by the Council on Foreign Relations, Harvard Business Review, The Economist, The New York Times, Forbes and Wired. Joe is talking to the founder of P-TECH, and author of Breaking Barriers, Stan Litow. They begin by discussing Stan’s early career – working for the mayor of New York City – which opened his eyes to issues in the education system. This stuck with Stan through roles in public service, the not-for-profit sector and into IBM – where he created “the private sector version of a Peace Corps”. P-TECH is a global programme that blends high school with higher education and on-the-job learning. It bridges the gap between employment and academic systems that lack the provision of workplace skills. These opportunities are available to all students, regardless of race or financial status, in a way that benefits the private sector as well as society. This episode is for lawyers who want to see change in the industry but aren't sure where to start.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Jul 5, 2021 • 36min
EP. 80 – Brain injuries in sport: where is the duty of care?
THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – In this episode Becky talks to Katie Fudakowski, a safeguarding specialist at Farrer & Co, and Sophie Beesley, a personal injury barrister from Old Square Chambers, to discuss the law around duty of care to sports people who suffer head injuries as a result of their profession. Rugby World Cup winner Steve Thompson is one of eight rugby players who recently revealed they’re suffering from early-onset dementia. Steve says he can no longer remember winning that 2003 World Cup. The eight players are suing for negligence. They claim the sport’s governing bodies failed in their duty of care to players, despite risks of concussions being "known and foreseeable". With some experts predicting the case will settle out of court, Becky, Katie and Sophie examine the legal rights our sporting heroes are entitled to.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Jun 21, 2021 • 38min
EP. 79 – Freddy McConnell
This episode's guest doesn't give up: he didn't give up being himself, he didn't give up his desire for children and he doesn't give up fighting for others, even when that means taking the government to court. Yasmin is speaking to journalist, trans activist and father, Freddy McConnell. Freddy is a dad who gave birth. This story is excellently told in the film Seahorse, which documents his journey to becoming a single dad. Yasmin was also keen to talk to Freddy about his court battle to be named as the father on his son’s birth certificate. They discuss Freddy’s discovery of the legal realities for trans parents in the UK, and how the legal system views men who choose to give birth. Freddy's journey through the courts isn't over yet and he’s taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights next. He's part of a global LGBTQIA movement trying to use the legal system to help every family be recognised as their everyday selves.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Jun 7, 2021 • 53min
EP. 78 – Stevie Ghiassi (Legaler)
Question: What do the Iranian national football team, NFTs, Hotel Rwanda and Andy Murray have in common? Answer: Stevie Ghiassi, Co-founder of Legaler and Legaler Aid. And Joe’s guest this week! In this episode, Stevie chats to Joe about his unlikely journey from running a chain of souvenir shops to becoming a legal tech entrepreneur. He also talks about the important work that Legaler Aid is doing, and ways in which legal tech and blockchain have helped them pivot after Covid took away traditional fundraising streams. Yet again we’re seeing innovative ways that cryptocurrency and blockchain are being used, and how they offer real opportunities for the legal industry.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
May 17, 2021 • 36min
EP. 77 – The impact of AI and algorithms on the fairness of our justice systems
THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – We, along with the rest of the legal industry, have talked at length about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our profession. But this time we concern ourselves not with the efficiencies of machine learning and automation, but instead with potential injustice and the need for vigilance in the face of seismic developments. AI is already being used extensively in areas like recruitment, policing and the courts – as it's often assumed that machines, unlike humans, are objective and neutral. But, as this episode discusses, computer algorithms can easily perpetuate and amplify human biases. Becky Annison and our three guests – who are each working to understand and fight against algorithmic injustice – discuss the causes as well as the cumulative and damaging effects of coded bias. The computer scientist and digital activist Joy Buolamwini describes this phenomenon as the "exclusion overhead" – the cost of systems that exclude and discriminate against those with experiential differences who are outside the code writing room. CONTRIBUTORS:- Sandra Wachter, Associate Professor & Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford - Kristian Lum, Research Assistant Professor, Dept. of Computer & Information Science, University of Pennsylvania - Ivana Bartoletti, Technical Director - Privacy, Deloitte; Visiting Policy Fellow, University of Oxford
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
May 3, 2021 • 41min
EP. 76 – Laura Bates (Everyday Sexism Project)
Yasmin's guest this week hardly needs introduction – we're speaking to feminist icon Laura Bates. Laura is founder of The Everyday Sexism Project, a catalogue of day-to-day instances of sexism and gender inequality. Laura talks us through the events that led to her setting up the project – events that were so everyday, so commonplace, that she almost didn't notice. On her website, Laura describes these types of incidents as “so-used-to-it-you-almost-just-accept-it sexism”. But, as she explains to Yasmin, she couldn't just accept it – and so one of the greatest feminists of our time got going! Yasmin talks to Laura about her work with the legal industry – an industry that often doesn't think it has a problem with sexism; that doesn't believe harassment and inequality can happen to lawyers. They also discuss her new book, Men Who Hate Women – a shocking exploration of extreme misogyny.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Apr 19, 2021 • 1h
EP. 75 – Andrew Fletcher (Thomson Reuters Labs)
To those listening in the future, the level of excitement about our brief Easter hiatus to see friends and family might seem strange. But, future listener, these are strange times indeed. We don't even have hoverboards yet. Our future podcast friends might also find it strange that we're still discussing whether lawyers actually need artificial intelligence. Joe's guest this week is Andrew Fletcher, Director at TR Labs. He points out that the trust we place in our lawyers will soon begin to assume their ability to tap into a knowledge base far wider than can ever be gleaned from books. Lawyers will need AI and legal tech to tap into this information, interpret it and then join the dots on behalf of their clients. Andrew talks to Joe about how TR Labs is taking curation of big data to the next level, how to make sure an AI can be trusted, and the kinds of innovations that are just around the corner. Spoiler: there's still no sign of robot lawyers, but we do have a Joe-Bot.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Mar 22, 2021 • 39min
EP. 74 – Will Moy (Full Fact)
Did you know the moon landings were faked? Or that The Beatles never existed? And do you remember when conspiracy theories were much more innocent? In this episode, Becky talks to Will Moy, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Full Fact, about the perils of misinformation in the digital age. Full Fact is a British charity that checks claims made by politicians, public institutions and journalists, and claims made by viral content circulating on social media. Will believes “bad information ruins lives” by promoting hate, damaging health and hurting democracy. He and Becky discuss how the law and lawyers have been caught up in this problem, and what we can do to help tackle it.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
